2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season

2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip will host the 2026 Frozen Four.
DurationOctober 3, 2025–
April 10, 2026
NCAA tournament2026
National championshipT-Mobile Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
List of NCAA Division I men's ice hockey seasons
← 2024–25 2026–27 →

The 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 3, 2025, and will conclude with the NCAA championship on April 10, 2026. This will be the 78th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship is held and will be the US college hockey's 132nd year overall.

This will be only the second time in history that the NCAA championship will be held in the Pacific Time Zone. The first occurred in 1999 when the finals were held in Anaheim, California.

Eligibility rules

In September of 2024, Arizona State received a commitment from a Canadian Hockey League player when Braxton Whitehead agreed to join the program for the 2025-26 season.[1] Due to the new student athlete compensation rules the NCAA was forced to implement, major-junior players could no longer be excluded for having received a financial stipend during their tenure in the three CHL leagues. As a result, it took less than two months for the NCAA to remove the long-standing prohibition and allow former major-junior players to play college hockey in the United States once more.[2]

Program downgrade

During the previous season, American International announced that they would be downgrading their program to Division II beginning with this season.[3]

Delayed start

In July, Tennessee State, which had originally planned on playing their first varsity games this season, announced that they would be pushing back the start of the program until 2026–27.[4]

Polls

Main article: 2025-26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings

Regular season

Season tournaments

Names Dates Location Teams Champion Runner-up
Ice Breaker Tournament October 10–11, 2025 Mullett Arena
(Tempe, Arizona) 		4 Arizona State Notre Dame
Adirondack Winter Invitational November 28–29, 2025 Herb Brooks Arena
(Lake Placid, New York) 		4 Alaska Clarkson
Friendship Four November 28–29, 2025 SSE Arena Belfast
(Belfast, Northern Ireland) 		4 Miami Union
Holiday Face–Off December 27–28, 2025 Fiserv Forum
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 		4 Western Michigan Wisconsin
Great Lakes Invitational December 28–29, 2025 Van Andel Arena
(Grand Rapids, Michigan) 		4 Michigan State Michigan Tech
Coachella Valley Cactus Cup January 2–3, 2026 Acrisure Arena
(Thousand Palms, California) 		4 St. Cloud State Massachusetts Lowell
Desert Hockey Classic January 2–3, 2026 Mullett Arena
(Tempe, Arizona) 		4 Arizona State Air Force
Connecticut Ice January 23–24, 2026 Ingalls Rink
(New Haven, Connecticut) 		4 Connecticut Quinnipiac
Beanpot February 2, 9 2026 TD Garden
(Boston, Massachusetts) 		4 Boston College Boston University

