All of the conference champions have been crowned in men’s Division I college hockey. As a result, we now know which 16 teams will be included in the road to the Men’s Frozen Four for the 2026 NCAA tournament.
- Watch elite college and junior hockey on FloHockey all season
- Bentley Earns Autobid By Winning Atlantic Hockey America
- How The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament Works
This is the first year of the NPI ratings being used for NCAA tournament selection, but there were some automatic qualifiers that knocked teams out of NCAA Tournament position.
The only thing we don’t know for certain at this point is what teams will play where and who each will play. That will be revealed during the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament Selection Show at 3 p.m. ET on ESPNU and ESPN+.
Here is a look at who will be playing in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament.
What Teams Made The 2026 NCAA Men’s Tournament?
Here are the 16 teams that have reached the NCAA tournament:
- Michigan
- North Dakota
- Michigan State
- Western Michigan
- Denver
- Minnesota Duluth
- Providence
- Dartmouth
- Penn State
- Quinnipiac
- Cornell
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota State
- UConn
- Merrimack
- Bentley
What Teams Earned Automatic Bids To The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament?
Here are the teams that earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament by winning their conference tournaments.
NCAA Men’s Conference Tournament Champions
- Atlantic Hockey America: Bentley
- Big Ten: Michigan
- CCHA: Minnesota State
- ECAC: Dartmouth
- Hockey East: Merrimack
- NCHC: Denver
What Team Is The No. 1 Seed In The NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament?
Big Ten champion Michigan had the highest NPI rating going into the tournament and will be the No. 1 overall seed. They will likely play No. 16 seed Bentley in whatever regional they are sent to.
The Wolverines earned a convincing win in the Big Ten Championship Game against rival Ohio State, 7-3. They are led by Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist T.J. Hughes and Montreal Canadiens first-round pick Michael Hage.
Who Was The Last Team Out Of The NCAA Hockey Tournament?
Championship Saturday can be euphoric for some teams and tragic for others. The results of the day can impact far more than just the two teams playing in the game. Aside from teams that lost their conference championship games, a few would-be at-large teams saw their seasons end Saturday night.
The first team out of the NCAA tournament due to automatic qualifiers was Augustana. They needed wins from all the favorites in the conference championship games, but Merrimack upsetting UConn knocked the Vikings out of what would have been their first NCAA tournament.
Who Was The Last Team In The NCAA Men’s Tournament?
Aside from the automatic qualifiers from the conference tournaments, the last team to get into the tournament was actuall UConn. The Huskies lost the Hockey East Championship Game and would have been bounced from the tournament if Ohio State found a way to upset Michigan in the Big Ten Championship Game. UConn got the result it needed and punched its ticket to the tournament as the last team to know their fate.
Where Are The NCAA Regionals This Year?
The four NCAA men’s hockey regionals will be hosted at the following locations
- Sioux Falls, S.D. – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center: March 26-28
- Worcester, Mass. – DCU Center: March 26-28
- Albany, N.Y. – MVP Arena: March 27-29
- Loveland, Colo. – Blue Arena: March 27-29
Where is the 2026 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four?
Las Vegas will host the 2026 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four. It is that events first trip to Sin City. T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights will be the venue for the event which will run April 9 and 11.
Watch the AHL, ECHL, OHL, QMJHL, USHL And More On FloHockey
FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.
Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social
- Follow us on Twitter @FloHockey
- Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
- Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
- Watch us on YouTube
- Like us on Facebook