The 2026-27 MHSAA boys ice hockey season opened Monday, Nov. 2, and the first full week of games is underway in all three divisions. Here is where things stand, what to follow, and which games to watch. For the defending champions and the full tournament calendar, see our 2026-27 season preview.
Rankings
The Michigan High School Hockey Coaches Association has not yet published its first poll of the season. Until it does, the most current statewide list is Petey’s Picks’ Preseason Top-25, released Oct. 30. It ranks teams across all three divisions together rather than by division. The top 10:
- Detroit Catholic Central
- Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
- Hartland
- Flint Powers Catholic
- Howell
- Houghton
- Rochester United
- Mattawan
- Marquette
- Brighton
All three reigning champions, Catholic Central (Division 1), Powers Catholic (Division 2), and Houghton (Division 3), open in the top six. Last season’s Division 3 runner-up, St. Mary’s, starts second, and two Upper Peninsula programs, Houghton and Marquette, made the top 10.
Storylines
Catholic Central’s chase for eight. The Shamrocks begin their bid for an eighth straight Division 1 title. Petey’s Picks noted that over the past four seasons, Catholic Central lost only once to a Michigan opponent, and it projects the Shamrocks to return 11 players, their most since before the pandemic. Their schedule includes out-of-state trips to New York and Minnesota.
Hartland, the KLAA pick. That lone in-state loss came against Hartland, 2-1, last November. Petey’s Picks’ Kensington Lakes Activities Association preview tabs the Eagles to win the league on scoring depth. Howell is chasing a third straight KLAA title, and Brighton is seeking its first Division 1 Semifinal trip.
New league, new bench. Livonia Stevenson, last season’s Division 2 runner-up, has left the KLAA and now plays in the Lakes Valley Conference. In the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League, Petey’s Picks reports that Trenton opens the season under first-year head coach Andrew Sawyer.
Upper Peninsula on the rise. Houghton opens a season as defending champion for the first time since the early 1980s. With Marquette also in the top 10, the Great Lakes Conference could be one of the state’s most closely watched leagues.
Games to watch
Most schools had not posted 2026-27 varsity schedules in a readable form as of Tuesday morning, so this week’s list is short. Watch for the following:
- Saturday, Nov. 7: South Lyon at Hartland, 7:30 p.m. The preseason No. 3 Eagles host South Lyon in their first listed game of the season.
- Next week, Wednesday, Nov. 11: Canton at Hartland, 7:30 p.m. The Eagles host a Canton team that Petey’s Picks singled out for offensive firepower.
- Next week, Saturday, Nov. 14: Hartland at Detroit Catholic Central, 7:30 p.m. This is the first meeting of the season between preseason No. 1 and No. 3. It’s also a rematch of the only game Catholic Central lost to a Michigan team last season.
The Mitten Hockey High School Scoreboard will track notable results after game nights. The weekly post returns next Tuesday, with the first coaches’ poll if it has been released.
Sources
- MHSAA: Ice Hockey (2026-27 schedule)
- Petey’s Picks: Preseason Top-25 Rankings
- Petey’s Picks: 2026-27 Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League Preview
- Petey’s Picks: 2026-27 Kensington Lakes Activities Association Preview
- Petey’s Picks: 2026-27 Lakes Valley Conference Preview
- Hartland High School: Varsity hockey schedule
- Michigan High School Hockey Hub (MHSHCA)
Leave a Reply