Laura Schuler discusses her University of Minnesota-Duluth women's hockey program ahead of her first season as head coach. National polls have come out for NCAA women's hockey as play begins in the next week. Ohio State will have a difficult task repeating as national champions, and Wisconsin will look to reclaim their own title, but the list of teams closing in on the WCHA's big two, or perhaps surpassing them, is significant. Here's a look at The Hockey News' Top 10 preseason NCAA women's hockey rankings. 1. Wisconsin - Looking at Wisconsin's stacked lineup, it's hard to find a weakness. If there's any hope, it's that Wisconsin rarely finds themself in tight games, so in one-off matchups against the top teams from the east, an upset could occur. Laila Edwards, Casey O'Brien, Kirsten Simms, Lacey Eden and co will handle the scoring, while Caroline Harvey, Laney Potter, Vivian Jungels and the Badgers' young and dynamic blueline will be difficult to stop offensively as well. Ava McNaughton will handle the duties between the pipes. This team might be better this season than last, and that's a scary thought. 2. Minnesota - Move over Ohio State. While it might not work out this way, Minnesota deserves more love than they've been getting in polls. They added star power up and down their lineup through transfers like Natalie Mlynkova, Sydney Morrow, and Krista Parkkonen. Then they brought in some of the top recruits in the world with Chloe Primerano, Gracie Graham, Kendra Distad, and Ayla Puppe. Add in veterans Nelli Laitinen, Abbey Murphy, Ella Huber, Peyton Hemp, and Emma Kreisz, and this team has a variety of weapons, and will also be persistent on both sides of the puck. 3. Ohio State - Without the transfer portal, we could throw away the key on the Buckeyes' yearly national title hopes. This year it was Hailey MacLeod, Brooke Disher, Sara Swiderski, and Maddi Wheeler among others. Returning from last season are Joy Dunne, Jenna Buglioni, Kiara Zanon, and Emma Peschel, and they also have a few key recruits, like defender Mira Jungaker, who can step in and make an immediate impact. Until Ohio State proves they can overcome losing the eight members of their roster selected in the PWHL Draft, they start a slot lower than others have predicted. 4. Colgate - Colgate will be able to stick with any team, including the WCHA's powerhouse programs when it comes to netminding (Hannah Murphy), and scoring, as they feature skilled forwards like Krystina Kaltounkova, Elysse Biedermann, Emmalee Pais, Neena Brick, Alexis Petford, and rookie Addison Spitz. Where they could get exposed is on their backend. Watching Sydney Morrow transfer, and Sydney Bard head to the PWHL punched a hole in their blueline. Avery Pickering is a contender to step into their top spot on the backend despite her youth, but they certainly will face challenges defending the nation's top teams. 5. Cornell - Cornell's defensive depth is a difference maker. Their core of Rory Guilday, Alyssa Regalado, Ashley Messier, Grace Dwyer, Rose Dwyer, and Piper Grober is a six deep group who have all been looked at by Canadian and American national programs. Annelies Bergmann will be one of NCAA hockey's top goalies over the coming seasons, leaving the biggest question for Cornell to answer this season with Izzy Daniel moving to the PWHL, as who will score? Lily Deliandis will be their top threat up front, with Karel Prefontaine and Kaitlin Jockims running shotgun. They'll need players like Katie Chan, MacKenna Van Gelder, and Avi Adam to step up, and there's hope Ohio State transfer Delaney Fleming and rookie Lindzi Avar can contribute immediately. 6. Clarkson - Potentially fielding the best top defensive pair in the nation with Nicole Gosling and Haley Winn, as well as Keira Hurry, Clarkson can attack from anywhere. This group will also need to be responsible in their own zone as Clarkson will look for Julia Minotti to step into their starting goalie spot for the first time in her college career. Beyond Anne Cherkowski up front, Clarkson is packed with young potential, and wield good depth that should be able to score by committee. 7. Minnesota-Duluth - It's highly likely that Minnesota-Duluth passes 1-2 of the eastern programs by midseason. They have depth everywhere, including a solid blueline, and two top goaltenders. The question of how quickly they'll rise will hinge on the hopes that their incoming rookie forwards, primarily Caitlin Kraemer and Reese Logan. Eve Gascon and Tindra Holm are going to keep this team in a lot of games, along with the leadership of Ida Karlsson and Nina Jobst-Smith on the blueline. If they can find a way to score, Minnesota-Duluth will be stronger than many are predicting. 8. Penn State - Penn State will get stronger as the season goes on. Tessa Janecke is an early favorite for the Patty Kazmaier after an unbelievable offseason including with USA's national development team. While they're young, she's joined by incoming players Abby Stonehouse, Grace Outwater, and Nicole Hall who will take a minute to adapt, but when they do, they'll get better by the game. Penn State's top six scorers are back including Brianna Brooks and Katelyn Roberts, and the anchor of their team, Lyndie Lobdell has another season on the blueline. Do they have weaknesses? Certainly, but Penn State could also surprise teams. 9. St. Lawrence - St. Lawrence still has scoring with Abby Hustler, Anna Segedi, and Sarah Machand, but the losses of Julia Gosling and Mae Batherson are significant. They still have Emma-Sofie Nordstrom between the pipes which gives them a solid foundation and rookie forward Rylan Haslam is one to watch. 10. Quinnipiac - They certainly lost some key players including starting goalie Logan Angers and captain Kathryn Reilly, as well as forward Sadie Peart. Kahlen Lamarche looks poised for a breakout season, supported by Maya Labad, transfer Jenna Donahoe, and rookie Bryn Prier. On the back end, Kendall Cooper will be one of the top blueliners in NCAA hockey this season, and Maddy Samoskevich and co will povide stability. The real question mark is in net where rookie Felicia Frank could steal the crease. Honorable Mention: Princeton, Mercyhurst, Connecticut, St. Cloud State, Northeastern
