Five questions facing UConn at the start of preseason

We made it. 166 days after the 2025-26 season ended with a 2-1 loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, UConn men’s hockey took the ice for its first official practice of the new year on Tuesday. In exactly one month, the Huskies will battle Penn State in the season opener at Toscano Family Ice Forum.

A lot needs to be sorted out in that time. UConn lost 40.5 percent of its goal-scoring, a third of its defensive corps and its starting goaltender. The Huskies brought in 10 new players — nine of whom are freshmen — as well as a new assistant coach, but plenty of questions remain.

1. Can increased talent make up for a lack of experience?

UConn lost a lot of experience over the offseason. The seven members of the senior class had been through plenty of battles together and weren’t fazed by anything that came their way. They’d won two CT Ice crowns, made it to a pair of Hockey East title games and helped the program reach the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in its history. Their institutional knowledge will be difficult to replace.

At the same time, the Huskies’ newcomers are a step up in terms of talent. Half the members of the incoming class are NHL Draft picks while the others all had productive junior hockey careers. Among some of their accomplishments:

• Omaha transfer Jeremy Loranger won BCHL MVP in 2025.

• Colin Frank scored the fifth-most goals in the USHL last season.

• Jesse Heslop helped the Everett Silvertips win the 2026 WHL title.

• Charlie Morrison became just the ninth UConn prospect to be taken in the top three rounds of the NHL Draft.

UConn won’t be led by a bunch of scrappy, grizzled veterans anymore, but it has much more skill and ability than it did at this time last year. Can added talent make up for a lack of experience? The Huskies are about to find out.

2. Which version of Joey Muldowney will UConn get?

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