And so it begins!
My team-by-team preview of the 2024-25 college hockey season begins today with the teams I have picked No. 64 (Stonehill) and No. 63 (Lindenwood).
Over the next two months, I’ll preview all 64 teams position-by-position, including naming potential breakouts, top freshmen, and top returners.
I don’t have the complete 1-64 ranking done yet. I’m still filling in some data for the top teams. But, I have enough complete to start this process at least.
As you might remember, I’ve come up with a formula I’ve used over the last couple of seasons to predict the upcoming college hockey season. The 1-64 order is based solely on the math. If I believe the math is wrong, and a team could outperform (or underperform) its ranking, I’ll tell you.
Last year, we hit a few teams right on the money and were within five Pairwise spots of more than 20 teams. The math correctly predicted a big drop for Harvard (which I was kicked around for at the time) and a big jump from Colorado College.
That said, there were also some wild swings and misses. My formula had Merrimack No. 10, and the Warriors finished No. 35 in the final Pairwise.
Oops.
Stonehill and Lindenwood are remarkably similar. Two independent programs made significant investments in new head coaches this offseason.
If you have ideas for a future newsletter, tips you want to share, mailbag submissions, or if you want to sponsor a future newsletter, please email mike@collegehockeyinsider.com.
— I'm also @MikeMcMahonCHN on Twitter.
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