The NCAA men’s hockey season is underway, and there has been parity in the new-look college scene following changes to eligibility rules that allowed CHL players to skate in NCAA games. Several high-profile names transitioned from the CHL to college, including the projected top picks in the 2026 NHL draft – forward Gavin McKenna to Penn State and defenseman Keaton Verhoeff to North Dakota. With NIL funds available for player recruiting, the overall roster construction in the NCAA is improved across the board as young hockey players prepare themselves for a shot at professional hockey. 

***

New Leader in Men’s Division I Poll Result on October 20th 

Entering the week of Oct. 20, there is a new leader in the US College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division I Men’s Poll following a stunning weekend of inter-collegiate athletic competition. Michigan State went into Agganis Arena and swept a weekend series to steal the top spot in the poll from Boston University, which dropped to fourth after regulation and overtime losses, bringing its record to 2-2-1.  

Western Michigan, the 2024-25 Men’s NCAA Division I Champion, sits as the second-ranked team in the country with an early hiccup of their own slate in 2025-26 following a 3-2 loss to Ferris State University in their season opener. The Broncos have since responded with three consecutive wins, including a sweep of UMASS Lowell this weekend. Western Michigan’s first-ranked matchup of the season arrives later this week with a home-and-home series against third-ranked Michigan. The Wolverines bring an unblemished 6-0-0 record into the first matchup on Oct. 23 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

Penn State stumbled in its home opener at Pegula Ice Arena with a 6-4 loss to Clarkson on Oct. 9, but has since rolled to three wins to improve its record to 5-1-0. The Nittany Lions have one more prep weekend before Big Ten play begins, as they host Stonehill on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25. Their first conference battle will be a weekend series with a visit to 14th-ranked Ohio State (3-1-0) next weekend. 

***

USCHO Division I Men’s Poll 

School	Record	Points	Last Poll
Michigan State (29 first-place votes)	3-1-1	967	3
Western Michigan (6)	3-1-0	924	2
Michigan (11)	6-0-0	886	4
Boston University	2-2-1	823	1
Penn State (1)	5-1-0	775	6
Quinnipiac	3-1-1	692	10
Denver	2-1-1	677	5
North Dakota	3-1-1	654	8
Boston College	2-1-1	601	9
Maine	2-1-1	566	7

Quinnipiac moves up to the seventh spot in the poll following a pair of victories in a top-10-ranked showdown against Maine. The Bobcats earned a shootout win on Friday night before posting a shutout victory the following afternoon on Oct. 18. The Black Bears fall from seventh to tenth in the USCHO thanks to the 0-1-1 result on the road this weekend. 

Eighth-ranked North Dakota suffered its first loss of the season, but split the weekend series with 12th-ranked Minnesota. The Fighting Hawks won the opening contest, 5-2, behind a three-goal effort in the third period. The good vibes didn’t last long with a 5-1 loss to the Golden Gophers on Saturday night. Despite the loss, North Dakota retains its current eighth ranking in the poll. 

***

NCAA Leaders After First Month 

Boston University winger Cole Eiserman leads all NCAA scorers with five goals (in four games) over the first month of the season for an average of 1.25 goals per game (G/PG). The New York Islanders first-rounder scored 25 goals in 39 games for BU during the 2024-25 season. 

Using that metric places a pair of linemates from Penn State, Matt DiMarsico and JJ Wiebusch, next at 1.20 G/PG with six goals in five games for the Nittany Lions. The final member of the trio, Charlie Cerrato, has racked up 11 assists and 15 points over six games to lead the NCAA with an average of  2.50 points per game (P/PG). Wiebusch (12 points) and DiMarisco (11) place inside the top five with a 2.00 P/PG and 1.83 P/PG, respectively. Nashville Predators seventh-rounder Aiden Fink sits inside the top 20 with nine points over Penn State’s early schedule for a 1.50 P/PG. 

