Western Michigan claims the top spot in new 2025-26 NCAA hockey rankings, with Michigan and Michigan State also landing in the top 10.
College Hockey is just around the corner and as we draw closer to the start of the season, more and more pre-season rankings are being posted with a recent list being published by Everything College Hockey listing off the top 20 hockey teams in the country with the defending champion Western Michigan Broncos atop the list.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
After going 15-1-2 to close out the regular season, the Broncos finished the season with a 34-7-1 overall record en route to the program's first National Championship. Entering next season, they find themselves as the team to beat with several nearby schools looking to take their throne.
Making headlines for their expensive transfers from Canadian junior leagues, Michigan and Michigan State are back into championship contention after adding some of the biggest names in junior hockey. Michigan were named with the best recruiting class of 2025 according to Puck Prep's recently released 2025 recruiting rankings.
The Wolverines class includes four five-star prospects, three four-star players, and three three-stars. Out of Canadian junior leagues, the Wolverines also added top prospects in Malcolm Spence and Jack Ivankovic. They look to bounce back following a 18-15-3 record last season with their campaign ending on back-to-back losses in the Big Ten Quarterfinals to Penn State.
Not far behind, the Michigan State claimed a spot in the top three for recruiting classes with three five-stars, four four-stars, and one three-star recruit. The Spartans made more notable adds out of Canada in recent top NHL draft picks top draft picks Porter Martone and Cayden Lindstrom. State is coming off a stellar season, where they went 26-7-4 but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Cornell.
With both Michigan and Michigan State's recent additions plus Western Michigan's winning pedigree, it could mean the national championship returns to the state of Michigan for the second consecutive year.
Detroit Red Wings Unveil New Centennial Jerseys
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings">Detroit Red Wings</a> revealed special third jerseys on Monday to celebrate their Centennial season.
Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!