Standings

2025–26 Atlantic Hockey America Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#20 Bentley † 26 16 6 4 1 0 2 53 85 56 38 22 11 5 119 87
Sacred Heart 26 15 8 3 1 0 1 48 80 61 39 23 13 3 116 93
Robert Morris 26 13 11 2 0 2 2 45 69 69 40 16 21 3 103 128
Holy Cross 26 14 10 2 1 1 1 45 81 69 38 18 18 2 113 116
RIT 26 13 11 2 2 1 2 42 69 68 36 17 17 2 93 96
Air Force 26 13 10 3 2 1 0 41 75 73 37 18 15 4 108 112
Canisius 26 12 12 2 1 0 2 39 81 74 35 17 16 2 107 105
Niagara 26 9 16 1 1 3 0 30 67 83 37 13 23 1 93 118
Army 26 7 15 4 2 3 2 28 61 75 35 12 17 6 91 96
Mercyhurst 26 5 18 3 0 0 1 19 47 87 37 6 28 3 65 143
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 16, 2026
Source: AHA
2025–26 Big Ten ice hockey Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#3 Michigan State † 24 16 6 2 2 2 1 51 88 54 35 25 8 2 131 74
#1 Michigan 24 17 6 1 4 0 1 49 96 66 36 28 7 1 162 85
#10т Penn State 24 12 10 2 1 3 1 41 86 82 36 21 13 2 135 114
#12 Wisconsin 24 14 10 0 3 0 0 39 95 84 35 21 12 2 130 108
#19 Ohio State 24 8 15 1 1 5 0 29 78 100 36 14 20 2 116 127
Minnesota 24 7 15 2 0 2 2 27 61 79 36 11 22 3 97 125
Notre Dame 24 5 17 2 3 2 0 12 65 104 37 9 23 5 103 151
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 14, 2026
2025–26 Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#16 Minnesota State †* 26 14 7 5 1 2 3 51 71 53 38 21 10 7 106 77
#15 St. Thomas 26 15 7 4 2 1 2 50 89 67 37 21 11 5 130 105
#18 Augustana 26 14 8 4 1 2 3 50 72 49 37 22 11 4 109 74
Michigan Tech 26 16 7 3 3 1 0 49 84 59 39 23 13 3 126 106
Bowling Green 26 15 7 4 3 2 1 49 80 59 36 18 11 7 107 88
Bemidji State 26 11 11 4 5 1 3 36 69 68 36 13 19 4 98 103
Lake Superior State 26 8 16 2 1 4 2 31 57 83 36 11 22 3 92 121
Ferris State 26 6 18 2 1 2 1 22 70 100 37 8 27 2 91 138
Northern Michigan 26 3 21 2 0 2 0 13 44 98 34 3 29 2 56 132
Championship: March 20, 2026
† indicates conference regular-season champion (MacNaughton Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 16, 2026
Source: CCHA
2025–26 NCAA Division I Independent ice hockey standings
Overall record
GP W L T GF GA
Alaska* 33 15 15 3 96 99
Alaska Anchorage 33 5 27 1 57 134
Lindenwood 30 15 15 0 105 114
Long Island 33 14 18 1 105 112
Stonehill 35 10 22 3 88 118
Championship: March 7, 2026
* indicates tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
2025–26 ECAC Hockey Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#10т Quinnipiac † 22 17 4 1 2 0 0 50 102 48 38 26 9 3 157 88
#9 Dartmouth 22 13 5 4 0 1 3 47 81 53 32 21 7 4 118 69
#8 Cornell 22 15 6 1 1 1 1 47 71 42 32 22 9 1 107 61
Princeton 22 11 9 2 0 1 1 37 63 57 32 17 12 3 99 86
Union 22 11 9 2 1 1 1 36 71 68 37 22 12 3 140 98
Harvard 22 11 10 1 0 1 0 35 61 64 34 16 16 2 92 100
Colgate 22 9 10 3 2 0 2 30 68 74 37 13 20 4 99 125
Clarkson 22 9 10 3 2 0 1 29 65 65 37 18 16 3 111 107
Rensselaer 22 8 13 1 0 1 0 26 55 70 35 11 23 1 80 115
Yale 22 7 14 1 2 2 0 22 63 80 31 8 22 1 79 115
St. Lawrence 22 6 15 1 0 0 1 20 59 99 35 7 25 3 85 151
Brown 22 4 16 2 0 2 1 17 44 83 31 5 24 2 63 119
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 16, 2026
2025–26 Hockey East Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#7 Providence † 24 18 5 1 2 1 0 54 86 46 35 23 10 2 118 77
#14 Massachusetts 24 14 9 1 2 1 1 43 63 53 35 22 12 1 101 81
#13 Connecticut 24 12 9 3 1 1 2 41 73 59 35 19 11 5 110 83
#17 Boston College 24 13 11 0 1 1 2 39 69 59 35 20 14 1 113 88
Maine 24 12 11 1 3 2 0 36 76 79 35 18 14 3 116 96
Boston University 24 12 12 0 3 2 0 35 69 74 36 17 17 2 105 110
Northeastern 24 11 13 0 1 3 0 35 67 62 36 17 18 1 98 91
Merrimack 24 10 12 2 0 1 1 34 68 75 36 19 15 2 117 106
Massachusetts Lowell 24 9 15 0 1 2 0 28 66 80 35 13 22 0 91 114
New Hampshire 24 8 15 1 0 0 1 26 41 73 35 14 20 1 68 105
Vermont 24 8 15 1 0 0 0 25 55 83 35 13 21 1 73 115
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll; updated March 16, 2026
2025–26 National Collegiate Hockey Conference Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 North Dakota † 24 17 6 1 1 4 0 55 96 58 37 27 9 1 142 88
#4 Denver 24 17 6 1 2 1 1 52 82 51 38 24 11 3 133 81
#5 Western Michigan 24 16 7 1 3 1 1 48 89 65 37 26 10 1 135 88
#6 Minnesota Duluth 24 11 12 1 3 4 1 36 64 66 37 23 13 1 121 90
St. Cloud State 24 9 14 1 1 2 1 30 63 86 36 16 19 1 112 112
Colorado College 24 7 11 6 2 3 1 29 63 66 36 13 17 6 95 98
Miami 24 9 13 2 3 1 1 28 60 74 36 18 16 2 104 108
Omaha 24 8 16 0 0 0 0 24 57 86 36 12 24 0 95 129
Arizona State 24 7 16 1 2 1 1 22 62 94 36 14 21 1 106 132
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (National Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 16, 2026

Postseason

Main tournament

Main article: 2026 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament

The main tournament has not yet started.

