The inevitable chaos of this season seems like it will have the most impact in the WCHA, where several teams will be missing more than one or two players as part of the Olympics and pre-Olympic prep. The altered rosters also leave room for teams not in the top half of the standings to score some upsets and gain important points, particularly late in the season. Teams’ will be challenged this season. It’s nearly impossible to fully prepare for what the year will bring because we’ve never done this before. The team that adapts the best week in and week out is going to have a massive advantage.
The last three national championship games have featured Wisconsin and Ohio State, with the Badgers taking two of those three titles, including last season in uber-dramatic fashion. In a vacuum, both teams look poised for a fourth title-game clash. But all the other circumstances of this season mean the door is probably open for someone else to take the trophy.
There is an influx of more world-class talent into this conference this season as top U18 stars from Czechia, Finland and Sweden are part of the rookie classes at UW, OSU and Minnesota
Bemidji State
The Beavers have the work cut out for them this season. It’s been a rough road that doesn’t look like it’ll get any easier. Scoring was tough to find last year, but they return much of last year’s roster, including their top four scorers, who now have more experience to build on. There’s work to do on defense, as well. The Beavers were 42nd in the country (of 44 teams) in Team Defense, giving four goals a game. It certainly doesn’t help that they play four games each against four of the top six teams in the country, but that’s the nature of their conference and isn’t going to change.
When BSU are at their best, they are smothering and pesky. They keep teams to the perimeter, force them to take bad shots and generally wear them down. They have to do an even better job of that this season, particularly when they face the top half of the standings while they’re missing players. Their style of defense is incredibly frustrating and difficult to play against. The veterans of this league are at least used to it and have begun to find ways to break through. But younger players and those on the third and fourth lines haven’t had to face Bemidji’s top defenders with regularity. That’s BSU’s advantage and they have to do what they can do to maximize it.
Last season
6-30-1, 4-24 (eighth). Lost to Wisconsin in the WCHA quarterfinals.
Key Returners
Sophomore goalie Kaitlin Groess, sophomore Morgan Smith
Groess averaged just under 30 saves a game last season as a rookie. She handled being peppered and kept calm throughout the season. She had 22 of 37 starts, mostly splitting that time with Eva Filippova, who also returns. The tandem seemed to be effective at giving Groess a rest and keeping her fresh. After trial by fire last season, I’m not sure how much easier this season will be, but I do think she’s in a great spot to handle it.
Key Departures
Makenna Deering (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomers
Junior Elly Klepinger (Minnesota), freshman Maddie Kaiser
Prediction
Eighth
Minnesota
Coach Brad Frost was pretty candid in the conference preseason call when he talked about what the expectation is in the Twin Cities and how his program hasn’t met it in recent years. The good news is that – on paper at least – this is the most dynamic roster they’ve had in several years. The incoming class and transfers should give the Gophers a depth of scoring that’s been lacking, taking pressure off Abbey Murphy and the top line.
Hannah Clark made a name for herself with an outstanding rookie season in net for Minnesota and they’ll be relying on her even more as players leave for Olympic obligations. Her experience last season gives them an advantage and puts them a step ahead when trying to make adjustments. One thing her team has to do (and yes, the whole team, not just Murphy) is be smart and not put her at a disadvantage because of penalties. There were some mental lapses, particularly late in the season, that ultimately cost them points in the standings. They averaged eight penalty minutes a game, ninth most in the country and were only 22nd in the nation on the penalty kill, giving up 22 power play goals.
Last Season
29-12-1, 19-8-1 (third). Lost to Wisconsin in the national semifinal.
