ECH Regular Season Preview: CCHA
written By Alex Berger and dain solberg - October 7th, 2023The CCHA is going to look quite different this year. Between a new team on the horizon in Augustana, Minnesota State hitting the restart button, and Bowling Green trying to hold their own without some key members on and off the ice, there’s question marks all over the place.
One thing that is a no-doubter, is that Michigan Tech is the team to beat in the CCHA this season. The Huskies return one of the best goaltenders in college hockey, most of their top scorers from a year ago, and are bringing in the conference's preseason co-player of the year. The ceiling is high for Michigan Tech this upcoming year, especially with Minnesota State in a rebuilding phase for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Minnesota State Mavericks saw head coach Mike Hastings leave for Wisconsin, and new bench boss Luke Strand will look to continue the Mavs dominance that included six-straight regular season conference titles. Unfortunately for the Minnesota State, Strand is tasked with replacing almost the entire roster, which won’t be an easy thing to do in year one.
Speaking of a new roster, the Augustana Vikings will play their first season of D1 NCAA Men’s hockey vs a lot of CCHA opponents, which will be a good preview at their future in the conference. First year head coach Garrett Raboin looks poised to take his success from his days as a Minnesota Gophers associate head coach, and will need all the help he can get from key players like Shay Donovan.
The CCHA will open up conference play on October 27th when the University of Saint Thomas takes on Bemidji State at the Sanford Center, and this year seems to be as wide-open as ever. Are the Huskies primed to take control of the conference from Minnesota State? Read our breakdown of each team below and decide for yourself!
ECH Preseason Poll (First Place Votes)
1. Michigan Tech (6)
2. Northern Michigan
3. Minnesota-State Mankato (2)
4. Bemidji State
5. St. Thomas
6. Bowling Green
7. Ferris State
8. Lake Superior State
Pick for Postseason Champion: Michigan Tech (4)
Others Receiving Votes: Northern Michigan (3) and Minnesota-State (1)
- Augustana Vikings
Record/Conference Finish: N/A
Goals/Game: N/A
Goals Against/Game: N/A
Power Play: N/A
Penalty Kill: N/A
Three Biggest Returners: N/A
Three Biggest Departures: N/A
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Graduate Senior Shay Donovan (Defenseman; 0-2-2 at Wisconsin in 2022-'23, Reigning 'ECH Glue Gun of the Year’ Champion)
Season Outlook -
Welcome to college hockey Augustana. Led by former Minnesota Golden Gopher associate head coach Garrett Raboin, the Vikings will play their first game in program history on Saturday, October 7th on the road against Wisconsin. Augustana’s roster is made up of majority transfer portal players, including nine forwards, five defenseman, and a goaltender. This includes Anthony Stark and Arnaud Vachon from Colgate, former Ohio State Buckeye defenseman Evan McIntyre, and Wisconsin defenseman and back-to-back 'ECH Glue Gun of the Year", Shay Donovan.
Raboin spent the last couple of season's on Bob Motzko's staff at the University of Minnesota, and will be able to face a couple of familiar opponents in his first season as head coach. Besides their program-opening series at Wisconsin, the Vikings also get to face Notre Dame in the first half of the season. Other fun matchups to look forward to include Denver, Colorado College, Minnesota State, Michigan Tech, Alaska, and more. The Vikings have plenty of room to grow before officially joining CCHA competition next season, but will get a full slate of those "nonconference" games against some of those teams this year.
For Vikings' fans, even just seeing some positives against those high-end teams will be a great building block to begin the program on. Of the 27 players on this years roster, 15 of them (56%) are transfers while another 11 of them are freshman (41%). That is a clear mark of a program that wants to build some excitement early while also preparing for the full jump into the CCHA next season. It's always exciting for a team to make the jump to D-1, and we welcome Augustana to the ECH family with open arms.