Independent tournament

In May 2025, the five active independent Division I teams (Alaska, Alaska Anchorage, Lindenwood, Long Island and Stonehill) came to an agreement about a hosting a postseason tournament beginning with this season. The series, which was named the "United Collegiate Hockey Cup", held its inaugural meet from March 5–7, 2026 and was hosted by Lindenwood and the Centene Community Ice Center. The series was born in part due to a few teams (notably Alaska in 2023) losing ground in the national ranking during the conference playoffs and missing out on at-large bids to the NCAA tournament. The schools also wanted a forum to showcase their programs on a larger scale which could help improve both recruiting and fundraising.[5]

NPI Rankings

During the previous season, the NCAA announced that they would stop using the PairWise rankings for determining at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in favor of the NCAA Power Index (NPI).[6]

Just prior to the start of the season, the methodology was announced as follows:[7]

  • Win percentage / Strength of Schedule – 25%/75%
  • Home-Away Win/Loss – 1.2/0.8 (regular season), 1.0/1.0 (postseason)
  • Quality Win Base – 51
  • Quality Win Multiplier – 0.5
  • Overtime – 60/40 (regular season), 100/0 (postseason)
  • Minimum Wins – 12

The final criteria, minimum wins, refers to the number of wins that must be retained in a team's ranking. According to the new system, games that are rated as being below a certain value threshold (e.g. defeating a club 40 places lower in the rankings) are removed from the calculations in order to prevent the numbers from becoming too skewed. Rather than being rewarded or punished for losing to a far stronger or defeating a far inferior opponent, the game is simply not counted in the rankings for one or both teams.

As part of the change, the NCAA selection committee eliminated several criteria that had been use by the PairWise: Ratings Points Index (a measurement of success against opponents weighted by strength of schedule), common opponents and head-to-head matches.[8] Additionally, the committee did not retain the requirement that the teams must have at least a .500 record in order to be considered for an at-large bid.

