ECAC Hockey has a problem, though it’s more a problem for the teams themselves than for fans who want to see good hockey — the problem is that no team in the league is clearly awful. Some are on the upswing. Some are consistently strong programs. Some are legitimate national contenders — Cornell, Princeton and Yale made it to the NCAAs last year, and they all have a shot at making it even further in the tourney in 2010.

Brown Bears

2008-09: 5-23-5

3-15-4 ECAC Hockey (12th)

The Bears have senior leadership in tri-captains Jordan Pietrus, Aaron Volpatti and Devin Timberlake, and a new coach is taking over after last year’s bottom-dwelling, three-win regular season — but new head guy Brendan Whittet, who played under Dartmouth head coach Bob Gaudet and served as a longtime assistant on his staff, has his work cut out for him. Brown brought in some talented freshman, such as Richie Crowley, but the Bears were unanimously picked to finish last in the conference this season.

Clarkson Golden Knights

2008-09: 10-19-7, 8-10-4 (8th)

Injuries crippled Clarkson last year, and the Golden Knights didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years. After leading Clarkson in points last year as a sophomore, including 23 assists, junior forward Scott Freeman will assume an even more active role in Clarkson’s offense. As the first non-senior captain since All-American Nick Dodge three years ago, Freeman will have to team up with senior Matt Beca and junior Brandon DeFazio to pick up the slack left by the graduation of star forwards Chris D’Alvise and Shea Guthrie.

Quinnipiac Bobcats

2007-08: 12-16-4, 6-13-3 (T-10th)

The Bobcats’ usually high-scoring offense lost ECAC Hockey’s leading scorer Bryan Leitch. But with three goals and six assists already, there is no doubt that senior forward and assistant captain Brandon Wong, who’s back from an injury last year, can lead this team on offense. One of the big questions will be Quinnipiac’s commitment to defense, especially since the Bobcats have had a lot of turnaround in goal recently.

St. Lawrence Saints

2008-09: 21-12-5, ­11-7-4 (4th)

St. Lawrence still has the advantage of having longtime head coach Joe Marsh on the bench, but the Saints lost the core of their offense with the graduation of key forwards and dangerous D-men, though last year’s leading scorer returns in senior forward Mike McKenzie. After a first couple of seasons that could be described as erratic, senior netminder Alex Petizian finished last season with a .927 save percentage and a 17-9-5 record. Not many conference observers expect St. Lawrence to finish in the top half of the league, but these Saints might have some surprises in them. 4-2-1 in the young season, the team has already gotten production from rookies such as forward Kyle Flanagan and walk-on defenseman Pete Child, the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week.

Rensselaer Engineers

2008-09: 10-27-2, 6-15-1 (11th)

Maybe this young Rensselaer squad just needed some time to mature. Last year, the Engineers put together back-to-back wins just once in the regular season and four underclassmen were the team’s top-4 scorers, yet the Engineers managed to end the 2008-09 campaign with a bang — Rensselaer eliminated Dartmouth in the first round of the ECAC playoffs and then took Cornell to three games in the next series. However, like a few other teams in the league, the Engineers do not have an established goalie, which could hurt their chances at a triumphant return to the playoffs.

Union Dutchmen

2008-09: 19-17-3, 9-11-2 (8th)

Both the coaches’ and media polls have Union pegged at a No. 6 finish, but this team has repeatedly shown the potential to be an upset special. The Dutchmen beat nationally-ranked Princeton at Princeton last January, 3-2 — in the playoffs, they swept Clarkson in the first round and blew out the Tigers in Game 2 of the quarterfinals. Union returns senior Mario Valery-Trabucco and junior forwards Adam Presizniuk, who led the offense last year, but lost key blue-liner Lane Caffaro, who led the league in points among defensemen in 2008-09. In net, junior Corey Milan will be joined by hyped freshman Keith Kincaid.

Colgate Red Raiders

2008-09: 12-18-7, 6-11-5 (10th)

The Red Raiders return one of the nation’s best players in senior forward David McIntyre, a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a junior with 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points — but he can’t do everything himself. McIntyre has yet to score this year, and Colgate is 2-2-3. The Raiders gave up four goals or more 13 times last season. Rookies such as NHL draft picks Thomas Larkin and Jeremy Price should help shore up the defense, and Colgate’s newfound overall depth will be a strength this year.

Dartmouth Green

2008-09: 14-14-3, 11-9-2 (T-5th)

Last year’s surprise contender, Dartmouth returns its top-4 point-getters in 2008-09 — all of whom were underclassmen. Without the leadership of graduated captain Rob Pritchard, this young team will have to lean on the experience of having played together for one or two years now. As a true freshman last year, netminder Jody O’Neill amazed all ECAC observers with a .923 save percentage, and his skills should even improve in his second full year as the Green’s starting goalie. With this talent, Dartmouth has nowhere to go but up.

Harvard Crimson

2008-09: 9-16-6, 9-7-6 (T-5th)

One thing is clear; the Biega boys rule Cambridge — senior defenseman and captain Alex registered 16 assists and was second in scoring among ECAC D-men last year; junior forward Michael ranked third on the Crimson in points, and now freshman blue-liner Danny is expected to make an impact soon enough. Junior goaltender Kyle Richter — the ECAC Goaltender of the Year as a sophomore — returns this year after taking a year off from school.

Princeton Tigers

2008-09: 22-12-1, 14-8-0 (3rd)

Picked to go all the way last year but falling short, the Tigers lost to the Red in the season opener and again in the ECAC semifinals — they have now lost two of the strongest players from that team: forwards Lee Jubinville and Brett Wilson. Senior netminder Zane Kalemba, a Hobey Baker finalist, is coming off a banner .932 save percentage year in 2008-09.

Yale Bulldogs

2008-09: 24-8-2, 15-5-2 (1st)

Junior Sean Backman is the clear standout on Yale’s front line. He has scored 58 points in 61 collegiate games and has been named team MVP in each of his seasons with the Bulldogs. Backman is helped on offense by two classmates, Mark Arcobello and Chris Cahill and sophomore Broc Little, the team’s co-Rookie of the Year last season. Little showed a flair for the dramatic — his six game-winning goals ranked fourth in the NCAA last year.