Key Returners
Grad student Abbey Murphy, sophomore goalie Hannah Clark, sophomore Chloe Primerano
Key Departures
Ella Huber, Peyton Hemp (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomers
Freshmen Tereza Plosová, Bella Fanale, redshirt senior Sarah Paul, junior Molly Jordan
It feels like Fanale is coming in under the radar a bit because of some of the international rookies and big names from the transfer portal this offseason, but she was Best Forward at the last U18 Worlds. Opponents that aren’t prepared for her will live to regret it. She’s one of the most cerebral, mature true freshmen that have come to the game in a while and her ceiling feels immense. Plosová is a rising star for Czechia who I think is going to improve and learn a lot from Murphy about physicality, finding space and sniping shots.
Prediction
Third
Minnesota Duluth
After portal announcements but before Olympic ones, I was really high on UMD. I still am, but with a little more caution around what happens if and when they’re missing Ève Gascon, plus a number of skaters. (And even more cautious after their first game against Mercyhurst). They’ll be looking at one of two rookie goalies to take the net (Anna Byczek is a redshirt sophomore, but has not yet played in an NCAA game) while some of their most experienced defenders are also out on international duty. Scoring hasn’t been a hallmark of this squad in the past few seasons, but the additions should help provide options beyond Caitlin Kraemer.
I’m trying to be generous because it was only one game, but it felt a bit ominous that UMD put 51 shots on net but had to steal back a point in overtime to win 4-3 and that Gascon gave up three goals on 18 shots. I truly think there’s a big opportunity for them this season, but they’ll have to be very smart and nearly flawless. They don’t have the luxury of a learning curve.
Last Season
22-15-2, 14-12-2 (fourth). Lost to Cornell in the NCAA quarterfinal.
Key Returners
Junior goalie Ève Gascon, sophomore Caitlin Kraemer
The biggest question mark for UMD, imo, is if these two actually make the final Canada roster. I like them both and I think they’re both big parts of Canada’s future, but I think if they do make the roster, they won’t see playing time and it would be a shame for Minnesota Duluth to lose them at a crucial time for them not to play. It’s all part of the game in an Olympic year and it would be huge for both to get the honor to go to Italy. But if they are left off the smaller roster, it would give UMD a massive advantage in February.
Key Departures
Clara Van Wieren, Olivia Wallin, Nina Jobst-Smith (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomer
Sophomore Josie St. Martin, freshman Linnea Natt och Dag
I may be putting way too much on St. Martin’s shoulders, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her in three years at U18s and it was a shock she was a non-factor at Ohio State last season. I really hope the change of teams is what she needs because she’s a dynamic skater with speed and really good instincts when she’s cutting in on net. I’ve heard others worry that the Bulldogs aren’t going to have an offense that can score a lot this season and I just don’t think I agree, in large part because of what I think these two, plus Thea Johansson, can bring.
Prediction
Fourth
Minnesota State
The Mavericks are stuck in the mud of being in the bottom half of this conference and not being able to do much to move forward any further. They’ve had a relatively consistent record and finish in the WCHA the last four seasons and it has to be frustrating to keep putting in the work and not seeing much in the way of results in the win column or the standings. It’s going to be even more difficult this season with seven of their top nine scorers moving on via graduation or the portal. Goalie Hailey Hansen is a huge key to keeping the team on track as they figure themselves out early.
Their first game of the season served all kinds of lessons that I think are the same things they’ll need to work on all year. The Mavs skated off with a 3-0 win after two empty-net goals. They played strong defense, killing off a long power play to end the first. But they should never have put themselves in a 5-on-3 (twice!) during a major kill. I’m impressed with how well they handled the kill, especially when they couldn’t clear the zone and get a line change. They showed great resilience to come out of that game with a win and it should give them a big confidence boost. But they also need to learn how to play smarter and also take advantage of their own opportunities. It was a sloppy game and RPI took seven penalties, but MSU managed to capitalize with a lone power play goal.
Last Season
14-21-2, 7-19-2 (sixth). Lost to Minnesota in the WCHA quarterfinals.
Key Returners
Senior Taylor Otremba, junior goalie Hailey Hansen
Key Departures
Jamie Nelson (Minnesota), Madison Meshuga and Claire Vekich (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomer
Lucie Tenenbaum
Tenenbaum is a dual US and Swiss national who spent the past year playing in the Swiss women’s league. She had size and strength and that extra year of experience should help her transition well into collegiate play.