NCAA Division I Men's Hockey NPI Rankings[9]
Rank Team NPI SOS QWB Conference
1 Michigan 58.988* 52.861 0.904 Big Ten
2 North Dakota 58.332* 51.784 0.580 NCHC
3 Michigan State 58.058* 52.164 0.800 Big Ten
4 Western Michigan 57.437 52.721 0.628 NCHC
5 Denver 56.895 52.368 0.630 NCHC
6 Minnesota Duluth 56.291 52.986 0.530 NCHC
7 Providence 56.106 51.857 0.443 Hockey East
8 Dartmouth 55.910 49.262 0.247 ECAC Hockey
9 Cornell 55.695 50.233 0.272 ECAC Hockey
10 Penn State 55.420 52.789 0.489 Big Ten
11 Quinnipiac 55.399 50.344 0.305 ECAC Hockey
12 Wisconsin 55.044 53.131 0.645 Big Ten
13 Massachusetts 54.285 51.316 0.348 Hockey East
14 St. Thomas 54.279 51.196 0.320 CCHA
15 Connecticut 54.250 51.600 0.356 Hockey East
16 Augustana 54.075 49.792 0.294 CCHA
17 Minnesota State 53.997 49.478 0.319 CCHA
18 Boston College 53.747 51.809 0.283 Hockey East
19 Ohio State 53.139 53.430 0.691 Big Ten
20 Michigan Tech 53.066 49.826 0.237 CCHA
21 Bowling Green 52.717 50.107 0.331 CCHA
22 Maine 52.640 52.104 0.444 Hockey East
23 Princeton 52.617 50.238 0.284 ECAC Hockey
24 Merrimack 52.582 50.952 0.255 Hockey East
25 Bentley 52.422 49.003 0.064 AHA
26 Union 52.321 49.076 0.179 ECAC Hockey
27 Northeastern 52.139 51.813 0.424 Hockey East
28 Sacred Heart 52.122 49.105 0.062 AHA
29 Boston University 52.088 52.476 0.382 Hockey East
30 St. Cloud State 51.827 52.904 0.400 NCHC
31 Colorado College 51.597 53.318 0.453 NCHC
32 Harvard 51.549 51.192 0.198 ECAC Hockey
33 Miami 51.507 52.214 0.156 NCHC
34 Clarkson 51.160 50.735 0.444 ECAC Hockey
35 Alaska 50.648 50.052 0.240 Independent
36 Air Force 50.591 49.872 0.198 AHA
37 Lindenwood 50.439 49.723 0.086 Independent
38 Holy Cross 50.394 50.034 0.082 AHA
39 Minnesota 50.237 54.777 0.623 Big Ten
40 New Hampshire 49.822 52.674 0.428 Hockey East
41 Arizona State 49.677 53.809 0.400 NCHC
42 Omaha 49.483 54.150 0.354 NCHC
43 Long Island 49.431 48.908 0.063 Independent
44 RIT 49.138 48.992 0.053 AHA
45 Army 48.800 49.987 0.130 AHA
46 Massachusetts Lowell 48.689 51.738 0.247 Hockey East
47 Robert Morris 48.636 49.298 0.022 AHA
48 Canisius 48.404 48.168 0.002 AHA
49 Bemidji State 48.373 51.391 0.277 CCHA
50 Colgate 48.370 50.839 0.185 ECAC Hockey
51 Notre Dame 48.044 54.195 0.239 Big Ten
52 Vermont 47.943 51.705 0.215 Hockey East
53 Lake Superior State 47.595 50.354 0.146 CCHA
54 Rensselaer 46.826 50.620 0.096 ECAC Hockey
55 Niagara 45.989 49.081 0.069 AHA
56 Ferris State 45.902 52.120 0.243 CCHA
57 Stonehill 45.478 49.352 0.048 Independent
58 Yale 44.965 51.051 0.144 ECAC Hockey
59 Brown 44.005 50.848 0.135 ECAC Hockey
60 Northern Michigan 43.302^ 52.145 0.114 CCHA
61 St. Lawrence 43.211 50.063 0.023 ECAC Hockey
62 Alaska Anchorage 42.789 50.214 0.098 Independent
63 Mercyhurst 42.699^ 50.355 0.020 AHA
* A team's NPI has been adjusted to remove negative effect from defeating a weak opponent
^ A team's NPI has been adjusted to remove positive effects from losing to a strong opponent
Note: A team's record is based only on games against other Division I hockey schools which are eligible for the NCAA Tournament
Updated March 16, 2026

Player stats

Scoring leaders

Player Class Team GP G A Pts PIM
Ethan Wyttenbach Freshman Quinnipiac 38 24 34 58 14
Gavin McKenna Freshman Penn State 34 15 36 51 36
T. J. Hughes Senior Michigan 36 19 31 50 22
Michael Hage Sophomore Michigan 36 13 37 50 14
Max Plante Sophomore Minnesota Duluth 37 23 25 48 19
Hayden Stavroff Sophomore Dartmouth 32 28 19 47 32
Felix Trudeau Senior Sacred Heart 38 25 22 47 87
Porter Martone Freshman Michigan State 33 24 23 47 76
Zam Plante Sophomore Minnesota Duluth 37 20 26 46 2
Cruz Lucius Senior Arizona State 36 15 31 46 16

As of March 18, 2026[10]

Goaltending leaders

The following goaltenders lead the NCAA in goals against average, minimum 1/3 of team's minutes played.
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Player Class Team GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Alex Tracy Senior Minnesota State 37 2246:20 20 10 7 68 5 .926 1.82
Dylan Silverstein Sophomore Quinnipiac 16 903:24 9 5 1 29 2 .916 1.93
Alexis Cournoyer Freshman Cornell 26 1518:16 18 8 0 49 1 .919 1.94
Michael Hrabal Junior Massachusetts 28 1663:04 19 8 1 55 4 .936 1.98
Josh Kotai Junior Augustana 35 2111:36 20 11 4 70 5 .938 1.99
Jack Parsons Freshman Providence 18 1024:58 13 4 0 34 2 .923 1.99
Lukas Swedin Freshman Bentley 23 1456:14 13 6 4 49 2 .921 2.02
Emmett Croteau Junior Dartmouth 21 1273:57 13 4 4 43 1 .918 2.03
Ajeet Gundarah Sophomore Sacred Heart 21 1202:56 13 6 1 41 2 .929 2.04
Jan Špunar Freshman North Dakota 24 1426:17 18 4 1 49 4 .909 2.06

