COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – When the 2023-24 college hockey season starts in less than two weeks, five National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) teams will be nationally ranked, as a quintet of NCHC programs landed in the USCHO.com Preseason Poll released Monday. The five ranked NCHC teams tie for the second-most from one conference with Hockey East, trailing only the Big Ten’s six.

Three NCHC teams are ranked in the top eight of the USCHO Preseason Poll, led by Denver at No. 4. North Dakota checks in at No. 7, followed by St. Cloud State at No. 8. Western Michigan sits at No. 12 in the poll, while Minnesota Duluth is the final ranked NCHC team at No. 17. Omaha and Colorado College also received votes in the poll.

The fourth-ranked Pioneers are coming off a second straight Penrose Cup championship and were picked to three-peat as NCHC regular-season champions this year in the NCHC Preseason Poll. DU finished last season rated No. 6 in the country with a 30-10-0 record. Denver picked up 849 points in the 2023-24 USCHO Preseason Poll, sitting between No. 3 Minnesota and No. 5 Michigan. The Pioneers open the season on Oct. 7-8 at Alaska Fairbanks, which is receiving votes and would be ranked 26th if the poll extended.

North Dakota garnered 608 points to land at No. 7 in the USCHO Preseason, just behind No. 6 Boston College and ahead of No. 8 SCSU. The Fighting Hawks posted an 18-15-6 record last season and finished the year ranked 17th after tying for fifth place in the NCHC. UND was tabbed second in the NCHC Preseason Poll this year. North Dakota begins the season on Saturday, Oct. 7 with an exhibition game against Manitoba, before hosting the Ice Breaker Tournament to start the regular season on Oct. 13-14.

St. Cloud State sits right behind UND at No. 8 with 569 points, well ahead of No. 9 Michigan State. The Huskies ended last season ranked No. 5 in the nation with a 25-13-3 record, after making the NCAA West Regional final. SCSU also won the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff last year after placing fourth in the NCHC during the regular season. The Huskies, who open the season with a home-and-home series against in-state foe St. Thomas on Oct. 7-8, were picked third in this year’s NCHC Preseason Poll.

Coming in at No. 12 is Western Michigan, which finished the 2022-23 campaign ranked 11th in the USCHO Poll with a 23-15-1 record. The Broncos picked up 383 points in the USCHO Preseason Poll, sitting in between No. 11 Cornell and No. 13 Ohio State. WMU earned its best-ever finish in the NCHC last season, placing second, while making a second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Broncos, who came in fourth in this year’s NCHC Preseason Poll, play at the U.S. U-18 National Team in an exhibition game on Oct. 7, before hosting rival Ferris State on Thursday, Oct. 12 to start the regular season.

Rounding out the ranked NCHC teams is Minnesota Duluth at No. 17. The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from a disappointing season last year that saw them finish 16-20-1 overall and in a tie for fifth place in the NCHC. UMD corralled 187 points in the 2023-24 USCHO Preseason Poll to land between No. 16 Penn State and No. 18 Providence. The Bulldogs are one of four teams (Boston College, Providence and Notre Dame the others) ranked in the USCHO Preseason Poll this year that finished unranked last year. Minnesota Duluth hosts No. 10 Michigan Tech in a top-20 match-up to open the season on Saturday, Oct. 7 in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.

Sitting just outside the USCHO Preseason Top 20, but receiving votes are Omaha and Colorado College. The Mavericks totaled 45 points and would rank 25th if the poll extended. UNO placed third in the NCHC last year, tying its best-ever finish, while ended the season ranked No. 20 in the USCHO Poll. The Tigers gained 13 points in this year’s USCHO Preseason Poll and would be 31st if the poll continued. CC is coming off its first-ever appearance in the Frozen Faceoff Championship game last season.

The USCHO.com Division I Men's Ice Hockey Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country.

The NCHC drops the puck on the 2023-24 season on Saturday, Oct. 7 with all eight NCHC teams in action, including four non-conference contests and a quartet of exhibition games. Four games, including the top-20 tilt between UMD and MTU, can be seen on NCHC.tv on opening night.