Prediction
Seventh
Ohio State
The Buckeyes graduated some of the most solid parts of their program, but have a star-studded freshman class that features some of the most dynamic and talented young forwards in the world. In the preseason coaches call, Nadine Muzerall referenced the number 18.9 – that’s the number of seconds that were left in regulation in the national championship game when Wisconsin scored a penalty shot to force overtime. In a program that’s built on relentlessness and helps motivate and drive themselves with an underdog mentality, you can be certain the emotions of that game are driving everything OSU does this season. That should scare everyone who has to play them.
This is a team that likes to be predictable to each other and really reliable in their movement and support of teammates. That doesn’t necessarily mix well with the unknowns, line shakeups and chaos this season seems destined to bring. You can bet OSU has practiced for every scenario the staff can conceive, but the key for Ohio State seems like it will be how well they can adapt and thrive when there is no plan, there are no controllables and the system went out the window a period and a half ago.
Last Season
29-8, 19-6 (second). Lost to Wisconsin in the National Championship
Key Returners
Juniors Joy Dunne and Joceyln Amos, senior Emma Peschel
Key Departures
Jenna Buglioni, Makenna Webster (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomer
Freshmen Jenna Raunio, Sanni Vanhanen, Hilda Svensson
At 19 and 20 years old, this group comes in with senior national team experience with Sweden and Finland as well as time in the professional women’s league in Sweden. They are seasoned rookies who bring a ton of high-level experience. There may still be some growing pains as they adapt to a new country and league and all three will likely be at the Olympics, but even still, I expect this to be a freshmen class that makes a massive impact for Ohio State. The Buckeyes were already formidable, but I think they become even more so when you bring their European approach to the game and combine it with Muzerall’s style. Each of these players sees the game well, reads plays and has a knack for creativity and adaptability. Don’t be surprised by the number of goals Ohio State scores on plays that appear to have been blown up or second-chances. That was already a skill with this team last season and these three will only bolster it.
Prediction
Second
St. Cloud State
Brian Idalski made a massive impact on this program in the three seasons he was at the helm, so it was difficult to hear he was moving on to the PWHL. However if anyone can carry on the culture he established, it sure seems like it would be Mira Jalosuo. The Finnish national played at Minnesota before an assistant coaching career that included stops at St. Cloud and the PWHL’s Minnesota Frost. This is her first head coaching job and she was hired in late June, so she’s got a lot of catching up to do and a lot of pressure on her shoulders. But she’s played in this league, coached at this university and seems primed to be successful with the Huskies.
Despite massive improvements in statistics and outcomes, SCSU’s season ended in the WCHA Tournament quarterfinals each of the last three seasons with series losses to Minnesota Duluth. They’ll be looking to get to that next step and keep up a national ranking that has them in the NCAA Tournament conversation.They got off to a good start in their opening game as five different players scored in a 5-0 win over LIndenwood. It was a mix of the expected suspects and newcomers scoring, which bodes well.
Last Season
15-15-6, 10-13-5 (fifth). Lost to Minnesota Duluth in the first round of the WCHA Tournament.
Key Returners
Sophomore goalie Emilia Kyrkkö, Senior Alice Sauriol
Key Departures
Sanni Ahola, Emma Gentry, Dayle Ross (graduation), coach Brian Idalski
While Kyrkkö proved herself to be the next in a line of great netminders for St. Cloud, it’s still necessary to point out that Ahola was one of the best goalies in the country for several seasons running and she was buoyed by players in front of her like Ross and Gentry. Even with a lot of faith in the players still on this roster, I still can’t help but think that the Huskies lost a ton of experience on defense and will need to do a bunch of work to shore that up.
