James Blennau’s Top CHL Freshmen 2025-26

College hockey enters a new era this year with the incoming class of CHL freshmen. Who are my favorites from this class?

WRITTEN BY JAMES BLENNAU

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past about eight months, CHL players are now eligible to play for NCAA hockey teams, and they are committing in massive numbers. From McKenna to Martone and everyone from across the Great White North’s top junior leagues, this is one of the NCAA’s best freshman classes in decades.

While this class hasn’t stepped onto a fresh sheet of collegiate ice yet, the anticipation level is still much higher than any freshman class I’ve ever seen in this game, so let’s take a look around from the Great Lakes to New England at the top CHL freshmen in college hockey, IN NO ORDER.

Image Courtesy: MLB Photos | Roger McQueen in his Anaheim Ducks jersey.

ROGER MCQUEEN - PROVIDENCE

I start this list with McQueen, since no, he didn’t win the Piston Cup, but he certainly isn’t spoken about enough for my liking. The 18-year-old Saskatoon native and former WHL star with the Brandon Wheat Kings can slot in anywhere across the Friars’ top six forwards without any trouble. McQueen scored 10 goals and 10 assists in only 17 regular-season games, earning a selection to Canada’s U-18 World Junior team. Joining a Providence team that stayed consistent in the USCHO Poll’s upper echelon last season but struggled in conference play, McQueen is the definition of an impact player. A quick start is essential to success with early-season matchups against Michigan and Quinnipiac.

Image Courtesy: Dennis Pajot/Getty Images | Malcom Spence on the ice for the OHL’s Erie Otters

MALCOM SPENCE - MICHIGAN

Despite missing out on the stars of this CHL freshman class, Brandon Naurato’s Wolverines are gearing up for a national championship run behind their star sophomore center, Michael Hage. Put Malcom Spence on his left side, and all of a sudden, Michigan’s first line becomes one of the best in a Big Ten with more stars than ever before. Defending the star-powered teams from across the conference is a tall task for any team, but there may be one group in Ann Arbor up to the task with a pair of incredible two-way forwards on the ice at the same time. Spence’s active stick will be an undeniable asset on the penalty kill in a league where national champions need to capitalize on special teams opportunities. Players like Spence can set an example for the rest of the team, and on a team as deep as Michigan, he can be a true culture changer.

Image Courtesy: TSN | Cayden Lindstrom on the ice for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers

CAYDEN LINDSTROM - MICHIGAN STATE

Despite missing this past season in Medicine Hat due to injury, his 46-point performance in the 2023-24 season speaks for itself. His omnipresence in the offensive zone cannot be understated, and his fourth-overall selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets proves his potential as such. However, potential is a funny word, because Lindstrom has more to prove than almost any freshman in this class, having missed a year of the game. His performances have been elite throughout his junior career, earning him a spot on the Canadian U-17 World Junior team. However, the NCAA is a significantly more defensively oriented league. His skills can translate; it’s only a matter of how long it takes to adjust to the new league. While his offseason wasn’t spent entirely in East Lansing, the Spartans’ second series against Boston University will be telling against stars like Cole Eiserman.

Image Courtesy: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

PORTER MARTONE - MICHIGAN STATE

Martone, the NHL’s 6th overall pick by Philadelphia, was the second domino to fall in the major prospect commitments after Gavin McKenna made hockey’s version of LeBron James’ “The Decision,” committing to Penn State. His commitment may have been overshadowed by a fellow Canadian, but his performance as the OHL’s Brampton Steelheads’ captain was that of a future NHL star. With 98 points in just 57 games, scoring 37 goals across that time, Martone knows how to win and how to score when it matters. That quality is especially attractive at the Munn Ice Arena following an upset loss in the NCAA tournament first round to Cornell. With Trey Augustine at one end of the ice and Martone on the other, Michigan State has two of the league’s best players at goalie and right wing. Star power is everything in the Big Ten, but when it comes time to clutch up in the postseason, Martone’s endurance with increased minutes will need to shine brighter than ever in a more physical league than he’s played in before.

Image Courtesy: The Hockey News | Ryder Ritchie on the ice for the Medicine Hat Tigers

RYDER RITCHIE - BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Ritchie is already one of the frontrunners for Hockey East Rookie of the Year alongside fellow draftee and CHL to NCAA star Roger McQueen. He also played alongside Cayden Lindstrom and a certain other projected #1 overall pick in Medicine Hat, dominating the postseason with nine goals and nine assists in 18 games. While he was drafted in the 2024 second round by Minnesota, Ricthie has found the best place to develop his skills as a playmaker at Jay Pandolfo’s BU. He isn’t known as a two-way forward, but if Cole Eiserman’s development in Boston has taught us anything, it’s that there is no better place to develop weaker skills than the NCAA. Playing alongside him and against the deepest conference in the nation, in the Hockey East, will prove the perfect development season or seasons for Ritchie to make his way to St. Paul. Larger, more skillful and stronger defenders will help his passing and playmaking reach new heights, while the continuation of the season will bring performances that, by the time he reaches the Beanpot, will be at full force.

Image Courtesy: The Hockey News | McKenna on the ice for the Medicine Hat Tigers

GAVIN MCKENNA - PENN STATE

If you really want to learn about Gavin McKenna’s game, either go watch his highlights or go read the story I already posted when he committed to Penn State. The NHL’s 2026 projected first overall draftee is a generational prospect by all definitions. His speed will light up Pegula Ice Arena more than anyone ever has, his shot will light up the community with anticipation only seen with Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard and his stick skills will light up the penalty box with more players trying to drag him down than a Derrick Henry end-zone run. McKenna is the best player to come to the NCAA since Jack Eichel and his first game in blue and white will be a holiday in Hockey Valley. Without him, there may not even be a game at Beaver Stadium this January. Enough said.