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

The 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season will begin on October 3, 2025, and concluded 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 form 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]

Independent tournament

In May, 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", would hold its inaugural meet from March 5–7 and be 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.[4]

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.[5]

Polls

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
Great Lakes Invitational December 28–29, 2025 Van Andel Arena
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)
4
Coachella Valley Cactus Cup January 2–3, 2026 Acrisure Arena
(Thousand Palms, California)
4
Desert Hockey Classic January 2–3, 2026 Mullett Arena
(Tempe, Arizona)
4
Connecticut Ice January 23–24, 2026 Ingalls Rink
(New Haven, Connecticut)
4
Beanpot February 2, 9 2026 TD Garden
(Boston, Massachusetts)
4

Standings

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Bentley 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 12 17 4 7 4 3 0 23 20
Holy Cross 5 3 1 1 0 0 1 11 18 10 9 3 5 1 25 31
Sacred Heart 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 7 11 8 7 3 3 1 15 15
Robert Morris 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 8 5 6 2 3 1 17 27
RIT 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 6 13 11 7 5 2 0 26 15
Canisius 4 1 2 1 0 0 1 5 6 10 10 5 4 1 24 28
Army 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 4 9 12 7 3 2 2 18 15
Niagara 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 7 3 4 0 19 21
Air Force 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 12 8 3 4 1 21 33
Mercyhurst 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 14 9 0 9 0 12 50
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated November 3, 2025
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Wisconsin 10 8 2 0 2 0 0 22 49 31 16 12 2 2 71 40
#1 Michigan 10 7 3 0 1 0 0 20 41 25 20 16 4 0 96 41
#3 Michigan State 8 5 3 0 1 1 0 15 22 14 16 12 4 0 54 28
Minnesota 8 4 4 0 0 1 0 13 24 23 19 8 10 1 58 63
#9 Penn State 8 4 4 0 0 1 0 13 17 25 16 11 5 0 51 46
Ohio State 8 2 6 0 1 1 0 6 27 38 16 6 10 0 50 55
Notre Dame 8 0 8 0 0 1 0 1 13 37 16 4 11 1 45 65
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated December 6, 2025
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Bemidji State 4 3 0 1 2 0 1 9 11 8 10 5 4 1 33 29
Bowling Green 4 2 1 1 0 1 0 8 13 10 6 2 3 1 15 17
Augustana 4 2 2 0 0 1 0 7 7 6 8 5 3 0 21 14
Michigan Tech 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 6 9 3 8 5 3 0 28 24
#15 Minnesota State 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 4 6 5 8 4 2 2 21 18
St. Thomas 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 5 6 9 3 5 1 32 37
Ferris State 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 9 8 1 7 0 17 30
Lake Superior State 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 8 3 4 1 28 29
Northern Michigan 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 10 0 10 0 14 39
Championship: March 20, 2026
† indicates conference regular-season champion (MacNaughton Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated November 3, 2025
Overall record
GP W L T GF GA
Alaska 10 2 8 0 21 39
Alaska Anchorage 6 1 5 0 9 33
Lindenwood 10 5 5 0 30 37
Long Island 7 2 5 0 21 21
Stonehill 8 1 7 0 16 32
Championship: March 7, 2026
* indicates tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated November 3, 2025
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
Brown
Clarkson
Colgate
#17 Cornell
#8 Dartmouth
#18 Harvard
Princeton
#10 Quinnipiac
Rensselaer
St. Lawrence
#20 Union
Yale
Championship: March 21, 2025
† indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated September 22, 2025
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#12 Boston College
#19 Boston University
#11 Connecticut
#14 Maine
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Lowell
Merrimack
New Hampshire
#13 Northeastern
#16 Providence
Vermont
Championship: March 20, 2026
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll; updated September 22, 2025
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 North Dakota 10 8 2 0 0 1 0 25 41 21 18 14 4 0 68 41
#6 Denver 10 8 2 0 1 1 0 24 40 18 19 12 6 1 75 37
#5 Minnesota Duluth 12 7 5 0 2 2 0 21 34 29 20 14 6 0 66 41
#7 Western Michigan 10 6 4 0 1 0 0 17 37 33 16 10 6 0 58 47
Arizona State 10 4 5 1 1 0 1 13 27 34 18 8 9 1 53 63
St. Cloud State 10 3 7 0 0 2 0 11 31 38 18 8 10 0 57 54
Colorado College 10 2 5 3 1 1 1 10 26 29 18 8 7 3 51 47
Omaha 10 3 7 0 0 0 0 9 21 40 16 6 10 0 41 56
Miami 10 2 6 2 1 0 1 8 27 42 18 10 6 2 63 60
Championship: March 21, 2025
† indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (National Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated December 15, 2025

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 either team.