Most intriguing newcomer
Coach Mira Jalosuo, Julianne Labbé
Prediction
Fifth
St. Thomas
Despite ending the season with one fewer win than the year before, there’s no doubt that last season was a successful and productive one for St. Cloud, who swept #4 UMD in late January, took #2 Ohio State to overtime twice and forced overtime with #6 Clarkson before tying #12 Penn State at Thanksgiving in Nashville.
They were inconsistent last season and I think started to lose steam as the season wound down, so those are things they have to clean up. But the sparks of what the Tommies are capable of showed up time and again. I’m not sure if this is the year those things will start to come together – they’re still just a few years into being a D1 program – but the Olympics might provide another opportunity to speed up the timeline a bit. It will be Bethany Brausen’s first full season at the helm – she took over as interim head coach partway through the year and was given the full time job in the second half – and it will be interesting to see how different things look when she’s doing the strategy and planning from the beginning. The team seemed to react well to her in a tough time last season and it would seem like they’re poised to accomplish even more this season.
Last Season
9-25-2, 6-21-1 (seventh). Lost to Ohio State in the WCHA quarterfinals.
Key Returners
Sophomore goalie Dani Strom, juniors Ellah Hause and Madison Brown
There’s simply no overstating how big Strom came up time and again for the Tommies last season. She made a career-high 56 saves against Clarkson and put up 53 against Ohio State. She doesn’t get rattled, doesn’t get overwhelmed by the pressure teams put on her and her calmness helps keep the team around her chill and focused. She’s just a sophomore and if the Tommies make waves this season, you can bet that it will have been because of the foundation and confidence she has given the team.
Key Departures
Lauren Stenslie (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomers
Juniors Jenessa Gadzik, JuliAnna Gadzik (Minnesota State), Whitney Horton
Would it be weird to list their new arena as an intriguing newcomer? Either way, it’s exciting for this program to be playing on campus in state of the art facilities with an opportunity to have their peers actually walk over and see them play. They’ll host the WCHA Final Faceoff in February and the team is going to do everything they can to be one of the four teams left in the conference tournament at that point.
Prediction
Sixth
Wisconsin
On the one hand, the defending national champions are returning nearly their entire roster from last year’s team. On the other, they look to have six players that will be on Olympic duty, Ava McNaughton, KK Harvey, Kirsten Simms, Lacey Eden, Laila Edwards and Adéla Šapovalivová. Like UMD, this is a situation where McNaughton might make the US roster, but she’s unlikely to see a lot – if any – time on the ice in Italy. Meanwhile, the Badgers have rookie Rhyah Stewart and senior Chloe Baker, whose experience is a total of 55 minutes of ice time through eight games in the past two seasons as options in net without McNaughton.
One of the Badgers strengths has long been their depth and they’re going to be very reliant on that this season. Players like Maggie Scannell, Finley McCarthy and Cassie Hall have shown themselves very capable on the third and fourth lines and were outstanding as U18s and will now have a chance to really take a step up and show they’re the next generation of UW talent.
Last Season
38-1-2, 25-1-2 (First). Won the national championship.
Key Returners
Seniors KK Harvey, Kirsten Simms and Laila Edwards, grad student Lacey Eden
Key Departures
Patty Kaz winner Casey O’Brien, Sarah Wozniewicz (graduation)
Most intriguing newcomers
Adéla Šapovalivová, Rhyah Stewart
Šapovalivová has to be one of, if not the, most seasoned and experienced rookies to ever start in the NCAA. She’s fast and agile with great hands. It’s going to be so fun to get to watch her continue to grow as a player with the Badgers. The expectations for her are sky high. If Ava McNaughton misses time with Team USA, it seems like Stewart will be the choice in net while she’s gone. They play different styles in net and it will be interesting to see if or how that affects how the team plays in front of Stewart. She showed in U18s that she can be very good at the highest level, but she’s about to get a lot of responsibility very quickly and Wisconsin’s fortunes will be somewhat tied to how well she handles that.
Prediction
First