- Bemidji State Beavers
Record/Conference Finish: 14-17-5, 12-11-3 CCHA
Goals/Game: 2.6/game (T-37th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 2.7/game (T-23rd)
Power Play: 23.9% (10th)
Penalty Kill: 81.4% (T-31st)
Three Biggest Returners: Lleyton Roed (Forward; 13 Goals - 18 Assists - 31 Points, led team in points), Jere Vaisanen (Forward; 7-10-17, +5 plus/minus rating), Kyle Looft (Defenseman; 5-3-8, three PPG, three GWG)
Three Biggest Departures: Elias Rosen (Defenseman; 4-24-28, led team in assists), Ross Armour (Forward; 14-8-22, seven PPG, led team in goals), Will Zmolek (Defenseman; 4-17-21, +2)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Incoming Freshman Eric Pohlkamp (Defenseman; 16-35-51 in 59 games in USHL in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
Following the loss of two of their top defenseman, Bemidji State will look to rely on a large portion of returning forward depth to contend in the top half of the CCHA. Their top point scorer in Lleyton Roed is back and is prime for a big second-year jump, as the Beavers top goal scorer Ross Armour (14-8-22) graduated after a five-year career at Bemidji State.
Two big pieces that will be missing are Elias Rosen (4-24-28) and Will Zmolek (4-17-21). Bemidji State's top defensive pair are now both gone after combining for nearly 50 points in their final seasons. Luckily, returning graduate senior Kyle Looft and incoming freshman Eric Pohlkamp look to fill that void in the defensive core. Looft was named to the Preseason All-CCHA Team, while Pohlkamp was named Preseason CCHA Rookie of the Year following his second year in the USHL where he was named league Defenseman of the Year in 2022-'23. Looft and Pohlkamp will each be asked to play big roles right away for Bemidji State.
The Beavers have an exciting start during the first three weeks of the season, which includes an in-state exhibition at the University of Minnesota on Sunday, co-hosting the 2023 Icebreaker Tournament with games against Army and Wisconsin, and a home-and-home series against Minnesota-Duluth. Nonconference games are always a fun way to gauge your team against some of the best in other conferences, so we should (hopefully) know a lot about Bemidji before we even hit Halloween. It's a big ask, but with a big returning forward core, a talented group of defenseman, and a retuning starting goaltender, if Bemidji State can get it all clicking early they can easily challenge for a top-three finish in the conference this season.
- Bowling Green Falcons
Record/Conference Finish: 15-19-2, 12-12-2 CCHA
Goals/Game: 3.2/game (T-14th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 3.2/game (T-44th)
Power Play: 21.6% (T-19th)
Penalty Kill: 84.4% (10th)
Three Biggest Returners: Ryan O'Hara (Forward; 11 Goals - 19 Assists - 30 Points, three GWG, four PPG), Ethan Scardina (Forward; 11-5-16, six PPG), and Spencer Schneider (Forward; 0-3-3 in 24 games)
Three Biggest Departures: Austen Swankler (Forward; 19-25-44, CCHA Co-Preseason Player of the Year), Nathan Burke (Forward; 17-12-29, seven PPG), and Chase Gresock (Forward; 11-20-31)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Junior Owen Ozar (Forward; 1-5-6 in 27 games at Denver in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
Despite posting just three non-conference wins all season, Bowling Green will look to improve upon a third-place finish in the CCHA and aims to take a step out of the conference quarterfinals following an upset loss to Ferris State in 2022-'23. However, those chances took a hit late in the offseason, and they now have to find a way to replace their head coach and one of the best players in the conference after planning to have his talents since the season ended last March.
That news, one of the biggest stories in the offseason, broke just weeks before the season was set to begin. On September 18th, Bowling Green head coach Ty Eigner was placed on administrative leave and three players were suspended as the university said they were investigating an alleged hazing incident involving members of the Falcons hockey team. The same day, star forward Austen Swankler entered the transfer portal, later alleging on social media that he was a victim of hazing during his time at Bowling Green. Swankler chose to transfer in-conference to Michigan Tech, but the ramifications of this investigation are bigger than just its impacts on the ice.
Focusing on the roster heading into the season, the Falcons will look to veterans Ryan O'Hara (11-19-30), Ethan Scardina (11-5-16), and Christian Stover (Goalie; 11-17-2, 2.86 GAA, .914 SV%). The Falcons are also bringing in a talented freshman/transfer class, led in part by former Denver forward and national champion, Owen Ozar. The junior played in 48 games in his career with the Pioneers, but never got a real opportunity with a couple of stacked teams and forward cores on the roster at the time. He's a big addition to a team that needs him now more than ever. Bowling Green can still compete under interim head coach Curtis Carr, but with the news breaking so late in the offseason, the Falcons may have to tread water for the first few months of the season.
