Defending champions favored in four conferences.
Minnesota State is the WCHA preseason favorite in the media and coaches’ polls.
Five of the six Division I men’s conferences have released preseason polls in advance of the 2020-21 season.
ECAC Hockey, which has seen eight of its 12 schools opt out of the season due to the pandemic, is the lone exception. It plans to play conference games between the remaining teams – Colgate, Clarkson, Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence – in the new year.
National Polls
Defending champions are favored in four of the five conferences that have released polls: American International in Atlantic Hockey, Boston College in Hockey East, North Dakota in the NCHC and Minnesota State in the WCHA. The exception is the Big Ten, where Minnesota is the preseason favorite and defending champion Penn State is pegged for seventh in the poll.
Last season’s preseason polls correctly predicted five of the regular-season champions in the six Division I men’s conferences.
| Atlantic Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
American International (7) |
96 points |
| 2. |
Sacred Heart (2) |
76 |
| 3. |
Bentley |
75 |
| 4. |
Niagara (1) |
69 |
| 5. |
Army West Point |
60 |
| 6. |
Air Force |
49 |
| |
Robert Morris |
49 |
| 8. |
Holy Cross |
27 |
| 9. |
Canisius |
18 |
| |
Mercyhurst |
18 |
| Big Ten Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
Minnesota |
| 2. |
Michigan |
| 3. |
Notre Dame |
| |
Ohio State |
| 5. |
Wisconsin |
| 6. |
Michigan State |
| 7. |
Penn State |
| Hockey East Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
Boston College (8) |
95 points |
| 2. |
Massachusetts (2) |
87 |
| 3. |
Providence |
77 |
| 4. |
UMass Lowell (1) |
71 |
| 5. |
Northeastern |
68 |
| 6. |
Boston University |
55 |
| 7. |
UConn |
48 |
| 8. |
New Hampshire |
44 |
| 9. |
Maine |
27 |
| 10. |
Merrimack |
23 |
| 11. |
Vermont |
10 |
| NCHC Preseason Media Poll |
| 1. |
North Dakota (27) |
223 points |
| 2. |
Denver (1) |
185 |
| 3. |
Minnesota Duluth |
173 |
| 4. |
St. Cloud State |
126 |
| 5. |
Western Michigan |
116 |
| 6. |
Omaha |
96 |
| 7. |
Colorado College |
45 |
| 8. |
Miami |
44 |
| WCHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
Minnesota State (6) |
86 |
| 2. |
Bemidji State (1) |
79 |
| 3. |
Bowling Green (3) |
78 |
| 4. |
Michigan Tech |
64 |
| 5. |
Northern Michigan |
63 |
| 6. |
Lake Superior State |
49 |
| 7. |
Alaska |
40 |
| 8 |
Ferris State |
35 |
| 9. |
Alaska Anchorage |
28 |
| 10. |
Alabama Huntsville |
18 |
| WCHA Preseason Media Poll |
| 1. |
Minnesota State (10) |
100 points |
| 2. |
Bemidji State |
89 |
| 3. |
Bowling Green |
76 |
| 4. |
Northern Michigan |
68 |
| 5. |
Michigan Tech |
67 |
| 6. |
Lake Superior State |
44 |
| 7. |
Alaska |
40 |
| 8. |
Ferris State |
33 |
| 9. |
Alaska Anchorage |
21 |
| 10. |
Alabama Huntsville |
12 |
