College Hockey’s Portal Winners: Breaking Down the Biggest Adds in the East

Also: Three legacy commitments for BU, D-III Frozen Four going to neutral sites, and more staffing updates

We’ll start today’s newsletter by selecting some early “winners” from the transfer portal in the eastern conferences (HEA, AHA, ECAC) — who upgraded, who filled critical holes, and which rosters now look a whole lot better heading into October. Don’t worry, I’ll get to the western conferences later this week.

Also in today’s issue (#580):

• Boston University made noise on the recruiting trail, locking in three big legacy commitments. The Terriers didn’t just land names; they landed future impact players with deep ties to the program.

• In Division III, a major shift is on the horizon: starting in 2028, the Frozen Four will move to predetermined neutral sites, ending the long tradition of the top seed hosting. We’ll break down what the NCAA’s new requirements mean and how the move could reshape the D-III championship weekend.

• I have more staffing updates, including new assistant hires at Princeton, Omaha, and UMass Lowell.

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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Now, onto today’s newsletter …

Programming Note: It’s taken a little extra time to pull together my 2025-26 preseason 1-through-63 rankings. With so many late CHL commitments, I wanted to make sure every incoming freshman class was accurate before putting pen to paper. The good news? The wait is almost over. I’ll begin rolling out the previews and rankings either late next week or, more likely, on Tuesday night after Labor Day.

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