- Ferris State Bulldogs
Record/Conference Finish: 14-19-4, 9-14-3 CCHA
Goals/Game: 2.49/game (T-44th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 3.47/game (T-53rd)
Power Play: 13.9% (56th)
Penalty Kill: 77.4% (50th)
Three Biggest Returners: Stepan Pokorney (Forward; 6 Goals - 15 Assists - 21 Points, led team in assists/points), Tyler Schleppe (Forward; 9-6-15), and Jason Brancheau (Forward; 13-8-21, three PPG, led team in goals)
Three Biggest Departures: Mitch Deelstra (Forward; 8-6-14), Matt Slick (Defenseman; 4-7-11), and Bradley Marek (Forward; 8-10-18)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Graduate Senior Nick Hale (Defenseman; 7-10-17 at Holy Cross in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
Tabbed to finish second-to-last by our ECH voters, Ferris State is slowly making it's way back from a 1-23-1 season just three years ago. The team brought in a season after, which included 17 underclassmen, is now all grown up. This year's Bulldogs' team has 16 upperclassmen - five juniors and ten seniors - and brought in graduate senior transfer Nick Hale from Holy Cross.
Unfortunately, there was not one single stat that Ferris State can work on to improve this upcoming year. Without trying to offend Bulldogs players or fans, it was all bad. From a statistical standpoint, they were bottom third in the country in goals/game (2.49/T-44th), goals against/game (3.47/T-53rd), power play percentage (13.9%/56th), penalty kill percentage (77.4%/50th), Corsi For percentage (44.1%/52nd), etc. What's the opposite of the saying "a rising tide lifts all boats"? Ferris State may not have been the best team last season, but those statistics seem to be the impact of not having at least one facet of the game working to help lift the pressure off the others.
Regardless, the Bulldogs are bringing back a large portion of their producers from a season ago. That includes six of their top eight goal scorers and their top two total point scorers. Stepan Pokornoy and Jason Brancheau combined for 19 goals and 23 assists in 2022-'23, and led Ferris State in points and goals respectively. Starting goaltender Noah Giesbrecht (11-12-1, 3.08 GAA, .906 SV% in 28 games) also returns, brining some consistency to the position. With those proven scorers, large upperclassmen class and a solid returning goalie returning, Ferris State could be a tough out in the CCHA this year.
- Lake Superior Lakers
Record/Conference Finish: 9-25-2, 8-17-1 CCHA
Goals/Game: 1.97/game (T-58th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 3.25/game (T-47th)
Power Play: 14.7% (52nd)
Penalty Kill: 72.5% (61st)
Three Biggest Returners: Dawson Tritt (Forward; 9 goals - 8 assists - 17 points, two GWG), Harrison Roy (Forward; 12-4-16, led team in goals, seven PPG), and Benito Posa (Forward; 3-3-6)
Three Biggest Departures: Louis Boudon (Forward; 10-14-24, led team in points), Jacob Bengtsson (Defenseman; 1-22-23, led team in assists), and Logan Jenuwine (Forward; 3-3-6)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Sophomore Sasha Teleguine (Forward; 1-2-3 at Connecticut in 2021-'22)
Season Outlook -
The Lake Superior State Lakers will look to rebuild from a season where they finished the year last in the CCHA with a 9-25-2 record, their worst season since 2014-15. A big reason was due to a combination of a bottom-five offense (2.0 goals/game, T-58th) and bottom-ten special teams (14.7% power play, 72.5% penalty kill). The Lakers will need to improve at least one of those statistics, if not both, if they want to move back towards the top of the CCHA.
That will be a difficult road, however, as Lake Superior State is losing their top-two point scorers from 2022-'23. Arguably the biggest loss is defenseman Jacob Bengtsson, who transferred to Boston College after posting a team-leading 22 assists. On a positive note, their top goal scorer and power play weapon, senior forward Harrison Roy, is back after scoring 12 goals for the Lakers last year.
There will be a lot of turnover for the Lakers this season. They are bringing in 12 freshman, including six forwards, and it feels like LSSU is playing it similar to Augustana. Although the Vikings are just beginning their program, both teams know that they are still a few years away from making noise in the conference. It may be a tough road ahead for Lake Superior State, but in a wide-open middle of the CCHA, anything is possible.
