Which Powerhouse Will Finish Atop The Big Ten in 2026-27? Conference Preview

The Big Ten is a tiny conference in the scope of college hockey, but it’s a mighty one. It’s made up of just seven teams, but the top-end talent is among the very best in the sport. The NCHC is the undisputed best conference in the NCAA thanks to its eight national championships across the last 10 years, and the Big Ten is chasing that level of postseason success.

For whatever reason, it just hasn’t come. Teams like Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota have dominated regular seasons, but it never translates. A part of the reason could be the mass amounts of young talent that quickly jump into the professional ranks before teams have a chance to meld and compete for championships.

It’s almost unbelievable that despite only six conferences existing in Division 1 college hockey, the Big Ten has not been responsible for a national championship since Michigan State, all the way back in 2007, before the conferene formed. Is this the year that finally changes?

There’s certainly always a chance with the Michigan juggernauts. Both Michigan and Michigan State have promising teams ahead of 2026-27, but the Wolverines have the conference-wide preseason edge on paper.

What better way to prepare for the season than to dive into each team’s forecast prior to the outset of conference play in late October?

Michigan State

Last year: The Spartans sat atop the Big Ten last season, posting a 26-9-2 overall record and 16-6-2 in the conference, just good enough to edge out their intrastate rival. Their No. 1 seeding did no favors for them, as Michigan State crashed out in its first game of the conference tournament, falling to Ohio State in overtime. In the national tournament, the No. 3 overall seed squeaked past UConn, but the season concluded at the hands of conference foe Wisconsin.

Key players

Cullen Potter (F): The junior arrived as a transfer from Arizona State, where he racked up 12 goals and 14 assists last season across 24 games. His campaign was cut short after suffering an upper-body injury in January, forcing him to miss the final few months. The 2025 first-round draft (No. 32) pick to the Calgary Flames is fully recovered and ready to suit up for MSU.
Tommy Bleyl (D): Bleyl was drafted No. 31 overall in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators and is primed to impress in his freshman year at Michigan State. The defenseman piled up 68 assists along with 13 goals for the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats in 2025-26, and will carry those abilities into the collegiate game.
Joshua Ravensbergen (G): Late first-round picks are clearly the Spartans’ technique this year, as the freshman goaltender picked No. 30 to San Jose in 2025 is the projected starter between the pipes. The 6-foot-5 goalie posted a .919 save percentage for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL last season.

Outlook: Michigan State had no choice but to reload, and it has done just that. Many of the important pieces from last season’s team have graduated to the professional ranks, but a plethora of likely future NHL players have arrived in East Lansing. It might be difficult to compete with an extremely experienced Michigan team, but if nothing else, the Spartans will be extremely fun to watch with young prospects littered all over the ice.

Michigan

Last year: The iconic Wolverines hockey program has the second-most national championships in NCAA history, but it’s been a very long time since the last one. Since winning their ninth title in 1998, they’ve been left without the big prize. Last season, they finished 31-8-1 and 17-6-1 in the Big Ten. As the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, Michigan cruised past Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State to claim the title, with no game ending closer than three goals. As the top seed in the national tournament, the Wolverines could not get over the hump and lost to the eventual champion Denver in the Frozen Four.

Key players

Michael Hage (F): Returners are the theme for this Michigan team, and the junior is a crucial member of that class. The junior put up an astonishing 52 points on 13 goals and 39 assists last season, and should be expected to have similar numbers with a phenomenal top line.
Henry Mews (D): Mews broke onto the scene in his freshman season with nine quick assists in his first 10 games playing on Michigan’s blue line. A knee-to-knee hit in November resulted in a torn ACL, ending his season prematurely. The Calgary Flames prospect is back in the fold and poised for a comeback season.
Jack Ivankovic (G): The theme of returners continues with the starting goalie, a sophomore from Mississauga, Ont. The second-round pick started for the Wolverines during his freshman year, finishing with an unbelievable .921 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average.

