Preseason Power Rankings: Previewing teams ranked No. 20-17

In-depth looks at Merrimack, Minnesota Duluth, Notre Dame, and Colorado College

As many of you know, College Hockey Insider is a one-man operation — and sometimes, life hits you with a few checks into the boards before you can finish your preseason previews. My podcast co-host — and son — Tyler has been battling a concussion, while my other son, Owen, tweaked his back in a game about ten days ago. And with my wife busy in the classroom (she’s a teacher), I’ve been the designated chauffeur to more doctor appointments than I can count.

The good news? Everyone’s on the mend. The bad news? I fell a bit behind on the writing front.

It’s amazing how much a two-hour absence in the middle of the morning can completely disrupt your day.

But we’re back at it now, full steam ahead. I’ll get things rectified this week, and the plan is to have the rest of the Top 20 posted by Friday. Sometimes the puck bounces the wrong way — but just like any good team, we regroup, refocus, and get back to work.

(20) Merrimack

In the interest of time — and with the goal of squeezing in the rest of the Top 20 over the next few days — I’m going to analyze each team as efficiently as possible.

The Merrimack Warriors once again showed a cerebral touch in roster construction, blending savvy moves through the transfer portal with smart utilization of the new CHL eligibility rules.

Through the portal, they landed Trevor Hoskin — a Calgary Flames draft pick and last season’s Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year at Niagara — along with defensemen Austin Oravetz from Michigan State and Matthew Campbell from Michigan Tech.

On the back end, Merrimack returns Seamus Powell, who led the team in scoring last season, while adding Oravetz, Campbell, and two high-upside additions: Hunter Mayo, a CHL’er, and Filip Nordberg, a second-round pick of the Ottawa Senators and the highest-drafted player in program history.

Up front, the Warriors may not have a true star, but they’re deep — dangerously deep. Think of their lineup as two second lines and two third lines. They want to be balanced and hard to play against.

Between the pipes, Max Lundgren has seized the starting job, and through two games, he’s looked every bit the part of a No. 1 goaltender.