Welcome to the first edition of my NCAA College Hockey Power Rankings! This college hockey power rankings is designed to capture the best teams in college hockey right now, as of February 10, 2025. This is inevitably a difficult endeavor given the constant variability of the short college hockey season, but one worth doing as the NCAA college hockey tournament rapidly approaches. This power ranking incorporates win/loss records, pairwise data, recent performance, and a high degree of subjectivity.
To see the current pairwise rankings, click here.
#1: Boston College
Boston College hockey record: 21-4-1 (13-3-1 Hockey East)
Boston College hockey current pairwise ranking: 1
Boston College is the youngest team in college hockey with an average age of 20.1 year old, but they have also been unquestionably the best. In their recent nine game winning streak, they have scored 38 goals and given up just nine. These wins have been against solid teams like Providence, Boston University and New Hampshire. Sophomore forward Ryan Leonard has 23 goals, and sophomore goalie Jacob Fowler has a .936 SV%.
#2: Denver
Denver hockey record: 20-7-1 (9-6-1 NCHC)
Denver hockey current pairwise ranking: 7
Denver has struggled a bit more than expected. They are just 8-7-1 in their last 16 and sit lower than expected in the pairwise. However, this is a very similar team to the one that won the national championship last year. They have high-end scoring with returners like Jack Devine, Aidan Thompson, and Zeev Buium, and a stalwart goalie in senior Matt Davis. They also lead the nation in goals per game with 4.1 and in power play percentage at 32%, a number that is somewhat inflated due to a handful of blowout victories. Overall, there is no indication that the experienced Pioneers don’t have all the pieces in place for another postseason run.
#3: Michigan State
Michigan State hockey record: 22-5-3 (13-4-3 Big Ten)
Michigan State current pairwise ranking: 2
Michigan State is a dominant team offensively with a solid defense to boast as well. They lead the nation with 36.9 shots on goal per game. They also have the nation’s top point scorer in Isaac Howard. They had a statement 9-3 win against Minnesota two weekends ago and currently sit in first place in the Big 10, arguably the nation’s best conference. Their turnaround the last few seasons from the bottom of the Big 10 to the top has been very impressive.
#4: Maine
Maine hockey record: 18-5-4 (10-3-4 Hockey East)
Maine hockey current pairwise ranking: 4
Maine is a deep, experienced group that has dominated possession statistics. They are third in the country with 34.8 shots on goal per game and first in the country with 23.3 shots against. Losing first rounder Bradley Nadeau hurt, but they have more than made up for the loss with plenty of solid depth players.
#5: Minnesota
Minnesota hockey record: 21-6-3 (12-4-2 Big Ten)
Minnesota hockey current pairwise ranking: 3
As they have in past seasons, Minnesota has an abundance of talent. Jimmy Snuggerud, Matthew Wood, Connor Kurth and Oliver Moore have provided high-end scoring to lead Minnesota to second in the nation in goals per game at 4.0. Minnesota’s hockey program have not won a national championship since 2003, but they have come awfully close in previous years. They may not be the favorites this year, but they will certainly be in contention.
#6: Western Michigan
Western Michigan hockey record: 20-5-1 (13-2-1 NCHC)
Western Michigan current pairwise ranking: 5
Western Michigan has separated themselves in the NCHC over the more traditional powerhouses like Denver and North Dakota. Their goalie pair of freshman Hampton Slukynsky and graduate student Cameron Rowe have combined with a stingy defense to give up just 1.7 goals against per game. They also have an incredible 93.3% penalty kill percentage, which leads all of D1 college hockey.
#7: Providence
Providence hockey record: 16-7-5 (6-6-5 Hockey East)
Providence hockey current pairwise ranking: 6
Providence has been effective through depth, goaltending, and the ability to win close games. They have 13 skaters with double-digit points and a team SV% of .918%. In a great look for the Hockey East conference, they finish the season 10-1-0 in inter-conference games, including quality wins against Arizona State, Dartmouth, Clarkson, and Colorado College. Their strong strength of schedule should prepare them well for whatever the remainder of the season throws their way.
#8: Arizona State
Arizona State hockey record: 17-10-1 (12-6-0 NCHC)
Arizona State current pairwise ranking: 14
Arizona State has been the hottest team in college hockey for the last two months. After a dreadful 3-7-1 start, they are 14-3-0 over their last 17 games playing in arguably the nation’s most difficult conference. In that span, they have three wins over Denver and a number of other wins over this year’s middling NCHC teams like Colorado College, Omaha, and North Dakota. They have been successful primarily because of a vaunted offense which averages 3.8 goals per game and converts at a 28.7% power play percentage.
#9: UConn
UConn hockey record: 15-10-3 (8-8-3 Hockey East)
UConn hockey current pairwise ranking: 8
UConn is 7-2-2 in their last eleven games, most of which came against high-end Hockey East opponents. In that span, they swept New Hampshire, beat Quinnipiac, and won and tied against Providence. They have balanced scoring and good depth at the forward and defense position. This was a team projected by many pundits to finish near the bottom of the Hockey East Standings, but are currently positioned in fourth.
#10: Boston University
Boston University hockey record: 15-10-1 (10-6-1 Hockey East)
Boston University hockey current pairwise ranking: 9
Boston University is a dangerous team offensively. They a good mix of high-end underclassmen and upperclassmen and a vaunted power-play clicking at 27.5%. The defense and goaltending have been a major problem, however, which recently led BU to bring in goalie Mikhail Yegorov midseason. They have a number of losses in which their defense really let them down, including a 7-5 defeat to Yale, a 7-2 loss to North Dakota, and a 6-2 loss to B.C. It makes them hard to trust against the upper echelon of D1 college hockey teams.
#11: Michigan
Michigan hockey record: 16-12-2 (10-9-1 Big Ten)
Michigan hockey current pairwise ranking: 12
It has been a relatively trying season for a team with so much high-end talent. They have struggled to keep the puck out of their own net, giving up 3.3 goals against per game along with a team SV% of .895. After a 9-2-1 start, they have labored through a difficult stretch of games against Big Ten opponents to the tune of an 8-10-1 stretch over their last 19. With that said, their immense offensive talent makes them a dangerous team come playoff time.
#12: Ohio State
Ohio State hockey record: 18-8-2 (11-6-1 Big Ten)
Ohio State hockey current pairwise ranking: 10
If you exclude the pair of 3-1 losses that Ohio State suffered to the Princeton Tigers, a team ranked 40th in the pairwise, at Hobey Baker Rink in November, the Buckeyes would be a surefire top-10 team this year. They won their other seven inter-conference games and have consistently played close games with the elite teams of the Big 10. In January, they had weekend splits against Michigan State, Michigan, and Minnesota. They are far off the top pairwise teams in a lot of metrics, but have demonstrated that they can play competitive hockey games against anyone in the country.
Conference Distribution
Atlantic Hockey = 0 teams, Big Ten = 4 teams, CCHA = 0 teams, ECAC = 0 teams, Hockey East = 5 teams, NCHC = 3 teams, Independents = 0 teams