As of March 15, 2026[11]


Awards

HCA

Month Award Recipient
October [19] Forward of the Month Max Plante, Minnesota Duluth
JJ Wiebusch, Penn State
Defender of the Month Cole Hutson, Boston University
Ben Robertson, Michigan
Goaltender of the Month Lawton Zacher, Northeastern
Rookie of the Month Gavin McKenna, Penn State
November [20] Forward of the Month Will Horcoff, Michigan
Defender of the Month Chris Hedden, Air Force
Ethan Wyttenbach, Quinnipiac
Goaltender of the Month Emmett Croteau, Dartmouth
Rookie of the Month Ethan Wyttenbach, Quinnipiac
December [21] Forward of the Month Brett Meerman, Augustana
Justin Poirier, Maine
Defender of the Month Jake Livanavage, North Dakota
Goaltender of the Month Jack Ivankovic, Michigan
Rookie of the Month Anthony Romani, Michigan State
January [22] Forward of the Month Jake Black, Bentley
Defender of the Month Jack Anderson, Michigan Tech
Goaltender of the Month Michael Hrabal, Massachusetts
Rookie of the Month Josh Fleming, Penn State
Jack Parsons, Providence
February [23] Forward of the Month Ethan Wyttenbach, Quinnipiac
Defender of the Month Abram Wiebe, North Dakota
Goaltender of the Month Michael Hrabal, Massachusetts
Rookie of the Month Gavin McKenna, Penn State

See also

References

  1. ^ "WHL's Braxton Whitehead commits to Arizona State, challenging NCAA rules". ESPN. September 12, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  2. ^ "CHL players to be eligible to play NCAA hockey beginning in 2025-26". NHL. November 7, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
  3. ^ "American International to reclassify as Division II beginning with 2025-26 college hockey season". USCHO. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  4. ^ "Tennessee State postpones men's hockey program launch to 2026-27 season". NHL. July 10, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  5. ^ "NCAA Division I Independent Hockey Teams To Compete For The United Collegiate Hockey Cup Hosted At Centene Community Ice Center". Lindenwood Lions. May 5, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  6. ^ "Goodbye Pairwise, Hello NPI". College Hockey News. May 7, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  7. ^ "NCAA replaces PairWise with NCAA Power Index (NPI) for D-I men's hockey championship tournament selections". USCHO. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  8. ^ "The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is replacing the PairWise, but what does that mean for college hockey?". USCHO. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  9. ^ "Men's Division I NPI Rankings". Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  10. ^ "National 2025–26 Scoring Leaders". College Hockey inc. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  11. ^ "National 2025-26 Goaltending Leaders". College Hockey inc. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  12. ^ "Atlantic Hockey America Announces 2025-26 Men's Individual Awards". Atlantic Hockey America. March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  13. ^ "Atlantic Hockey America Announces 2025-26 Men's All-Conference Teams". Atlantic Hockey America. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Big Ten Conference Announces Hockey Postseason Awards". Big Ten. March 18, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  15. ^ "Josh Kotai is CCHA Player of the Year". CCHA. March 13, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  16. ^ "Murr, Kotai and Sardarian Honored by CCHA". CCHA. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  17. ^ "Three CCHA Year-Awards Handed Out". CCHA. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  18. ^ "2025-26 All-CCHA Teams Revealed". CCHA. March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  19. ^ "Big Ten, Hockey East pace HCA men's hockey players of the month for October". USCHO.com. November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  20. ^ "Hockey Commissioners Association names half-dozen men's hockey standouts players of the month for November". USCHO.com. December 4, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  21. ^ "Men's HCA December Honors Are Announced". Hockey Commissioners Association. January 8, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  22. ^ "Men's HCA January Honors Feature Stingy Netminders". Hockey Commissioners Association. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  23. ^ "Men's HCA February Honors Are Spread Across Four Conferences". Hockey Commissioners Association. March 5, 2026. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
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