May 1, 2007
E-MAIL 
Pre-Preseason Top 10
by Tim Rosenthal/CHN Reporter
With Michigan State's 3-1 win over Boston College in the national championship game almost a month behind us, the college hockey offseason has officially begun.
So where do these two National Championship teams land in the pre-preseason top 10? Here is an early look at the teams (of course offseason moves pending) that could be on this list come October.
No. 1 North Dakota
Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan, 2005 first-round pick T.J. Oshie, and second round pick Taylor Chorney all plan on staying for their Junior seasons. While the future of the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft Jonathan Toews is uncertain, the Fighting Sioux should return all six defensemen, which would help goaltender Phillipe Lamoureux who had a solid season. Overall the Sioux lose two seniors (Chris Porter, Erik Fabian). With a solid recruiting class coming in, the Fighting Sioux will be among one of the elite teams once again in the country. Head coach Dave Hakstol will probably have the most talent he has ever had in his fourth season at the helm.
No. 2 Minnesota
This young team with only two seniors won the WCHA regular season and tournament in 2006-2007. The 13 players who have been drafted in previous years (including four in the first round) shows that the recruiting has been strong over the years. And guess what? Srprise, surprise the Gophers have five more that could go in this year's draft. While the futures of many of these players are uncertain, the Gophers are still loaded with talent. The big question remains, will goaltender Jeff Frazee be able to become an every-day goalie that can be relied on in the clutch?
No. 3 Boston College
The Eagles only lose two seniors, forward/defensemen Brian Boyle, and forward Joe Rooney. Mike Brennan, Brett Motherwell, Tim Filangeri, Tim Kunes, Brian O'Hanley and Carl Sneep are among defensemen who will return next season. If goaltender Cory Schneider goes pro, than it will be a three-way battle between Adam Reasoner, and incoming freshmen John Muse and Andrew Margolin. We know there is a ton of offensive power on this team, as they showed in the last 14 games of the year. Will the Eagles be consistent all year? If so then Jerry York and the Eagles can plan another trip to the Frozen Four in April
No. 4 Michigan State
The Spartans should be one of those teams capable of repeating. Frozen Four hero Tim Kennedy should return as well as the person who is responsible for scoring the game-winning goal, Justin Abdelkader, and goaltender Jeff Lerg, who truly shows that size doesn't matter while playing in net.
No. 5 Maine
Goaltender Ben Bishop shows when healthy, that he is one of the elite goaltenders in the country. He should be back in form for his junior season. While Michel Leveille is gone and the loss of Hockey East Rookie of the Year Teddy Purcell will hurt, the Black Bears will always seem to find a way.
No. 6 Clarkson
Despite the loss of Shawn Weller, there is plenty of firepower returning, including Nick Dodge and Steve Zalewski. The Golden Knights should return netminder David Leggio, too. Clarkson will look to rebound from its early exit this past season and look ahead to another run at the ECAC crown.
No. 7 Miami
If Nathan Davis and Ryan Jones return, then the RedHawks could be ranked a little higher come pre-season. But for now they are at the seven spot. The RedHawks, though, will return both goaltenders Charlie Effinger and Jeff Zatkoff.
No. 8 New Hampshire
The Wildcats already lost leading scorer Trevor Smith, will they lose anyone else? Kevin Regan, Mike Radja and Craig Switzer are prime candidates, but UNH should have a high-powered offense again in 07-08.
No. 9 St. Lawrence
All-American defensemen Drew Bagnall and co-captain Kyle Rank are gone, but the Saints have goaltender Alex Petizian going for them. The Saints should have another solid year on the defensive side with Petizian and five returning defensemen coming back. And the offense is a potentially explosive group if everyone continues to improve.
No. 10 Michigan Tech
An appearance in the WCHA Final Five puts the Huskies as one of the teams to watch in 07-08. Michael-Lee Teslak proved that he can be an every-day goaltender and should return to form next year. With only three seniors gone, coach Jamie Russell and the Huskies will look to return to the NCAAs for the first time since the 1980-1981 season.
Other teams to watch
Michigan
Notre Dame
Air Force
Quinnipiac
Northeastern
