Preseason Power Rankings: No. 56 Princeton
Plus: Houston Field House is getting upgrades, new threads for Minnesota State
Opening Faceoff
Well, this one might catch some people by surprise.
In today’s newsletter, we continue my preseason power rankings with an in-depth look at the Princeton Tigers.
Admittedly, I was surprised by how far the data has Princeton falling this season. The Tigers have some elite talent up front, but depth is a concern — especially on the back end — after losing so many players to graduation following last season’s appearance in the ECAC championship game.
The numbers make sense, even if I’m more uneasy about this projection than any other one I’ve done to this point.
Also in this newsletter:
— Minnesota State has some new threads, and they are beautiful.
— RPI released a video highlighting the upgrades to Houston Field House.
You can keep up with all of my preseason power rankings and team previews using the link below:
Preseason Power Rankings: No. 56 Princeton
Storylines
— Princeton enjoyed one of its best seasons in recent memory last year, finishing 18-13-3 and advancing to the ECAC championship game, where the Tigers fell to Dartmouth in overtime.
— I know Princeton is going to be one of the teams in my rankings that raises some eyebrows. I have the Tigers dropping 34 spots in the NPI this season. There are statistical reasons for that, which we’ll get into during the roster breakdown, but the biggest factor is how much production Princeton lost to graduation. The Tigers were a senior-heavy team last season, and six of their top 10 players graduated.
— There will also be a change on Princeton’s coaching staff this season. Connor Jones departed to take a head coaching job in the ECHL, and the Tigers have not yet named his replacement.
— Ben Syer enters his third season behind the Princeton bench. Through his first two seasons, he has led the Tigers to a 30-28-6 record.