- Michigan Tech Huskies
Record/Conference Finish: 24-11-4, 15-7-4 CCHA
Goals/Game: 2.64/game (T-37th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 2.23/game (T-6th)
Power Play: 13.2 % (T-57th)
Penalty Kill: 86.0 % (5th)
Three Biggest Returners: Blake Pietila (Goalie; 23-11-3, 2.15 GAA, .924 SV%, 10 shutouts in 37 games, Mike Richter Award Finalist), Ryland Mosley (Forward; 12 goals - 19 assists - 31 points, led team in assists/points), and Kyle Kukkonnen (Forward; 18-9-27, led team in goals, led team with five GWG/PPG)
Three Biggest Departures: Tristan Ashbrook (Forward; 10-7-17), Parker Saretsky (Forward; 7-13-20, +11 plus/minus rating), and David Jankowski (Forward; 4-5-9)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Junior Austen Swankler (Forward; 19-25-44 in 35 games at Bowling Green in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
The preseason favorite to win the CCHA, Michigan Tech comes into the 2023 season with some of their highest team expectations since the 1970's. Not only are they returning five of their top six scorers and the preseason favorite for the Mike Richter Award, but a late transfer addition in CCHA 'Preseason Player of the Year' Austen Swankler will give them a huge boost for the second half of the season.
For the Huskies, it begins and ends with goaltender Blake Pietila. The Mike Richter Award finalist and CCHA co-preseason player of the year chose to return for this fifth season after posting some of the best numbers in college hockey last season. Pietila ranked top ten in pretty much every statistical category, including wins (23), minutes (2,174), GAA (2.15), shutouts (10), saves (951), and save percentage (.924%). The four-year starter has improved every single year during his time at Michigan Tech and will play in front of a very talented defensive core which welcomes in his younger brother Chase.
For as good as Michigan Tech's defensive game is going to be this season, there's an argument to be made that their offense may be better. To start the season, Ryland Mosley (31 points) and Kyle Kukkonen (27) return after leading the Huskies in points and goals a season ago, respectively. Then in January, former Bowling Green forward and co-preseason player of the year Austen Swankler will provide another elite scoring threat to a team that's already returning a large core of offensive talent. Swnakler transferred to Tech after leading the CCHA with 44 points last season, with 32 of those coming in conference games. He won't put up the same numbers as last season with only half a season of games, but Swankler immediately makes this team a potential Frozen Four candidate.
Pietila and the rest of the Huskies will be looking for revenge after a blowout loss to Penn State in the regional semifinals last season. Even with higher expectations, Michigan Tech is built like a championship-winning team and ready for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
- Minnesota-State Mavericks
Record/Conference Finish: 25-13-1, 16-9-1 CCHA
Goals/Game: 3.2/game (T-14th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 2.1/game (3rd)
Power Play: 27.7% (1st)
Penalty Kill: 81.4% (T-17th)
Three Biggest Returners: Adam Eisele (Forward; 4 goals - 6 assists - 10 points), Mason Wheeler (Defenseman; 0-5-5), and Steven Bellini (Defenseman; 1-8-9. +10 plus/minus rating)
Three Biggest Departures: David Silye (Forward; 23-16-39, led team in goals/points, 12 PPG), Christian Fitzgerald (Forward; 16-13-29, +9), Jake Livingstone (Defenseman; 8-27-35, led team in assists, assistant captain)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Graduate Senior Brandon Koch (Defenseman; 6-18-24 at Air Force in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
There will be a lot of new faces on the bench in Mankato. Head coach Mike Hastings left to take the top job at Wisconsin and brought two top offensive weapons with him. Alongside that, the departures of top players Akito Hirose, Brendan Furry, Ryan Sandelin, and Jake Livingstone will be a burden. MSU looks to reload a forward core that returns Adam Eisele (4-6-10) and defenseman Steven Bellini (1-8-9). On the back end graduate seniors Brandon Koch and Jordan Power will be joined by Air Force transfer Brandon Koch, who posted 24 points last season.
After completely changing the Minnesota-State program, Hastings not only leaves with a void behind the bench but with a void in the Mavericks' retuning scoring. Senior forward David Silye (23 G, 16 A) and sophomore forward Christian Fitzgerald (16 G, 13 A) both decided to transfer with their coach to Wisconsin after leading the Mavs in goals scored and ranking first and third respectively in total points. Another big loss comes in assistant captain Jake Livingstone, who led the Mavericks in assists as a top-pair defenseman.
