The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association released its 2025-26 Men's Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday and the Foresters were ninth in the rankings.

Voting is done by the NCHA head coaches. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (10 points for first, nine for second, etc.).

With 24 points in the poll, the Foresters were just seven behind Lawrence University and Marian University, who were tied for seventh. St. Norbert College was in the top spot with 96 points.

Lake Forest was 9-15-1 overall last year and placed ninth in the NCHA with 17 points and a 5-12-1 record in the league. Six of the 10 Foresters who reached double figures in points in 2024-25 are back this season, including team captain Justin Ross, who had 16 on nine goals and seven assists.

Head Coach Sean O'Malley's fifth year as head coach will begin October 31 against Saint Mary's University. The Foresters will start their 18-game league schedule against Aurora University the following Saturday and the regular season will conclude on February 14. The top eight teams in the conference will qualify for the Harris Cup Playoffs.
 

PLACE	TEAM (First Place Votes)	POINTS
1	St. Norbert College (7)	96
2	Aurora University (2)	85
3	Adrian College (1)	81
4	Trine University	77
5	Milwaukee School of Engineering	56
6	Concordia University Wisconsin	47
7t	Lawrence University	31
7t	Marian University	31
9	Lake Forest College	24
10	University of Dubuque	22