By the end of the 2025-2026 season, Northeastern further established itself as one of the nation’s best.
The Huskies finished 29-9-1 overall and 21-2-1 in conference play, earning at least a point in every conference game on their way to the Hockey East regular-season championship.
But despite their stellar regular season, trophies remained just out of reach. The Huskies lost in overtime heartbreakers in both the Beanpot semifinals to BU and the Hockey East Championship to UConn. It marked the third consecutive season in which Northeastern lost the conference title game in overtime.
The Huskies were able to respond on the national scale, traveling to Minnesota and upsetting the fourth-seeded Golden Gophers to advance to the Frozen Four. Ultimately, Northeastern fell in the semifinals to Ohio State, but the run stood as a testament to the tenacity built up by the Huskies all year.
The closure of Matthews Arena forced Northeastern to adjust to a new routine. Longer bus rides, added travel, and more time away from campus became part of the second half of the season, but the Huskies found a way to turn the disruption into part of their identity.
“When we didn’t have Matthews anymore, it was definitely an adjustment for everyone,” said senior forward and alternate captain Ellie Mabardy. “A theme that we kept going back to was just dealing with adversity.”
That resilience will now carry into a season with a different look. Northeastern’s challenge is not simply replacing the players they lost, but finding a way for a new group to build on what they accomplished last season.
The Huskies have already shown they can compete on the biggest stage in college hockey. This season will test how they carry the lessons they learned last year forward while establishing a new identity of their own.
Forwards:
While five of Northeastern’s seven departures from last season were forwards, the Huskies return most of their scoring production up front for 2026-27. This established core will work to integrate four freshmen and incoming transfer from Minnesota Duluth, graduate student Grace Sadura.
With 14 total forwards rostered, Northeastern has depth to work with as it builds its lines and looks for consistent production throughout the lineup.
Sophomore star Stryker Zablocki headlines the returning group after a standout freshman campaign. She finished with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points, and among her many accolades, she became the first freshman to earn Hockey East Player of the Year honors since Daryl Watts did so for BC in 2018. Zablocki accounted for 16.52% of Northeastern’s goals last season.
But Zablocki’s impact extends beyond just the numbers.
“[Zablocki competes] with a smile on her face every day,” Mabardy said. “The positivity that she brings and the lightheartedness she brings to the ice, but at the same time, she’s attacking the ice. She’s bringing both, and I think that’s such a unique combination.”
Zablocki certainly isn’t the only contributor that the Huskies will return, though.
Junior Morgan Jackson took a step forward, more than doubling her production from her freshman to her sophomore season, her 29 points split between 12 goals and 17 assists. She earned Hockey East Third Team All-Star recognition and was named to the conference tournament team. Junior Éloïse Caron added 16 goals and 10 assists, while senior Allie Lalonde recorded 10 goals and 18 assists. The addition of Sadura — who scored 14 points as an alternate captain at UMD last season — brings necessary postseason experience and an understanding of the demands of college hockey.
Veteran depth will give Northeastern several proven options as the season progresses, and allow younger forwards the freedom to turn opportunities into consistent production, with a bit of buzz already surrounding the four incoming freshmen forwards.
Ivana Wey enters her first year at Northeastern having already played at some of the highest levels of international hockey. Wey won a bronze medal with Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics and notably assisted on Northeastern legend Alina Müller’s overtime winner against Sweden to secure the bronze, among her other contributions at the Games.
Despite her official freshman status, Wey has already spent three seasons playing professionally in Switzerland and arrives with experience competing against older, established players.
“She’s an incredible player, a very special player as well,” said assistant coach Melissa Piacentini. “She’s competed at the highest possible level in the Olympics. So, to have that experience and just kind of push the pace as well, she’s got high expectations and I think she’ll be a key piece for us moving forward.”
Add on Czech international Adéla Pankova, prep school product Lilly McInerney, and Ontario native Soren Biderman, and you’ve got a nice influx of young talent to replace the depth lost from last year’s senior class.
The competition in the forward group does not change the significance of each player’s impact.
“Everyone has a role, and if you buy into your role, that’s what’s important,” Mabardy said. “Everyone is important on the team. Being able to have everyone on the same page, everyone knowing the system, everyone buying into the culture, that is the type of environment that we want to foster.”
That approach will matter beyond the top scorers. Sophomore Emy McDermid, who finished with 10 points last season, scored the double-overtime game-winner against Boston University in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Senior Peyton Compton, sophomore Molly MacCurtain and junior Brigitte Aube also provide additional depth, with plenty of opportunity to take on larger roles.
Over a long season, Northeastern will need contributions all throughout its forward group. The returning scorers will provide a foundation, but the development of other forwards will be crucial towards the Huskies hopes of making another postseason run.
Defense:
Every iteration of Northeastern’s identity has been grounded in its defense, and the Huskies return a group with experience across the blue line.
Northeastern will field two captains for the first time since the 2016-17 season in their top defenders, fifth-year Kristina Allard and senior Rylie Jones. Allard earned Hockey East Second Team All-Star and New England All-Star honors last season after recording two goals and 14 assists with 48 blocked shots. Jones added three goals and 14 assists with 58 blocks. Together, the two give Northeastern an experienced foundation on the back end.