***

NCAA Goals Per Game Leaders (through 10/20/2025)

Player / School	Games	Goals	Goals Avg. (per Game)
Cole Eiserman (Boston U)	4	5	1.25
Matt DiMarsico (Penn St.)	5	6	1.20
JJ Wiebusch (Penn St.)	5	6	1.20
Will Horcoff (Michigan)	6	6	1.00
Eric Pohlkamp (Denver)	3	3	1.00

Michigan forward Will Horcoff, a Pittsburgh Penguins draft choice, sits fourth at 1.00 G/PG with six goals in six games for the Wolverines. Teammate Michael Hage, a first-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens, leads the team with 11 points on five goals and six assists during the early season, a 1.83 P/GP tied for fifth in the NCAA.

***

NCAA Points Per Game Leaders (through 10/20/2025)

Player / School	Games	G / A / P	Points Avg. (per Game)
1) Charlie Cerrato (Penn St.)	6	4 / 11 / 15	2.50
2) Matteo Giampa (Miami OH)	4	3 / 5 / 8	2.00
2) Jayson Shugabay (Minn. Duluth)	6	4 / 8 / 12	2.00
2) JJ Wiebusch (Penn St.)	6	7 / 5 / 12	2.00
5) Matt DiMarsico (Penn St.)	6	6 / 5 / 11	1.83
5) Michael Hage (Michigan)	6	5 / 6 / 11	1.83
16) Aiden Fink (Penn St.)	6	2 / 7 / 9	1.50
16) Joona Vaisanen (Western Michigan)	4	0 / 6 / 6	1.50
27) Cole Eiserman (Boston U)	5	5 / 2 / 7	1.40
31) T.J. Hughes (Michigan)	6	3 / 5 / 8	1.33

On the goaltending front, Michigan’s Jack Ivankovic, a Nashville Predators draft pick, has started all six games for the Wolverines, allowing only seven goals in over 359 minutes of on-ice action. In the early campaign, Minnesota Duluth’s Adam Gajan (nine goals over 358 minutes) and Wisconsin’s Daniel Hauser (four goals in 250 minutes) are second and third. Gajan is a Chicago Blackhawks draft product from the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. 

***

Five Players (and Teams) to Watch in November

While there are certainly plenty of names (like McKenna and Verhoeff) to keep an eye on next month, here are some other players that will be watching as the leaves cascade off the trees.  The following list includes some of the top teams in the nation, including #1 Michigan State, #3 Michigan, #4 Boston University, #5 Penn State, and #18 Minnesota Duluth.  Each of these teams features players besides those that impressed during October, but here are some players that could help their NHL stock with continued performance over the next month of on-ice action in 2025-26: 

Player	10/23-25 Schedule	10/30-11/1 Schedule	11/06-08 Schedule	11/13-15 Schedule	Reason
Cole Eiserman (Boston Univ.)	Split vs./@ UCONN	@ Maine	Split vs./@ Merrimack	@ Quinnipiac (1 game)	Ivankovic leads the NCAA in GAA (min. five games played)
Charlie Cerrato (Penn State)	Vs. Stonehill	@ Ohio State	@Michigan State	vs. Michigan	Cerrato/Wiebusch/DiMarsico – combined 38 points in six games
Porter Martone (Michigan State)	@ Northern Michigan	vs. Penn State	@ Notre Dame	vs. Wisconsin	Martone leads MSU with five points in four games
Jayson Shugabay (Minn. Duluth)	@ Minnesota	@ North Dakota	vs. St. Cloud State	vs. Univ. of Nebraska (Omaha)	Shugabay is pacing UMD with 2.00 P/PG, including eight assists
Jack Ivankovic (Michigan)	Split vs./@ Western Michigan	@ Notre Dame	Vs. Wisconsin	@ Penn St.	Ivankovic leads the NCAA in GAA (min. 5 games played)

***

My socials can be found on Twitter/X – @CBabosWrites 

Christopher Babos