DENVER – The University of Denver hockey team was picked second in the 2025-26 NCHC Preseason Media Poll that was announced on Thursday.
Denver is coming off its second straight NCAA Frozen Four appearance and has reached at least the national semifinals three times in the past four seasons. The Pioneers lost to eventual national champions and conference-foe Western Michigan in the semifinals on April 10 in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Pios garnered the third-most first-place votes with four but had the second-most points overall among local and national media members that submitted a National Collegiate Hockey Conference ballot. DU totaled 225 points while Western Michigan was picked as the favorite by the media with 19 first-place votes and 252 points.
North Dakota ranked third with five first-place votes and 220 points, and Arizona State also recorded first-place nods on two ballots and was chosen fourth overall. The full order is below.
Denver finished third in the NCHC regular-season standings in 2024-25 with a 15-8-1 conference record and posted a 31-12-1 overall mark—the program's fourth-straight campaign with 30 or more wins.
The Pioneers had been voted as the favorite in the NCHC preseason poll in each of the previous three years.
Media members from each of the nine NCHC school's markets as well as select national college hockey media voted in the annual poll. 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.
NCHC 2025-26 PRESEASON POLL
1. Western Michigan – 252 points (19 First-Place Votes)
2. Denver – 225 (4)
3. North Dakota – 220 (5)
4. Arizona State – 180 (2)
5. Colorado College – 128
6. Minnesota Duluth – 120
7. Omaha – 110
8. St. Cloud State – 80
9. Miami – 35
UP NEXT: Denver is in its second week of 2025 training camp and begins play with an exhibition against UNLV at Magness Arena on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 6 p.m. MT. The Pioneers open the regular season on Friday, Oct. 10 at Air Force before hosting Bentley the next night on Saturday, Oct. 11 in the home opener.
TICKETS: Single-game tickets and 5-game mini plans for DU hockey's 2025-26 campaign are on sale now.
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