Sophomore Ella Lloyd is one of the players Northeastern will expect big things from as she enters her second season. Lloyd recorded five goals and eight assists as a freshman while blocking 39 shots, and her role could expand after a year of college hockey under her belt.
“I think a lot of the athletes that have returned, they work hard,” said Piacentini. “I’m really excited to see players like Ella Lloyd, now that she’s in her second year.”
Allard spent much of last season paired with Lloyd and saw firsthand how quickly the younger defender adjusted to college hockey.
“Hockey aside, what makes her so great is that she is a leader in her own way,” Allard said. “She is very positive, upbeat… it translates on the ice. She is confident with the puck. She’s super strong at the point and plays with the maturity that you don’t see in a lot of freshmen… I’m so excited to see what she’s going to be able to do.”
Lloyd is not the only younger defender with room to grow. Sophomore Alessia Baechler played in 31 games and finished with one goal and 11 assists. Baechler also brings international experience after winning a bronze medal with Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. And after Swedish international Tuva Kandell’s unexpected mid-season departure, more was asked of sophomore Lexi Mara, who appeared in 21 games last season and recorded one assist.
The Huskies will add two more to their defensive group, UMD transfer Kamdyn Davis — who recorded 27 blocks for the Bulldogs last year — and freshman Tess Martin — who comes from Shattuck St. Mary’s and was initially committed to Harvard before flipping to Northeastern in November of 2025. Both will have an opportunity to compete for playing time while adjusting to Northeastern’s system and building chemistry with the returning defenders.
For Allard, that chemistry has been one of the defining characteristics of Northeastern’s defense throughout her time with the program. The group’s familiarity with one another has created a culture of support and belief in the corps, regardless of the size of the group (for the second year in a row, Northeastern will roster just seven defenders).
“Our defensive core is so tight,” Allard said. “It’s a small group of girls, so we always have each other’s backs. We have our little circle, and everyone’s excited for each other. Everybody knows their role and everybody just buys into what they need to do.”
That buy-in extends beyond the players who see the most time on the ice. The group’s readiness to embrace different responsibilities is what allows the defensive culture to translate into its play.
“It doesn’t matter how big or small the role is,” Allard said. “People are willing to give 110% within whatever role they’re given. What makes Northeastern so great is that we know what to do, and when people buy into the culture off the ice, it just translates immediately on the ice.”
For Northeastern, the foundation remains the same. The Huskies have a group that knows its roles, trusts one another and has experience playing within the defensive structure that has become a defining part of the program.
Goaltending:
Northeastern returns their primary two goalies with experience from last season, giving the Huskies continuity in the crease heading into 2026-27.
Junior alternate captain Lisa Jönsson leads the group after another strong season. Jönsson went 22-7-1 with a 1.74 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, earning Hockey East Second Team All-Star and New England All-Star honors. She was also a semifinalist for National Goaltender of the Year for her second consecutive season.
Sophomore Renna Trembecky also gained valuable experience in her first collegiate season. She appeared in 10 games and finished with an 8-2-0 record, .927 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average. With another year in the program, Trembecky gives Northeastern an experienced option behind Jönsson.
Freshman Ava Scannell out of Milton Academy rounds out the group, joining two goalies who already know the demands of the position at Northeastern. For a team with established options in net, Scannell can develop within a room that already has experience at the college level.
The Next Chapter:
For Northeastern, the season ahead will be about more than filling the skates of the players who graduated. The Huskies are trying to carry forward the identity that took them to the Frozen Four, while integrating a new group and continuing to develop the players already in the program.
That identity starts with how Northeastern wants to play.
“We play with a lot of pride and a lot of grit at the same time,” Allard said. “We play for our school, we play for the pride of our school, for the alumni, for the people that have come before us and for the people that will come into the program in the future.”
Mabardy pointed to the same commitment from a different angle, emphasizing the details that allow the team’s technical ability to translate into its overall game.
“We’re not just worried about skill,” Mabardy said. “We want you to notice how hard we’re working on our forecheck. We want you to see our backcheck. We want that part of our game to be absolutely flawless because at the end of the day, everyone can give 110% effort, and I think that’s something that we do and have done in the past very well.”
The group also enters the season with excitement about what its returning players and newcomers can create together. The depth of the roster makes coming to the rink each day an especially positive, yet also competitive environment.
For Northeastern, that environment will be tested by the first full season without Matthews Arena. The Huskies spent the second half of last season adjusting to the arena’s closure, but this time they will have to navigate the entire season without their longtime home.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s hockey no matter where you’re playing,” Piacentini said. “Our team’s pretty grateful that we get to play as a group together, and I think that’s the most important thing to not lose sight of.”
The team is approaching the situation the same way they did last season.
“We’re treating it the same as if we were to have Matthews and continuing the same positive mindset,” Allard said. “We get to do this instead of we have to. And that’s actually our mantra for the year: we get to. And we get to fall back on that.”
For a team entering the season with returning leaders, experienced goaltending, a strong defensive group, and new players ready to find their roles, that mindset may be just as important as any individual statistic. Northeastern knows what it took to reach the Frozen Four last season. Now, without Matthews Arena and with a new group around them, the Huskies have the chance to build on those lessons and define what comes next.
Armaan Vij is the Editor-in-Chief for WRBB Sports. He has covered Northeastern hockey, baseball, and rowing both on-air and in print for the past three years. Read all his articles here.