Roster turnover is inevitable in college hockey, and teams can go from being a national title contender one year to completely missing the national tournament. Every team has players who can make or break a season; maybe it’s a high-profile freshman, a transfer coming from a big program, a high NHL draft pick, or someone who dominated the year prior.
The same goes for last year’s Frozen Four teams in Denver, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. So for these teams, who’s the most important player on their roster heading into the 2026-27 season?
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Denver Pioneers: Johnny Hicks, Goalie
Hicks was arguably the best player on the Pioneers last season during their national championship run, and he’s back next season as a sophomore. Once Hicks stepped into the crease, it was impossible for head coach David Carle to take it away from him.
He had a record of 16-0-1, and that’s disregarding anypost-season play, where he was also dominant. He had a goals-against average of 1.19 and a save percentage of .957. Hicks will be the largest piece for Denver next year as they look to be the next program to win back-to-back titles since Minnesota Duluth in 2019. Hicks will also be a frontrunner for the 2027 Mike Richter Award.
Michigan Wolverines: Landon DuPont, Defenseman
There are going to be very unfair expectations on DuPont due to his projected first overall status, the fact that he is going to Michigan, and because the Wolverines are all in with players like Michael Hage, Nick Moldenhauer, Garrett Schifsky, Jayden Perron, and Malcolm Spence all likely to begin their pro careers after this season.
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What DuPont brings is arguably the most talented freshman the NCAA has ever seen. He’s also joining what was the country’s best power play last season, and with DuPont, the expectation should be to repeat that. If he reaches the status of previous freshmen like Jack Eichel, Macklin Celebrini, and even Gavin McKenna, the Wolverines will be in a spot to win it all.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks: Keaton Verhoeff, Defenseman
Verhoeff is coming off of a very impressive freshman season, which helped him get selected ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks this past June. Although his 20 points in 36 games were very impressive last season, towards the end of the year, Verhoeff wasn’t playing his best hockey, including their game against Merrimack, where he was benched not once, but twice after a bad turnover leading to a goal against.
Verhoeff doesn’t need to be a Hobey Baker finalist, but he needs to be reliable alongside freshman Carson Carels. Verhoeff’s play will need to be consistent down the stretch, and if he can play his best hockey in the spring, the team should be back in the Frozen Four and competing for the national championship.
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Wisconsin Badgers: Logan Hensler, Defenseman
The Ottawa Senators‘ first-round pick in 2025, Hensler’s season ended with a torn ACL, and he is starting to get back on the ice, but the Badgers will need the junior if they want to compete with the top teams in the country. They were able to make the national championship without him, but with so many teams adding high-end talent, Hensler needs to come back strong and build off of last season, which was looking really solid prior to the injury.
The Badgers could use the help on special teams, where Hensler can play on both the power play and the penalty kill. If he’s able to make a full recovery, Wisconsin isn’t just going to be a solid team; they’re back in the hunt to win it all.
