7 men's hockey conference titles in a row? Gophers favored again in the Big Ten

Considering no other school has won a Big Ten men's hockey regular season championship, the results of the preseason coaches poll announced Monday should not be considered a surprise.

The coaches of the seven teams picked the Gophers to win their fifth Big Ten title in a row. If they do, that would be seven conference titles in a row for the Gophers, starting with WCHA titles in 2012 and 2013.

Minnesota finished with a conference record of 14-5-1 last season.

Conference newcomer Notre Dame was selected second in the poll, with Wisconsin third and defending Big Ten tournament champion Penn State fourth.

The coaches also selected the Big Ten preseason watch list, featuring 17 of the best players. The Gophers' Tyler Sheehy, the 2017 Big Ten player of the year, and Wisconsin's Trent Frederic were the only two unanimous selections.

Sheehy, a junior forward, was an All-America pick and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season after amassing a career-high 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists) — the most points in a season by a Gopher in the past decade.

The Gophers also had three other players on the watch list: forwards Rem Pitlick and Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Ryan Lindgren.

Rank, team2016-17 Big Ten record

1. Minnesota14-5-1 43 points

2. Notre DameNot in conference

3. Wisconsin12-8-0 36 points

4. Penn State10-9-1 31 points

5. Ohio State11-8-1 35 points

6. Michigan6-12-2 22 points

7. Michigan State3-14-3 13 points

Ryan LindgrenDMinnesota

Casey MittelstadtFMinnesota

Rem PitlickFMinnesota

Tyler SheehyFMinnesota*

Quinn HughesDMichigan

Will LockwoodFMichigan

Josh NorrisFMichigan

Jake EvansFNotre Dame

Jordan GrossDNotre Dame

Andrew OglevieFNotre Dame

Mason JobstFOhio State

Matthew WeisFOhio State

Peyton JonesGPenn State

Denis SmirnovFPenn State

Trent FredericFWisconsin*

Kyle HaytonGWisconsin

Cameron HughesFWisconsin

*-Unanimous selection