2025-26 NCAA Women's Hockey Preview: Badgers Reign Supreme

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The puck is set to drop on the 2025-26 NCAA women’s hockey season, and with it comes a familiar name at the top of the polls: the Wisconsin Badgers. Coming off a thrilling national championship victory, Wisconsin has been named the unanimous No. 1 team in both the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live preseason polls, establishing itself as the team to beat from day one.

While the Badgers stand at the summit, the polls reveal a strong field of contenders ready to challenge their reign, particularly out of the powerhouse WCHA and ECAC conferences.

The Top Tier: A Familiar Power Structure

The top of the polls is a mirror of last season’s Frozen Four. The Wisconsin Badgers (No. 1) earned all first-place votes after their dominant 38-1-2 campaign, but. Still, they have a major challenge in replacing Patty Kazmaier Award winner and all-time leading scorer Casey O’Brien. The Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 2), last year’s national runner-up, are hot on their heels and are expected to be a force once again under head coach Nadine Muzerall. The Minnesota Gophers (No. 3) round out the top three, bringing back a potent roster led by Abbey Murphy, who had 33 goals last season. The WCHA’s dominance at the top of the poll is a clear indication that it remains the toughest conference in the sport.

The ECAC is not far behind, with Cornell (No. 4) and Colgate (No. 6) looking to build on their impressive seasons. Cornell, which reached the Frozen Four semifinals last year, is powered by a balanced attack and the return of standout goalie Annelies Bergmann. Colgate, despite some key departures, is expected to rely on All-ECAC forward Elyssa Biederman to lead the charge.

The Contenders and Teams to Watch

Just outside the top tier, several teams are poised to make a run. Penn State (No. 8) enters the season with high expectations after a stellar 31-6-1 record last year. The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 1 in the AHA preseason poll, will be a team to watch as they seek to break into the Frozen Four.

In Hockey East, Boston University (No. 11) and UConn (No. 12) lead the way. UConn, in particular, has received top billing in the Hockey East coaches’ poll and is looking to build on a 22-12-2 season. Meanwhile, St. Cloud State (No. 13) and Northeastern (No. 14) are also hoping to climb the national rankings and make a deep playoff run.

The Olympic Wildcard

A major storyline this season will be the impact of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. With USA and Canada no longer centralizing players, many collegiate athletes will remain with their teams but will have to leave for national training camps and the final tournament in February. This creates an unpredictable variable for several teams and will test their roster depth and ability to adapt.

As the season gets underway, the first matchups will give fans a glimpse of whether the preseason rankings hold true or if a new challenger will emerge to shake up the landscape.