DANBURY, CONN. – The stage is set for the 2026-27 ECAC Men's Hockey season, and the league's head coaches have cast their votes for this season's preseason poll and all-league team. For the second straight campaign, Quinnipiac University has been picked to finish atop the league standings at year's end.

Following the 2025-26 season, the Bobcats secured the Cleary Cup for the sixth straight season, finishing with a 17-4-1 record in conference play and receiving an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament for the seventh straight year. The Dartmouth Big Green, who won the 2026 Whitelaw Cup as league tournament champion, their first in program history, was chosen to finish in second place after being tabbed to finish fourth last year. Cornell followed in third, while Clarkson and Harvard round out the top five.

The complete 2026-27 ECAC Men's Hockey Preseason Poll results are as follows:

1. Quinnipiac - 120 points - (10)
2. Dartmouth - 110 points - (2)
3. Cornell - 102 points
4. Clarkson - 86 points
5. Harvard - 73 points
6. Union - 70 points
7. Princeton - 60 points
8. RPI - 56 points
9. Colgate - 45 points
10. St. Lawrence - 29 points
11. Brown - 28 points
12. Yale - 13 points 

(#) - First Place Votes

The ECAC Men's Hockey Preseason All-League team has also been selected, featuring six of the brightest stars in NCAA men’s college hockey, representing three different programs. The nominees are as follows:

F - Hayden Stavroff (Dartmouth)*
F - Ethan Wyttenbach (Quinnipiac)*
F - Hank Cleaves (Dartmouth)
D - Tyler Dunbar (Union)
D - Elliott Groenewold (Quinnipiac)
G - Emmett Croteau (Dartmouth)

*Denotes unanimous selection

Stavroff, a junior from Columbus, Ohio, has been unanimously selected by the league coaches to the Preseason All-League team. Named the 2026 ECAC Hockey Player of the Year during his sophomore year and the seventh Dartmouth All-American, Stavroff led the league with 22 goals and added 15 assists for an incredible 37-point season. A Hobey Baker nominee, Stavroff tallied 28 goals and 19 assists for 47 points, leading the country in goals and goals per game (.90). The junior topped most league stats throughout the season, helping the Big Green secure their first ECAC Hockey Championship.

Wyttenbach, the sophomore forward from Roslyn, New York, and 2026 ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year, has been unanimously selected by the league coaches to the Preseason All-League team. Wyttenbach totaled 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points. The sophomore ended the season with 25 goals, 34 assists, and 59 points overall, leading the country in points and points per game (1.53). Wyttenbach broke Quinnipiac’s Division I first-year scoring record on February 27 against Dartmouth.

Cleaves, the junior from Riverside, Connecticut, had a strong season and was the only unanimous selection for the 2025-26 All-ECAC Hockey Second Team. Cleaves led the Big Green in assists (18) and was second in goals (11) for a total of 29 points. He continued to find opportunities, totaling 52 shots on goal, and was a vital piece of the Big Green’s power play unit, scoring three of his goals on the man advantage, a key part of the Big Green’s offense.

Dunbar, the senior from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, scored the most goals among ECAC Hockey defenders during conference action, tacking on eight assists to go along with his seven goals. He notched a single-game career-high four points against Quinnipiac on December 6th, when his two-assist, two-goal game against the then-ranked #8 Bobcats snapped an 11-game unbeaten streak against them and marked only the second shutout of Quinnipiac in program history. The Michigan native had the third-most points in college hockey among defensemen (33) and led Union with 35 blocked shots in conference action.

Groenewold, the junior from Springfield, Vermont, earned a spot on the All-ECAC First Team and the 2025-26 Howie’s Best Defensive Defenseman after an impressive year. The defenseman ended the season as Quinnipiac’s top-scoring defenseman, with half of his goals being game winners. In front of the net, he ended the season tied for ninth in the ECAC with 44 blocked shots. Groenewold led the nation in overall plus-minus at +38, the second-highest of any NCAA skater since at least 2002-03.

Emmett Croteau, the senior from Bonnyville, Alberta, earned the preseason nod after his performance between the pipes leading his team to their first-ever ECAC Championship. Croteau was named to the 2025-26 Second Team and posted a 0.905 save percentage, totaling 343 saves for the season with an impressive 2.36 goals-against average, and played over 900 minutes. 

*Unanimous selection requires 11 votes, as coaches cannot vote for their own team or players.

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