No surprise here. UW-Stevens Point is the favorite in the WIAC and a contender on a national level as well.
While the Pointers are the favorite, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout will take aim at being the team to beat in the conference. And you can never count out UW-River Falls.
Northland is picked last but the Lumberjacks should take steps forward.
UW-Stevens Point (21-6-2, 13-2)
The Pointers won the WIAC crown last season before falling in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Don’t be surprised if this team is contends against this year, especially with 17 players back, including Fletcher Anderson, a two-time player of the year in the WIAC.
One big addition is Peyton Hart, a former Stout standout who tie for the league-lead in goals last year. He scored 14. Anderson finished with 13, and that duo will make the Pointers tough to stop from an offensive standpoint.
Andrew Poulias also returns after scoring 11 goals and dishing out nine assists, while the playmaking ability of Dawson Sciarrino will be a huge asset as well. He dished out a team-best 19 assists last season.
It always helps to have experience in goal, and the Pointers have it with Alex Proctor, who fashioned a 2.13 goals against average in 26 starts.
The Pointers have won the last three regular-season championships and are the back-to-back league tourney champs.
UW-Eau Claire (17-9-2, 10-4-1)
The Blugolds can never be counted out in the WIAC. Among the offseason changes are the hiring of assistant coach Mike Janda, who had spent the last three years at UW-Stout.
UW-Eau Claire played for the league tournament championship last season and looks to get back there again.
It will have a shot to do it with co-league player of the year Max Gutjahr returning. The standout goalie fashioned a 1,80 goals against average and recorded seven shutouts on his way to notching 16 victories. He saved more than 92 percent of the shots he faced.
Kyler Grundy will provide plenty of firepower for the offense after being an All-WIAC selection last season. He led the team in goals (12) and tied for the team-lead in assists (19).
Leo Bacallao and Trenton Heyde are also back for the Blugolds. Bacallo was among the best in the league after coming through with nine goals and 13 assists. Heyde was top 10 in assists (15) and is a two-time All-WIAC pick.
UW-River Falls (16-10-3, 6-7-2)
More than 70 percent of the Falcons’ scoring is back this season, with Jonny Meiers and Dylan Smith leading the way. The two standouts combined for 20 goals, with Smith scoring a team-best 13. Meiers tallied a team-leading 14 assists.
Max Collette, Burke Simpson, Aidan Torres and Anthony Biniaris are also back for the Falcons, who hope to put themselves in the discussion for a league title.
Colette tallied six goals and eight assists and Simpson came through with four goals and seven assists. Those two will be among the players counted on in a big way for the Falcons.
Newcomers Alex Atwill, Reid Lune and Cole Teleki will have a chance to be impact players.
This team won 16 games last season and has a chance to hit that total and more this year. The Falcons open the year with five consecutive games against MIAC opponents, so they’ll be tested out of the gate.
UW-Stout (13-14-2, 8-7)
Big things appear to be ahead for the Blue Devils, who are led by Boyd Stahlbaum, the WIAC Newcomer of the Year and member of the USCHO.com All-Rookie team. He tied for the league league in goals, tallying 14, and dished out the third-most assists (18). He had the most points in the WIAC (32).
Stahlbaum is one of 16 returning letter winners back. The group also includes Nicolas Pigeon, the WIAC leader in assists and fourth overall in total points.
The Blue Devils also return one of the top scoring defenseman in hockey Noe Perez, racking up five goals in 14 assists.
This is a team with a lot of experience in goal as well as Tyler Masternak and Dawson Green return. Masternak started 15 and fashioned a 3.16 goals against average. Green sported a 2.76 goals against average.
Stout won 13 games last year, adds 11 newcomers and should once again be among the better teams in the conference.
UW-Superior (11-15-1, 6-8-1)
A total of 24 players return for the Yellowjackets, who have roster that features players from four different countries and 10 states, as well as six provinces in Canada.
Only four seniors are on the roster, and one of them is Gavin Rasmussen, who came through with six goals and eight assists. He was the second-leading scorer for the team last season.
Dusty Bergstrom is poised for a big year as well after racking up four goals and seven assists. He’s one of two All-WIAC selections from last season. The other is Jack Boschert, a netminder who started 12 games and recorded a 1.87 goals against average.
The Pointers have several newcomers expected to make a difference, including Ikki Kowaga, who hails from Japan and is the third player in program history from the country.
Superior ended last season on a five-game losing streak and will come in looking for a strong start to the season.
Northland (1-26, 0-15 WIAC)
There is nowhere to go but up for the Lumberjacks, who won only once and lost their final 26 games of the season. They went 0-14 on the road.
A total of 14 players are back and that experience should prove valuable to a team looking to turn things around. That group includes leading goal scorer Ben Stewart, who finished with four goals and seven assists.
Sam Holy, Evan Ilkos and Trey Taylor are also key returning players for the Lumberjacks, and they’ve added some experience at goal with Dakota Meyer transferring in from Dubuque. He made 320 saves last season and played more than 600 minutes in goal.
The Lumberjacks need some early-season confidence to help set the tone. If they can build that, there’s an opportunity for them to be a much better team than they were a season ago.
