The NCAA was dominated last year by the two Boston schools, but will that be the precedent for the future? What will the college landscape look like in a year or two? To answer that, we will need to look at the upcoming college recruiting class for next season. Who runs the table on the recruits today and how will it affect the future of college hockey?
The Boston Schools
Looking back at the Boston Schools, they will again be dominant this season with stacked classes that include James Hagens, Teddy Stiga, Dean Letourneau, Cole Hutson, Sascha Boumedienne, and Cole Eiserman. However, we will be looking at the class of 2025 for this exercise. BU looks even stronger, adding star power like Conrad Fondrk, Jack Murtagh, John McNelis, and Mikhail Yegorov, who was especially solid for the weak Omaha Lancers last year. It could get even better for the Terriers if they can get defensemen Carter Amico and Charlie Trethewey if they arrive onto campus sooner than excepted.
In Chestnut Hill, it’s a bit more complicated. Fronted by Gavin Cornforth and Graham Jones, with the possibility of draft eligibles Teddy Mutryn and Will Moore. Cornforth and the possibility of Moore are great, but they don’t hold a candle to their rival’s recruiting class. Boston University rules the roost in Boston, but how does their group hold up to other top schools around the nation?
University of Michigan
Michigan has once again coddled together an impressive freshman class for this upcoming year, headlined by Will Felicio, Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, and Michael Hage. The 2025 freshman class could compete with BU, showcasing talent like 2025 draft eligibles Cole McKinney, Drew Schock, Teddy Spitznagel, Aidan Park, and 2024 draftee Gabriel Eliasson, the latter of whom is a question mark due to his potential commitment to play in the CHL with Niagara. I am particularly excited for the ever-underrated Schock.
The Best of the Rest
The fight for the best 2025 freshman class seems to be between Michigan and BU, however, there are other classes that deserve praise. Big classes such as that of Michigan State and Harvard combine 2024 draftees and 2025-eligible that will win big games in the coming years. Harvard’s class showcases Ben Merrill, Xavier Veilleux, and Donato Bracco, a 2025 draft prospect. The Big Ten is back with Minnesota and Wisconsin’s loaded recruiting class. The conference should be on the rise in the next few years with big names such as Blake Montgomery, Gavin Uhlenkamp, Mace’o Phillips, and Jackson Nevers, along with the promise of L.J. Mooney & Logan Hensler joining their respective teams early.
The Champions of Tomorrow
No other school’s 2025 NCAA recruiting class holds a candle to those of Boston University and the University of Michigan. Now that we are down to the final 2, let’s dig deep and determine who comes out on top. Both schools have some excellent freshmen for this upcoming season AND next season, including the potential for some high-class talent coming a year early from the 2026 freshman class. Boston dominates the 2024 class, and for the 2025 class… it’s still Boston.
It seems a little anticlimactic for another team from Boston to have the best recruiting class, but it is the truth. The freshmen for this year are great and will be great this year, and it’s no wonder they have the strongest class again in 2025. BU has been at the forefront of the college world since the pandemic, making the NCAA tournament in 3 of the last 4 years. Those strong classes have carried over and Boston should be a top 2 team for at least the next few years. This is not to leave Ann Arbor out, as they will once again be at the top of the college hockey podium. They appeared in the last 3 Frozen Fours, but the title eluded them each time. Michigan has a larger class and will be a powerhouse because of its last few recruiting classes, but it doesn’t overtake its competition in Boston.
Having looked at the next few recruiting classes for the NCAA, I am so excited for the future. Hockey is growing at the collegiate level faster than ever. The NCAA is suddenly becoming a more reliable path to find prospects for NHL teams, and it’s getting international attention. Just look at all the Canadian, Swedish, and Czech prospects who are coming over instead of playing in their own country’s leagues. This 2025 freshman class truly is a testament to how fast the game is growing in the USA, all thanks to the NCAA.