5 girls’s school hockey questions coming into the 2025-26 season

The 2025-26 NCAA girls’s hockey season is right here. Before the puck drops, let’s dive into the most important questions going through NC girls’s hockey coming into the season.

HISTORY: The NC girls’s hockey groups with essentially the most nationwide championships

1. Can anybody dethrone Wisconsin?

Coming off its finest season in program historical past, Wisconsin seems poised for an additional championship run. To no shock, the defending nationwide champs enter 2025-26 as preseason No. 1 within the USCHO ballot. The Badgers misplaced the nation’s prime scorer and Patty Kazmaier award winner Casey O’Brien to the PWHL draft, the place she was picked third total. But they return a number of key veterans in Kirsten Simms, Laila Edwards and Caroline Harvey, who completed second, third and fifth in NCAA scoring final season, respectively. 

The Badgers additionally usher in a proficient younger scorer in Czech freshman ahead Adéla Šapovalivová, the primary European-born participant in Wisconsin girls’s hockey historical past. Šapovalivová was honored as WCHA preseason freshman of the 12 months, so Wisconsin actually isn’t hurting for firepower. 

2025 CHAMPS: WIsconsin wins the 2025 NC girls’s hockey championship

2. Can Ohio State proceed its sizzling streak?

The Buckeyes have burst onto the scene in the previous couple of years, going toe-to-toe with powerhouse Wisconsin within the earlier three nationwide championship video games. But a number of key departures depart some holes within the roster as six Buckeyes have been picked within the PWHL draft this summer season, together with captain Jenna Buglioni. 

The Buckeyes deliver again two key items in F Joy Dunne and D Emma Peschel, each named to the preseason All-WCHA staff. Dunne is coming into her junior season after setting a program file for factors in a season (62), ending sixth within the nation. Peschel returns because the cornerstone of a stout Buckeyes protection that held opponents to below 20 photographs and a couple of.08 targets per recreation final 12 months, and he or she was named captain alongside F Jocelyn Amos for 2025-26. 

Ohio State additionally brings in a number of proficient freshmen, headlined by Swedish F Hilda Svensson, and it added Colgate switch Kaia Malachino (19 targets, 14 assists in 35 video games) to fill in a number of the offensive manufacturing it misplaced to the draft. 

3. Can Minnesota’s offseason additions assist the Gophers break by?

After dropping to Wisconsin within the Frozen Four final 12 months, Minnesota is available in at No. 3 within the USCHO preseason ballot. The Gophers will lean on their returning main scorer and All-WCHA preseason ahead Abbey Murphy to steer the cost in a crowded WCHA. Murphy completed second within the nation in targets final season (33). With Ella Huber, Natalie Mlynkova and Peyton Hemp departing within the PWHL draft, Murphy might want to proceed her high-scoring methods this season. 

Luckily for her, the Gophers added three top-tier playmakers from the portal this summer season. D Molly Jordan is available in from Boston College, the place she led the Eagles’ blue line in factors (24), targets (8) and assists (16). F Jamie Nelson comes over from Minnesota State-Mankato, the place she led the Mavericks in factors (30) and assists (22) in 37 video games final 12 months. F Sarah Paul transfers in from Princeton after tallying 36 factors 31 video games and main the nation in targets per recreation final 12 months (.90). 

Add in Czech freshman F Tereza Plosova, and the Gophers’ offense seems very harmful this season. 

4. Who will emerge from the ECAC?

Okay, let’s look past the WCHA for a second. There are three standouts from the ECAC: Cornell, Colgate and Clarkson, coming in at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 7 within the USCHO preseason rankings, respectively. 

After a gradual begin to the 2024-25 season, the Big Red completed final 12 months on a heater, going 23-1 and claiming its first ECAC common season title since 2019-20. Cornell brings in a proficient crop of freshmen forwards to enhance an already stingy protection, and G Annelies Bergmann was the one unanimous choose to the ECAC preseason staff after main the nation in shutouts final season (10). With a robust returning roster, search for Cornell to make one other run to the Frozen Four. 

After a quarterfinals look final spring, Colgate seems to get again to the Frozen Four this season. Led by senior F Elyssa Biederman, the Raiders’ offense ought to stay robust, however the lack of F Kaia Malachino within the portal might gradual manufacturing. A powerful freshman class and the addition sophomore F Chloe Goofers from Merrimack ought to be sufficient to maintain the Raiders in playoff rivalry, although.  

Clarkson misplaced eight gamers within the switch portal, however it brings in a significant addition in senior D Megan McKay from Mercyhurst. After getting seems from some WCHA applications, McKay as an alternative joins Clarkson and immediately turns into a prime defender on an already stable blue line. The Golden Knights additionally usher in freshman standout F Sara Manness, who had two targets and 7 assists in six video games with Canada’s U18 World Junior staff in 2024-25. With numerous offseason roster strikes, there shall be robust competitors for taking part in time at Clarkson, however the roster stays robust. 

5. How will the Olympics shake issues up?

With a number of the nation’s prime gamers lacking time this season for Olympic coaching camps, worldwide exhibitions and, in fact, the Olympics in February, this season brings numerous roster uncertainty for perennial Frozen Four contenders, significantly within the WCHA. Top scorers shall be lacking from powerplay models, shutdown defenders shall be absent from the blue line and stalwart goaltenders received’t be between the pipes. 

Adaptability and resilience would be the keys to this season. As star gamers shuffle out and in of lineups, newcomers could have an opportunity to step up and make a reputation for themselves, and playoff hopefuls might steal some video games from the nation’s prime groups down the stretch.