COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Coming off a record 10th NCAA National Championship, the University of Denver has been selected by the media as the favorite to win the NCHC regular season in 2024-25. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled the 2024 NCHC Preseason Media Poll on Wednesday, one day ahead of its annual Media Day.
 
The 2024-25 campaign marks the third straight season that Denver has landed first in the NCHC Preseason Media Poll and the fourth time overall (also in 2017). The Pioneers collected 24 of 30 first-place votes and 263 points total to claim the top spot. North Dakota was picked second in the poll, receiving four (4) first-place votes and 241 points. Colorado College comes in third in the Preseason Poll with 200 points and one first-place vote.
 
Spots 4 through 7 were separated by only 34 points, led by St. Cloud State coming in fourth in the Preseason Poll with 149 points. Omaha sits fifth in the poll (137 points), followed by Western Michigan (127) and Minnesota Duluth (115), respectively. Despite landing sixth in the poll, the Broncos were the fourth and final team to pick up a first-place vote this year, becoming the lowest-ranked team in NCHC Preseason Poll history to snag the top spot on a voter’s ballot.
 
NCHC newcomer Arizona State finished eighth in the Preseason Poll, totaling 80 points, while Miami was picked to finish ninth in the NCHC this coming season.
 
Denver returns 18 players from last year’s National Championship team that finished 32-9-3 overall. DU placed second in the NCHC in the regular season last year, before winning the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff in the same place it would go on to win the national title. Among the Pioneers returning are senior forward Jack Devine and sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium, who both earned First-Team All-NCHC honors last season and were named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-NCHC Team revealed Tuesday.
 
North Dakota is the reigning Penrose Cup champions, going 15-8-1 in conference play a season ago. UND finished 26-12-2 overall in 2023-24 and brings back a pair of Preseason All-Conference players in senior forward Cameron Berg and sophomore defenseman Jake Livanavage. Colorado College placing third in this year’s NCHC Preseason Poll is its highest spot in the conference’s 12-year history. The Tigers finished fourth in the NCHC last year, their best-ever showing in the NCHC, and return a pair of First-Team All-NCHC selections in junior forward Noah Laba and classmate Kaidan Mbereko, the reigning NCHC Goaltender of the Year.
 
A total of 30 ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media. Points were awarded on a descending scale with a first-place vote worth nine points, a second-place vote worth eight points and so on.  
 
Tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 12, NCHC Media Day takes place at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the home of the 2025 NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Fans can take part in 2024 NCHC Media Day by asking questions of student-athletes during the Twitter Takeovers in the morning, watching Instagram Live interviews in the afternoon, and streaming Commissioner Heather Weems’ State of the Conference address for free on NCHC.tv.
 
While Media Day serves as the unofficial start of the 2024-25 season, the NCHC officially drops the puck on its 12th season on Friday, Oct. 4 with two non-conference games. All nine teams are then in action on Saturday, Oct. 5. Fans can watch more than 170 NCHC games live this season on NCHC.tv, including six games opening weekend. To subscribe to NCHC.tv and save with Early Bird pricing, click here.

2024-25 NCHC Preseason Media Poll

1. Denver, 263 points (24 first-place votes)
2. North Dakota, 241 (4)
3. Colorado College, 200 (1)
4. St. Cloud State, 149
5. Omaha, 137
6. Western Michigan, 127 (1)
7. Minnesota Duluth, 115
8. Arizona State, 80
9. Miami, 38