It’s a dangerous game predicting what will happen next year right after the season ends, particularly in Division III men’s lacrosse, where the incoming freshmen are far less of a known commodity than at the Division I level.

But reading the tea leaves with a mind for who each team has returning from the season that just ended can give us a preliminary idea of who might be strong as the upcoming year shapes up.

Salisbury, which has won the last two NCAA championships, including a 15-7 rout of RIT in this year’s final, takes some huge losses to graduation. So it’s Wesleyan, an NCAA semifinalist, which sits atop our way-early 2018 rankings as summer lacrosse gets underway. The Sea Gulls, who always seem to reload rather than rebuild, are No. 2, with CAC rival York right behind at No. 3. Cortland stands at No. 4. RIT, which had a ton of talent graduate after making its second championship game appearance, rounds out the top five.

Obviously, this is a highly speculative exercise and will be revised once we know more about the makeup of each team following the fall, but here’s where we see things at the moment.

1. Wesleyan

Starting goalkeeper and first-team All-American Teddy Bergman is gone from the NCAA semifinalists, but just about everyone else is back, landing the Cardinals at our top spot as we look forward to 2018. Harry Stanton (86G, 29A), Carter Hawthorne (40, 55), Christian Barker (26G, 28A) and Taylor Ghesquiere (47, 4) are all back, as is much of the defensive group, making Wesleyan the most experienced crew among the top 10. Finding a replacement for its Kelly Award-winning goalie, who played all but 60 minutes in cage, will be the key to staying ahead of the rest of the always-tough NESCAC competition.

2. Salisbury

No team has been as consistently successful as Jim Berkman’s Sea Gulls in the recent era of Division III men’s lacrosse. But the back-to-back champions have a ton of talent to replace, including Nathan Blondino, the Iroquois National Award winner as the top attackman in the country. Seven of the team’s top nine scorers will need to be replaced, as will the Sea Gulls’ starting goalie and faceoff specialist. Kyle Tucker, winner of the Styles Award as the top close defenseman in Division III, and fellow first-team All-American Will Nowesnick will lead the way from the back as the rest of the team comes together.

3. York

Salisbury’s main challenger in the CAC, the Spartans should continue to be tough in 2018, with much of their core returning to central Pennsylvania for another run at the Sea Gulls (and beyond). Brendan McGrath (58G, 24A) leads a group of five rising juniors who topped the team’s scoring, with rising seniors Matt Whitcher and Dillon Hannah also returning. In all, nine of the ten players who had 10 points or more in 2017 will be back, as will the starting goalie and much of the defensive group, though first-team All American short-stick defensive midfielder Conrad Ordakowski leaves big shoes to fill.

4. Cortland

After a season which saw one unexpected loss to Plattsburgh and a pair of losses to eventual NCAA runner-up RIT, the Red Dragons bring back much of their offensive firepower, which should help make up for losses on the back end. Attackmen Devin Phelps (47G, 43A) and Thomas McNaney (50, 33) should once again pressure opposing defenses, while rising senior Joe Scalise will return for his third year as a starter, which should assist the defense while it plugs some holes.

5. RIT

Though graduation losses abound for the Tigers, but much like their NCAA championship opponent, we like their odds of finding plenty of able replacements to make another run at the top of the rankings. Rising senior Kyle Killen had 55 points, and will have to step up to lead a team that graduated three first-team All-Americans — including Turnbull Award winner and RIT’s all-time leading scorer Ryan Lee — two second-teamers and a third-team selection.

6. Denison

A strong showing in the NCAA tournament — falling to Salisbury in the NCAA semifinals by just one goal — may have quieted those who thought Denison was a paper tiger due to its strength of schedule. But how will the Big Red recover from the graduation of perhaps the best player in school history? Attackman Liam Rooney led the nation with 88 assists and was third in Division III with 126 points, and linemate Will Donohue is also gone after a 65-goal showing. Spencer Butler is the biggest gun returning after his own 65-goal campaign as a sophomore, but only he and Jake Waxter return having tallied double-digit assists, so the quarterback role will be a big question mark for next year.

7. Cabrini

The only team to hand Salisbury a loss in 2017, the Cavaliers should be dangerous once again with plenty of firepower back, including 70-plus point scorers Jordan Krug (58G, 17A) and Timmy Brooks (53, 18). Riley Michaels was one of the top faceoff specialists in the land at 67 percent, and the defensive end is largely intact, minus honorable-mention All-American Steve Halko at long-stick midfield.

8. Tufts

In the first year for new coach Casey D’Annolfo, the Jumbos returned to the pack in the NESCAC, losing four league games in a row at one point (after, it should be noted, an 11-game win streak to start the season). Attackman Danny Murphy will return after a posting a 54-goal, 41-assist sophomore season, while Ben Connelly (30, 17) is back to anchor the midfield. Two starters are gone defensively, but Ben Shmerler returns in net after stopping just over 57 percent of the shots he saw this season.

9. Gettysburg

After a rare off year for the Bullets, a good chunk of the team will be back with more experience, looking to wrest back control in the Centennial Conference and make another NCAA tournament appearance. Midfielder Jack Harvey and attackman Tommy Heller are both back after tying for the team lead with 46 points, while most of the defense is also intact in front of returning starting goalie Tim Brady, who was an honorable mention All-American.

10. Dickinson

Sputtering down the stretch after a hot start that included non-conference wins over Cabrini and RIT, the Red Devils bring back much of the group that had them in the top 10 before fading and missing the NCAA tournament. Dylan Maher had 43 goals and Tucker Carney is back after a team-high 19 assists. Only one starting defender graduates, and Ryan Campbell returns after having a solid year at the X, which paint Dickinson as a well-rounded team that could make a push right back into the high end of the rankings.

In the conversation: Amherst, Bates, Franklin & Marshall, Ithaca, Lynchburg