As the men's college hockey season begins in earnest this weekend, the State of Hockey will once again prove to be a hotbed of collegiate talent, with four of the five programs in the state ranked in the United States College Hockey online poll.

Even with the good press and high expectations, questions for each program remain. Will the Golden Gophers return to their seat of dominance? Can Minnesota Duluth’s matured lineup take the next step? How will the Huskies of St. Cloud State replace four departed scoring leaders? Those queries and many more will sort themselves out in the coming months. In the meantime, here's a quick look at Minnesota's top teams:

2015-2016 Record: 19-16-5

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 6 in the USCHO poll, are already off to a fast start, having swept Michigan Tech last weekend. UMD blanked the Huskies 6-0 in game one and squeezed out a 4-3 win in game two.

Returning leading scorers from last season’s team include Alex Iafallo (8-15-23), Dominic Toninato (15-6-21) and Karson Kuhlman (12-8-20). Sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk emerged from the Michigan Tech series as the team’s leading scorer with a goal and two assists.

Pionk isn’t the only new player making a mark early on, with freshman netminder Hunter Miska picking up both wins over the Huskies and stopping 21 shots in the shutout.

Minnesota Duluth Schedule

2015-2016 Record: 31-9-1

The second highest-rated team from Minnesota in the USCHO poll at No. 7, the Huskies must replace a bevy of talent from last season’s squad that made a run to the NCAA West Regional before bowing out to Ferris State.

Leading scorers Kalle Kossila, Joey Benik, Patrick Russell and Jimmy Murray are all gone, but the Huskies still retain five NHL draft picks on this year’s roster. Sophomore forward Mikey Eyssimont is back after racking up 14 goals and 33 points in an impressive freshman season, and the Huskies’ blue line should be a strong point with 2016 first-round draft pick Dennis Cholowski and 2015 fourth-rounder Will Borgen suiting up.

St. Cloud State Schedule

2015-2016 Record: 20-17-0

Last season decidedly did not go as planned for the talent-rich Golden Gophers, as they stumbled to a near .500 record and a lackluster 10-9-0 mark at Mariucci Arena.

The good news is that five of last season’s top seven scorers are back, including team captain senior Justin Kloos (16 goals, 27 assists, 43 points) and junior Leon Bristedt (20-17-37).

Sophomore goaltender Eric Schierhorn, who went 20-17-0 with a 2.69 goals-against- average and .906 save percentage, is also back between the pipes. The returning pieces make the Gophers the No. 13-ranked team in the most recent USCHO poll.

Minnesota Schedule

2015-2016 Record: 21-13-7

The No. 19-rated Mavericks will be without last season’s leading scorers Teddy Blueger and Bryce Gervais, but bring back junior forward and third-leading scorer junior C.J. Franklin (14-11-25), a Winnipeg Jets draftee. 

The Mavericks have a second NHL draft pick on the roster in senior forward Zach Stepan (6-7-13), and return goaltender Cole Huggins to the lineup. Huggins went 13-11-2 last season with three shutouts.

Minnesota State Schedule

2015-2016 Record: 17-16-6

The Beavers will look to improve upon a disappointing 6-8-2 record at home, and may have the tools to do it with several key pieces returning.

Junior Gerry Fitzgerald (14-11-25) is back, along with senior Brendan Harms (8-17-25) and junior Kyle Bauman (7-13-20). Junior goaltender Michael Bitzer is back for his second season as the starter after posting a .915 save percentage and six shutouts as a sophomore. Bitzer has 10 shutouts in his two seasons with the Beavers.

Bemidji State Schedule

Augsburg emerged from the MIAC as the top team after posting a 11-3-2 mark in league play. 

Unfortunately for the rest of the conference, the Auggies return nearly all of last season’s key pieces, including MIAC Coach of the Year Chris Brown.

Taking the ice for Brown will be five All-MIAC performers in Corbin Chapman, Nate Flynn, goaltender Jordyn Kaufer, Eli May and Rory Vesel. 

The Auggies and rest of the MIAC will start their season with two games in the MIAC Showcase at the Schwan’s Super Rink in Blaine, October 28-29.