This year seems to be the beginning of a new chapter for Minnesota-State. Like a decade ago when Mike Hastings arrived to Mankato, Luke Strand has a real test in rebuilding a Mavs program rocked by losses both on the ice and behind the bench. The goal now is to work back towards another CCHA dynasty, which saw eight regular season titles, five postseason championships, and nine NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 seasons with Hastings as head coach.
- Northern Michigan Wildcats
Record/Conference Finish: 21-17,14-12 CCHA
Goals/Game: 3.2/game (T-14th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 2.7/game (T-23rd)
Power Play: 24.2% (11th)
Penalty Kill: 86.4% (6th)
Three Biggest Returners: Andre Ghantous (Forward; 13 goals - 25 assists - 38 points, led team in assists/points), Artem Shlaine (Forward ; 11-21-32), and Beni Halasz (Goalie; 19-15-0, 2.32 GAA, .919 SV%)
Three Biggest Departures: David Keefer (Forward; 15-10-25, led team in goals, five GWG), AJ Vanderbeck (Forward; 13-19-32, four PPG, captain), and Joey Larson (Forward; 13-14-27, six PPG)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Graduate Senior Jack Perbix (Forward; 6-13-19 at Western Michigan in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
Northern Michigan nearly made a NCAA tournament appearance just a season ago with a top-15 power play at just under 25 percent. The Wildcats will look to continue the overall success as they welcome in Jake Perbix from Western Michigan and return a solid forward core.
Leading the charge for the Wildcats this season are forwards Andre Ghantous and Artem Shlaine. The duo combined for 70 points last season, including 24 goals, and look to take another step forward with the losses of David Keefer, AJ Vanderbeck, and Joey Larson. Ghantous was named to the All-CCHA Preseason Team and looks to increase on his 124 career points at Northern Michigan. Ghantous is the current active scoring leader in the NCAA, leading second-place Riese Gaber by nearly 30 points. Also coming back is Beni Halasz, who looks to be the second-year starter in net and build on a solid freshman season. Halasz was second in the conference in save percentage (.919%) and fourth in GAA (2.32), and posted three shutouts over his 19 wins.
Tabbed to finish second by our ECH crew, Northern Michigan looks to be built very similarly to preseason favorite Michigan Tech. A good cast of forwards, a strong defensive core, and an above-average returning goaltender seems to be the roster needed to make a strong run towards a CCHA championship or NCAA Tournament appearance. The in-state battle between the Wildcats and Huskies will be one of the best conference races in college hockey this season.
- St. Thomas Tommies
Record/Conference Finish: 11-23-2, 10-14-2 CCHA
Goals/Game: 2.4/game (T-47th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 3.3/game (T-47th)
Power Play: 16.9% (43rd)
Penalty Kill: 78.7% (T-38th)
Three Biggest Returners: Mack Byers (Forward; 18 goals - 8 assists - 26 points, led team in goals/points), Ethan Grauer (Defenseman; 3-3-6), Luc Laylin (Forward; 10-11-21, six PPG)
Three Biggest Departures: Josh Eernisse (Forward; 14-7-21, three GWG), Garrett Daly (Defenseman; 0-2-2), and Nolan Sawchuk (Defenseman; 1-2-3)
Top Offseason Acquisition: Transfer Senior Ryder Donavan (Forward; DNP at Wisconsin in 2022-'23)
Season Outlook -
No longer the new kids on the block, the Saint Thomas Tommies will begin their third season of Division 1 play in the CCHA. UST is losing sophomore forward Josh Eernisse to Michigan via the transfer portal, but they'll return the majority of their top point getters including Mack Byers, Luke Manning, Cameron Recchi, Ethan Gauer and goaltender Aaron Trotter.
St. Thomas played well in the CCHA last season, putting up a 10-14-2 record to placed seventh in the conference. Their record looked worse due to a tough slate of nonconference opponents, including St. Cloud State, Alaska, Penn State, and Arizona State. They went 1-7 in those eight games, with five of those contests on the road. They have another good slate of in-state nonconference opponents this season, including Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, and a rematch against St. Cloud State. Six-straight such games to open the season will be a good early test for the Tommies.
Head coach Rico Blasi has this team heading in the right direction. Just two seasons after posting three total wins, St. Thomas is now receiving recognition in the CCHA coaches poll. The Tommies were tabbed to finish fifth in the league (similar to our results here at ECH), and even received a first-place vote. With a third year under Blasi's system and a large cast of returning players, this could be the first season that marks St. Thomas as a true every-year contender in a now wide-open CCHA.
