That number figures to grow thanks to NIL and the fact that the NCAA is allowing Canadian major junior players to compete at US colleges.

Last summer, when Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, announced he was leaving Canadian junior hockey and would be heading to Penn State this fall, ESPN broadcast it live on "SportsCenter." And when McKenna made his debut with the Nittany Lions at Arizona State this month, NHL Network aired both games as well as a studio show.

ESPN will be taking a similar approach to Friday night's matchup between No. 3 Michigan State and No. 1 Boston University at Agganis Arena. The game was initially slated to air on ESPNU, but was moved this week to ESPN2.

In addition to John Buccigross and Colby Cohen being on the call, there will be a studio show featuring former Bruin and current NESN analyst Andrew Raycroft, host Arda Ocal, and analyst Paul Caponigri.

"They're treating this like an NHL game," said Cohen, a former defenseman who helped deliver a national title to BU in 2009. "We have a full truck coming on-site for production. It shows that ESPN is making a commitment here from a resource standpoint."

The game could have been No. 1 vs. No. 2 were it not for UNH's impressive performance last weekend in which the Wildcats went into East Lansing and handed Michigan State a 4-3 loss in the season opener for both teams.

There are 34 draft picks on the Michigan State and BU rosters, led by the Terriers' 19. Seven of the 34 draftees were selected in the first round -- Charlie Stramel (2023, Minnesota), Cayden Lindstrom (2024, Columbus), Porter Martone (2025, Philadelphia) and Ryker Lee (2025, Nashville) for the Spartans, as well as BU's Sacha Boisvert (Chicago, 2024), Sascha Boumedienne (Winnipeg, 2025), and Cole Eiserman (NY Islanders, 2024).

That doesn't include a trio of returning All-Americans in BU defenseman Cole Hutson and Michigan State goalie Trey Augustine, both selected in the second round, as well as Spartans defenseman Matt Bagsall, who is undrafted.

Cohen believes Augustine and BU sophomore Mikhail Yegorov are the two best goaltenders in the college game. They will be tested often with all the firepower on the ice, as well as the youth and inexperience playing in front of them.

With an average age of 19 years, 9 months, the Terriers are the youngest team in the NCAA. Michigan State is four spots back at 20 years, 9 months.

"You're going to see a lot of highly skilled plays, but this early in the season there's more mistakes, and so I think you could see a lot of great opportunities," said Cohen. "So, which goaltender is going to bring their big-time performance? You flip a coin. You're talking about two NHL starting-caliber goaltenders that are probably the two best players in [Friday's] game."

Friday night's matchup is the first of a two-game series. Cohen will be off-duty for Saturday night's contest but will stick around and be joined by his wife and two children, who are traveling from Pennsylvania for the game. Former BU coach Jack Parker will be honored in a pregame ceremony ahead of next month's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"I'm honestly more excited to have my family up here and to see Coach Parker and his family," said Cohen. "They know so much about this part of my life, but they never got to see it or experience it."

Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+.

No. 7 Maine will travel to No. 10 Quinnipiac for a pair of games in this weekend's other top-10 matchup. Friday's opener will air on NESN.

"They're always one of the most structured teams," said Maine coach Ben Barr. "They're really good through the neutral zone. The power play is excellent. They never have any weaknesses."

In other action, UMass Lowell will host defending national champion Western Michigan for two games, No. 9 Boston College travels to RPI for a game on Friday night, Northeastern heads to No. 11 UMass on Friday before returning to Matthews Arena to host Harvard for an exhibition on Saturday. The Minutemen cap the weekend by hosting Bentley on Saturday.

No. 12 UConn returns from a bye to host No. 15 Ohio State for two games, No. 14 Providence heads to RPI Saturday, and Merrimack will host UNH on Saturday.

No. 1 BU hosts No. 3 Michigan State this weekend in an early-season matchup of men's college hockey powerhouses - The Boston Globe