Outlook: Michigan will be disappointed if the upcoming season ends without hardware. It’s been 28 years since the Wolverines won it all, but with the current roster, there’s no better time to end the cold streak than now. Ranked No. 2 in the USCHO preseason poll, behind only Denver, Michigan boasts a boatload of proven college stars and will be nearly impossible to keep down. The clear frontrunner in the Big Ten.

Could it be Michigan's year for the national championshio as well?

Penn State

Last year: The Gavin McKenna hysteria is over at Penn State, and it’s time to settle into life without one of the most hyped prospects college hockey has ever seen. He became the sixth-ever No. 1 pick from the NCAA and collected 51 points for the 21-14-2 (12-10-2) Nittany Lions. Their conference tournament run was stopped short against the powerhouse of Michigan and the national tournament bid ended right where it started after a disastrous third period against Minnesota Duluth.

Key players

Justin Poirier (F): Hockey East fans will be familiar with Poirier, a Maine transfer who bagged 18 goals and 11 assists last season. The sophomore is a crucial addition to fill the void and pick up some of that scoring slack.
Jackson Smith (D): The sophomore ranked seventh on the team in points last season from defense, registering double-digit goals (11) and assists (15). The defenseman was picked No. 14 by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2025.
Josh Fleming (G): The goaltender rounds out the spectacular sophomore trio who hope to lead the Nittany Lions to the promised land. He took a slight majority of the games in a pretty even split last season, finishing with a whopping .924 save percentage on 617 total saves across 20 contests.

Outlook: As the McKenna era came and went, it’ll be up to Penn State to take some of that momentum built up from last year’s excitement and turn it into a consistent hockey program. Replacing him isn’t easy, and it’s only compounded by the laundry list of other unfortunate departures the Nittany Lions suffered. Nearly half of last season’s roster moved on, so it will not be an easy task to compete among the Big Ten’s best with a brand-new team.

Wisconsin

Last year: The Badgers finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 24-13-2 showing and 14-10-0 in conference play. They scored 95 goals in conference games, just one off of Michigan’s leading mark. After crashing out in the first round against Ohio State, they made a fairly shocking run to the national championship. Victories over Dartmouth, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 2 North Dakota led Wisconsin to the third period against Denver in the title game, nursing a 1-0 lead. Just 13 minutes away from triumph, the Badgers slipped up and conceded twice to end a spirited Cinderella run.

Key players

Gavin Morrissey (F): In this conference, it’s rare to see a team’s leading point-getter return year-over-year, and that’s Morrissey in this case. The junior forward is fresh off a nine-goal, 27-assist season and is ready to run it back with Penn State transfer JJ Wiebusch entering the fold.
Luke Osburn (D): The sophomore recorded six goals with 15 assists in his debut college season for Wisconsin. He will lead the defensive charge again and was picked in the fourth-round to the Buffalo Sabres in 2024.
Daniel Hauser (G): The sophomore netminder finished with a .900 save percentage on the dot last season and is ready to take on the starting job once again. He earned three shutouts to tie the program record for a freshman.

Outlook: Wisconsin sits No. 6 in the USCHO preseason poll, slotting the Badgers in as the third-ranked team in the Big Ten. Expectations are much higher than what was probably expected prior to the surprise trip to the national title game. The freshman class is not outstanding but there’s a few guys who bring solid experience, namely Zach Wooten and Talan Blanck. There’s no doubt that recreating their success from last season will be challenging, but Wisconsin is living proof that it’s any given night once the postseason comes around.

Ohio State

Last year: Following a lackluster 8-15-1 Big Ten campaign and a 14-21-2 record overall, Ohio State rose to the occasion of the tournament and made it all the way to the conference final, where things came to a screeching halt against Michigan. Those results were not enough to earn the Buckeyes a national tournament appearance and the season came to a close.

Key players

Jake Karabela (F): The sophomore is one of the best returners across the entire conference after averaging a point per game with 15 goals and 22 assists in 37 games last season. He led the team in both categories and was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and All-Tournament team.
Frankie Marrelli (D): The freshman defenseman enters college hockey after starring for the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL. He put up 13 goals and 30 assists last season and had 20 assists the season prior.
Kristoffer Eberly (G): It wasn’t a perfect season for the goaltender, but Eberly is likely to be back as the starter this time around. The senior’s save percentage sat at .885, with his season highlight being a 40-save performance against Michigan.

Outlook: The Buckeyes are ranked just outside of the USCHO preseason top 20, as they received 59 votes to effectively rank them at No. 22. Having Karabela back is massive, and it gives Ohio State a focal point to build around. Felix Caron is also returning off 14 goals and 16 assists, as is the 15 goals and 13 assists of Max Montes. Ben Wilmott is the top freshman after amassing 66 points in the OHL. There are pieces for Ohio State to work with, but given the disappointment of its last regular season, much improvement is required.

Minnesota

Last year: It was certainly a down year for Minnesota. Things ended at 11-22-3 and 7--15-2 in the Big Ten, which is just not up to par. There has been a very high standard for the Golden Gophers in recent times, given that former head coach Bob Motzko had finished in third place or better every season until last. They were handled by Penn State in the first round of the tourney, and that was that.

Key players

Brodie Ziemer (F): A grand total of 23 goals and 13 assists put the junior atop the points leaderboard, and he’s back in the mix again as Minnesota looks to rebuild. Ziemer was an All-Big Ten Conference Second Team member for his contributions last season.
Evan Murr (D): The senior raked in all kinds of accolades at Minnesota State, including CCHA Defenseman of the Year and All-CCHA First Team. Now, the transfer defenseman will help lead the Gophers following his 10-goal and 20-assist campaign.
Luca Di Pasquo (G): The senior is expected to keep his starting job after a .910 save percentage in 26 games with Minnesota last season. Melvin Strahl was acquired from Michigan State to provide some competition. Funnily enough, Di Pasquo was a Michigan State transfer himself ahead of 2025-26.

Outlook: Minnesota made the biggest hire in all of college hockey this offseason with the acquisition Brett Larson, who spent eight years at the helm of St. Cloud. He posted a 153-116-23 record in that time and appeared in the NCAA tournament in half of those seasons. Now, he’s tasked with revamping Minnesota back into a contender. With him he brought his best player, Austin Burnevik, who lit the lamp 20 times for St. Cloud last season. It’ll be an interesting watch to see if Larson can get the Gophers back to glory.

Notre Dame

Last year: Notre Dame never had a chance in the Big Ten tournament after going 9-23-5 (5-17-2) and getting pitted against Michigan in the first round. It was another subpar season in a poor run of years for the Fighting Irish, but this was truly rock bottom. It was a brutal watch as their nine wins held up as the lowest mark in a season in over two decades. It’s now been four years since Notre Dame put out a good product that generated a winning season.

Key players

Evan Werner (F): Whether it’s for the better or worse, Notre Dame has the highest return rate in the conference. Despite rough times, the players have stuck around, and Werner is a big one. His matching 17 goals and 17 assists topped the team in scoring and points. The forward will be a senior this time around.
Paul Fischer (D): The senior defenseman finished with six goals and 17 assists for the Fighting Irish. He served as one of their three alternate captains and will need another big year on the blue line.
Nicholas Kempf (G): Kempf was pretty much the every-game starter for Notre Dame and that probably won’t be changing. He had an .893 save percentage mark last season with a 3.74 goals against average.

Outlook: The only thing Notre Dame really has going is experience. If the Fighting Irish start winning games, it’ll be because the team is filled with savvy veterans. The transfer class brings some depth at best, with former Miami (OH) defenseman Michael Quinn being the biggest addition. Beckham Edwards is the top freshman in a miniature class following 19 goals and 26 assists in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting. There’s good hockey players on the team, the collective whole just probably isn’t good enough to make waves in such a talented conference.

The Hockey Hub will preview a confernce each day this week leading up to the start of the men's college hocley season on Friday.

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