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 60.124* 52.427 1.242 Big Ten
1 Dartmouth 59.734 47.674 0.161 ECAC Hockey
3 Wisconsin 59.535 52.931 0.934 Big Ten
4 North Dakota 58.546 52.015 0.459 NCHC
5 Michigan State 57.500 52.296 0.748 Big Ten
6 Denver 57.390 51.588 0.488 NCHC
7 Minnesota Duluth 57.326 52.413 0.515 NCHC
8 Penn State 56.894 52.327 0.4762 Big Ten
9 Harvard 55.199 50.355 0.200 ECAC Hockey
10 Minnesota State 55.189 50.110 0.434 CCHA
11 Augustana 54.711 50.739 0.503 CCHA
12 Western Michigan 54.527 52.325 0.401 NCHC
13 Quinnipiac 54.405 49.264 0.306 ECAC Hockey
14 Cornell 54.257 49.746 0.281 ECAC Hockey
15 Providence 54.159 51.547 0.258 Hockey East
16 Boston College 54.142 50.543 0.059 Hockey East
17 Northeastern 53.901 51.037 0.494 Hockey East
18 Connecticut 53.611 51.887 0.377 Hockey East
19 Princeton 53.346 47.655 0.053 ECAC Hockey
20 St. Thomas 52.961 51.723 0.279 CCHA
21 New Hampshire 52.936 51.425 0.454 Hockey East
22 Holy Cross 52.651 48.300 0.051 AHA
23 Boston University 52.295 52.100 0.386 Hockey East
24 St. Cloud State 52.293 53.298 0.386 NCHC
25 Bemidji State 52.017 51.789 0.319 CCHA
26 Miami 51.939 50.950 0.106 NCHC
27 Lindenwood 51.933 51.442 0.181 Independent
28 Minnesota 51.904 54.484 0.568 Big Ten
29 Union 51.868 47.263 0.116 ECAC Hockey
30 Ohio State 51.844 53.417 0.579 Big Ten
31 Bowling Green 51.770 49.428 0.357 CCHA
32 Colorado College 51.721 52.061 0.332 NCHC
33 Michigan Tech 51.706 48.387 0.079 CCHA
34 Maine 51.451 51.223 0.317 Hockey East
35 Arizona State 51.367 54.406 0.618 NCHC
36 Long Island 51.276 50.345 0.184 Independent
37 RIT 50.649 47.291 0 AHA
38 Omaha 50.509 54.144 0.377 NCHC
39 Air Force 50.459 49.783 0.111 AHA
40 Massachusetts 50.350 51.236 0.274 Hockey East
41 Bentley 49.917 47.215 0 AHA
42 Clarkson 49.721 52.833 0.504 ECAC Hockey
43 Merrimack 49.381 51.834 0.252 Hockey East
44 Sacred Heart 49.136 50.050 0.055 AHA
45 Lake Superior State 48.896 50.190 0.182 CCHA
46 Army 48.867 49.990 0.137 AHA
47 Alaska 47.984 53.216 0.215 Independent
48 Colgate 47.808 50.493 0.055 ECAC Hockey
49 Canisius 47.714 48.111 0.004 AHA
50 Vermont 47.413 51.693 0.177 Hockey East
51 Yale 47.359 51.995 0.190 ECAC Hockey
52 Massachusetts Lowell 47.076 49.472 0.149 Hockey East
53 Notre Dame 46.844 53.222 0.092 Big Ten
54 Niagara 46.303 48.622 0.042 AHA
55 Brown 45.256 51.919 0.135 ECAC Hockey
56 Robert Morris 45.184 48.995 0 AHA
57 Rensselaer 45.057 51.011 0.027 ECAC Hockey
58 Ferris State 44.826 52.507 0.336 CCHA
59 Alaska Anchorage 44.758 50.095 0.157 Independent
60 Stonehill 43.892^ 51.246 0.050 Independent
61 Northern Michigan 42.299^ 53.146 0.043 CCHA
62 St. Lawrence 40.814^ 50.241 0 ECAC Hockey
63 Mercyhurst 37.346^ 50.343 0 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 December 14, 2025

Player stats

Scoring leaders

Player Class Team GP G A Pts PIM
Max Plante Sophomore Minnesota Duluth 20 16 14 30 15
Will Horcoff Sophomore Michigan 20 19 9 28 38
Michael Hage Sophomore Michigan 20 10 18 28 8
T. J. Hughes Senior Michigan 20 9 19 28 6
Bennett Schimek Junior Arizona State 18 9 18 27 10
Justin Poirier Freshman Maine 19 17 9 26 12
Stiven Sardarian Senior Michigan Tech 18 8 18 26 18
Ethan Wyttenbach Freshman Quinnipiac 18 9 16 25 6
Zam Plante Sophomore Minnesota Duluth 20 7 18 25 2
Cruz Lucius Senior Arizona State 18 11 13 24 8

As of December 15, 2025[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
Emmett Croteau Sophomore Dartmouth 6 360:49 5 1 0 7 1 .953 1.16
Roan Clarke Junior Dartmouth 6 358:32 6 0 0 9 1 .920 1.51
Nicholas Bevilacqua Sophomore Bentley 6 362:44 6 1 1 10 1 .935 1.65
Jan Špunar Freshman North Dakota 9 539:47 9 0 0 15 1 .934 1.67
Alexis Cournoyer Freshman Cornell 9 531:52 6 3 0 15 0 .937 1.69
Trey Augustine Junior Michigan State 14 840:52 10 4 0 24 3 .937 1.71
Jakub Krbecek Sophomore RIT 15 893:37 10 5 0 26 0 .932 1.75
Lukas Swedin Freshman Bentley 7 420:18 5 2 0 13 0 .926 1.86
Jack Ivankovic Freshman Michigan 20 1197:28 16 4 0 38 3 .927 1.90
Alex Tracy Senior Minnesota State 20 1220:02 11 4 5 39 2 .929 1.92

As of December 14, 2025[11]


Awards

HCA

Month Award Recipient
October [12] 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 [13] 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

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. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Tennessee State postpones men's hockey program launch to 2026-27 season". NHL. July 10, 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 December 15, 2025.
  11. ^ "National 2025-26 Goaltending Leaders". College Hockey inc. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
  12. ^ "Big Ten, Hockey East pace HCA men's hockey players of the month for October". USCHO.com. November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  13. ^ "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.