Our preseason power rankings continue with a look at teams I have ranked No. 32-29.
This issue features in-depth looks at Minnesota State, Notre Dame, St. Thomas, and New Hampshire.
Remember, you can follow along with my complete national preseason power rankings at the link below, which also includes a conference-by-conference breakdown.
No. 32 Minnesota State
Last Season
Record: 22-10-1
NPI: 13th (54.27)
League Finish: 1st/9
2026-27 Projection
NPI: 32nd (50.41)
League Finish: 4th/8
Ranking Tier: 6th/9
Storylines
— Luke Strand enters his fourth season behind the Minnesota State bench. Last season, he led the Mavericks to a 22-11-7 record. Over the last two years, Minnesota State is 49-20-10 with back-to-back CCHA championships.
— The Mavericks lost several key seniors from last season’s team and also saw defenseman Evan Murr transfer to Minnesota.
Roster Breakdown
Top 378 Forwards
F1 denotes first-line ranking (No. 1 - No. 189)
F2 denotes second-line ranking (No. 190 - No. 378)
Luigi Benincasa, Sr., F1
Liam Watkins, Jr., F1
Ean Somoza, Sr., F2
Alex Zetterberg, Jr., F2
Top 252 Defensemen
D1 denotes first-pair ranking (No. 1 - No. 126)
D2 denotes second-pair ranking (No. 127 - No. 252)
Sam Court, Jr., D2
Projected Starting Goaltender
Lassi Lehti, Sr., 2.41/.919, +0.40 xGa+/60
Minnesota State has a lot of turnover at the top of its roster. One position I wouldn’t be concerned about, though, is goaltender.
Lassi Lehti flew under the radar last season because he was playing at Fairbanks, but he was one of the top goalies in college hockey. Between Lehti’s play and Minnesota State’s commitment away from the puck, I’m not worried about that position at all.
The data is interesting here. I completely undersold Minnesota State at this time last year. The Mavericks were one of the teams I missed on the most, and I have a feeling the same thing could happen again this season.
