Defending national champion, ECAC Hockey regular-season and 2017 league tournament champion Clarkson was selected the team to beat in the 2017 women’s coaches’ preseason poll.
The Golden Knights earned 10 first-place votes and a total of 119 points.
| School | Points (First-place votes) | 
|---|---|
| 1. Clarkson | 119 (10) | 
| 2. St. Lawrence | 103 (1) | 
| 3. Cornell | 99 (1) | 
| 4. Colgate | 88 | 
| 5. Quinnipiac | 85 | 
| 6. Princeton | 82 | 
| 7. Harvard | 61 | 
| 8. Yale | 51 | 
| 9. Rensselaer | 33 | 
| 10. Dartmouth | 29 | 
| 11. Union | 25 | 
| 12. Brown | 17 | 
In addition, the league announced its preseason All-League Team.
| Player's Name | Position | School | 
|---|---|---|
| Hannah Miller | F | St. Lawrence | 
| Kennedy Marchment | F | St. Lawrence | 
| Karlie Lund | F | Princeton | 
| Ella Shelton | D | Clarkson | 
| Savannah Harmon | D | Clarkson | 
| Stephanie Neatby | G | Princeton |