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Providence College was picked to finish first in the Hockey East Preseason Writers and Broadcasters Association Poll. The Friars, led by fourth year head coach Nate Leaman, will be anchored on the ice by a strong returning nucleus including Calgary Flames goaltending prospect Jon Gillies.
The Friars received 26 first place votes. Boston College was pegged second with eight first place votes. Boston University and Northeastern rounded out the all important top four. With the addition of UConn to the league, the top four teams will receive byes in the first round of the postseason tournament.
Hockey East Preseason Media Poll:
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes) | Points | 2013-14 Record |
| 1 | Providence (26) | 414 | 22-11-6 (11-7-2 HE) |
| 2 | Boston College (8) | 399 | 28-8-4 (16-2-2 HE) |
| 3 | Boston University (2) | 309 | 10-21-4 (5-12-3 HE) |
| 4 | Northeastern | 305 | 19-14-4 (10-8-2 HE) |
| 5 | UMass Lowell | 267 | 26-11-4 (11-6-3 HE) |
| 6 | Maine | 256 | 16-15-4 (9-8-3 HE) |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 231 | 23-15-2 (9-9-2 HE) |
| Vermont | 231 | 20-15-3 (10-10-0 HE) | |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 171 | 22-18-1 (11-9-0 HE) |
| 10 | Merrimack | 97 | 8-22-3 (3-15-2 HE) |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 80 | 8-22-4 (4-13-3 HE) |
| 12 | Connecticut | 48 | 18-14-4 (15-9-3 HE) |
Hockey East Preseason All-Conference Team:
Forward: Ross Mauermann (Sr., Providence)
Forward: Kevin Roy (Jr., Northeastern)
Forward: Devin Shore (Jr., Maine)
Defense: Ben Hutton (Jr., Maine)
Defense: Michael Matheson (Jr., Boston College)
Goaltender: Jon Gillies (Jr., Providence)
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Jeff Cox covers college, junior and high school hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSports.