The path to the 2026 men’s Frozen Four has been set, with defending Big Ten champion Michigan given the No. 1 overall seed.
The Wolverines, who are looking for their first national championship since 1998, will make their 42nd NCAA Tournament appearance, tying Minnesota for the most all-time. The other three No. 1 seeds in the 16-team field are defending Big Ten regular season champion Michigan State, defending national champion Western Michigan and NCHC North Dakota.
The six winners of their conference tournaments earned automatic berths, with the next top 10 teams in the NPI rankings filling out the NCAA field. The four regional winners will advance to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas on April 9 and 11.
Every game of the men’s hockey tournament will air on ESPN networks and stream live on the ESPN app. The Frozen Four semifinals will air on ESPN2 and the finals will air on ESPN.
Below is the full tournament schedule and a look at each of the 16 teams in the field.
Schedule
Eastern all the time.
Worcester (Massachusetts) Regional
Semifinals, Thursday
No. 1 Michigan State vs. No. 4 UConn, 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Dartmouth vs. No. 3 Wisconsin, 5 p.m., ESPNU
last, saturday
Semifinal winner, time TBD
Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Regional
Semifinals, Thursday
No. 2 Providence vs. No. 3 Quinnipiac, 5 p.m., ESPN+
No. 1 North Dakota vs. No. 4 Merrimack, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
last, saturday
Semifinal winner, time TBD
Albany (New York) Regional
Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Bentley, 5:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 3 Penn State, 9 p.m., ESPN2
last, sunday
Semifinal winner, time TBD
Loveland (Colorado) Regional
Semifinals, Friday
No. 1 Western Michigan vs. No. 4 Minnesota State, 2:30 p.m. ESPNU
No. 2 Denver vs. No. 3 Cornell, 6 p.m., ESPN+
last, sunday
Semifinal winner, time TBD
frozen four
at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
National Semi-Finals, April 9
5 and 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
National Final, 11 April
5:30 pm, ESPN
Teams at a glance
NCAA Tournament entering records, statistics
Worcester Regional
No. 1 Michigan State
record: 25-8-2
NPI Ranking: 3
How did the Spartans get here: big bid
Last 10 games: 5-3-2 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten semifinals)
NCAA History: 30th appearance; Seeking a 12th Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2007). …third consecutive NCAA appearance after an 11-year absence. …lost to Cornell in the first round as the No. 1 seed in 2025.
Fast Facts: Michigan State’s roster includes four first-round NHL draft picks and 15 picks overall, the most among both tournament teams.
No. 2 Dartmouth
record: 23-7-4
NPI Ranking: 6
How Big Green got here: ECAC Champion
Last 10 games: 6-1-3 (defeated Princeton in ECAC final)
NCAA History: Fifth appearance; In search of a fifth Frozen Four and first national title. …First NCAA appearance since 1980.
Fast Facts: Sophomore Hayden Stavroff, an undrafted NHL free agent, leads the nation with 29 goals. He has seven goals and five assists in his last eight games.
No. 3 Wisconsin
record: 21-12-2
NPI Ranking: 12
How did the Badgers get here: big quote
Last 10 games: 6–4 (lost to Ohio State in Big Ten quarterfinals)
NCAA History: 29th appearance; Seeking a 13th Frozen Four and seventh national title (last won in 2006). …to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons under coach Mike Hastings.
Fast Facts: Wisconsin has had a bit of an up-and-down season, starting 14-2-2 and finishing 6-2 but going 2-7 in between. The Badgers lost 7-1 to Ohio State last time out in the Big Ten Tournament.
No. 4 UConn
record: 20-12-5
NPI Ranking: 14
How the Huskies got here: big quote
Last 10 games: 3-5-2 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East final)
NCAA History: second appearance; In search of a first Frozen Four and first national title. … Recorded the program’s first NCAA win last year, defeating Quinnipiac in the first round before losing to Penn State in the regional finals.
Fast Facts: UConn bounced back from a 1-4-2 regular season finish to advance to the Hockey East final, then made the NCAA field as the final at-large team.
Albany Regional
number 1 michigan
record: 29-7-1
NPI Ranking: 1
How Wolverine got here: Big Ten Champion
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (defeated Ohio State in Big Ten finals)
NCAA History: 42nd presentation; Seeking 29th Frozen Four appearance and 10th national title (last won in 1998). … bowed out of the tournament last year after four consecutive appearances.
Fast Facts: Michigan is the highest-scoring team in the country (4.57 goals per game) and has the best power play (31% conversion rate). The Wolverines converted two of three chances in the Big Ten final against Ohio State.
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth
record: 23-14-1
NPI Ranking: 8
How the Bulldogs Got Here: big quote
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (lost to Denver in NCHC finals)
NCAA History: 16th presentation; Looking for a ninth Frozen Four and fourth national title (last won in 2019). …First NCAA appearance – and first winning season – since 2022. …Had played eight consecutive tournaments before this.
Fast Facts: The Bulldogs’ special teams are just that: They rank second nationally in power-play conversions (29.9%) and third in penalty killing (89.3%).
No. 3 Penn State
record: 21-13-2
NPI Ranking: 9
How to get to the Nittany Lions: big quote
Last 10 games: 3–5–2 (lost to Michigan in Big Ten semifinals)
NCAA History: Sixth appearance; In search of a second Frozen Four and first national title. … Defeated 1-seed Maine and 2-seed UConn in the 2025 regional before losing to Boston University in the national semifinals. …All six NCAA appearances have come in the last 10 years.
Fast Facts: Highly touted freshman Gavin McKenna, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NHL draft, is second in the country in scoring with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 34 games.
number 4 bentley
record: 23-11-5
NPI Ranking: 23
How the Falcons got here: atlantic hockey champion
Last 10 games: 7-3 (defeated St. Thomas in Atlantic final)
NCAA History: second appearance; In search of a first Frozen Four and first national title. … Lost to top overall seed Boston College 3-1 in last year’s tournament.
Fast Facts: Bentley has not lost in nine overtime games this season (4-0-5).
Sioux Falls Regional
No. 1 North Dakota
record: 27-9-1
NPI Ranking: 2
How to get to Fighting Hawks: big bid
Last 10 games: 7–2–1 (lost to Minnesota Duluth in NCHC semi-finals)
NCAA History: 36th appearance; Seeking a 23rd Frozen Four and ninth national title (last won in 2016). … Fifth NCAA appearance in the last seven years.
Fast Facts: North Dakota has only two regulation losses since November 28: 3–2 against Denver on January 17 and 5–1 against Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Tournament.
Number 2 Providence
record: 23-10-2
NPI Ranking: 7
How the ascetic reached here: big quote
Last 10 games: 7-3-0 (lost to Merrimack in Hockey East quarterfinals)
NCAA History: 17th presentation; Looking for sixth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2015). …lost to Denver in the first round as a 2-seed in the 2025 tournament. …Second consecutive NCAA appearance after a five-year absence.
Fast Facts: The Friars won their first regular season Hockey East title, improving their schedule to 14–2 before losing 3–2 to No. 8 seed Merrimack in overtime in the conference quarterfinals.
No. 3 Quinnipiac
record: 26-9-3
NPI Ranking: 10
How the Bobcats got here: big bid
Last 10 games: 6-4 (lost to Clarkson in ECAC quarterfinals)
NCAA History: 12th presentation; Looking for a fourth Frozen Four and second national title (won in 2023). … Lost to UConn in first round of 2025 tournament. … Sixth consecutive NCAA appearance and 11th in 14 seasons.
Fast Facts: Freshman Ethan Wittenbach, 19, leads the NCAA with 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 38 games. He was selected in the fifth round of the Calgary Flames in last year’s NHL draft.
No. 4 Merrimack
record: 21-15-2
NPI Ranking: 19
How the warriors got here: hockey east champion
Last 10 games: 6-3-1 (defeated UConn in Hockey East final)
NCAA History: Fourth appearance; Looking for the first Frozen Four appearance. …First NCAA bid since 2023 (lost in first round to Quinnipiac).
Fast Facts: Second-year goaltender Max Lundgren leads the nation with 1,109 saves (.920 percentage). He made a career-high 49 stops in the Warriors’ victory over UConn in the Hockey East championship game, including 22 in the third period.
Loveland Regional
No. 1 Western Michigan
record: 26-10-1
NPI Ranking: 4
How the Broncos got here: big quote
Last 10 games: 7–2–1 (lost to Denver in NCHC semi-finals)
NCAA History: 11th presentation; In search of another Frozen Four and another national title (won last year). …defeated Denver in the national semifinals and Boston University in the 2025 championship game.
Fast Facts: Western Michigan faced one of the toughest schedules in the country, going 9–6 against ranked opponents.
number 2 denver
record: 25-11-3
NPI Ranking: 5
How the Pioneers Got Here: NCHC Champion
Last 10 games: 9-0-1 (defeated Minnesota Duluth in NCHC final)
NCAA History: 34th appearance; Seeking a 20th Frozen Four and 11th national title (last won in 2024). …defeated No. 1 overall seed Boston College in the regional finals last year before losing to Western Michigan in the national semifinals. … Has reached the Frozen Four in three of the last four seasons.
Fast Facts: No one is better than the Pioneers, who extended their unbeaten streak to 13 (12-0-1) in winning the NCHC championship with a 4-3 double-overtime win over Minnesota Duluth.
No. 3 Cornell
record: 22-10-1
NPI Ranking: 11
How Big Red got here: big bid
Last 10 games: 5-4-1 (lost to Princeton in ECAC semifinals)
NCAA History: 26th presentation; Seeking a ninth Frozen Four and third national title (last won in 1970). … Defeated No. 1-seeded Michigan State in the first round last year before losing to Boston University in the regional finals. … Has made eight of the last nine tournaments, with first-year coach Casey Jones picking up where longtime coach Mike Schaefer left off.
Fast Facts: Cornell has one of the stingiest defense in the country, allowing 1.94 goals per game.
No. 4 Minnesota State
record: 22-10-7
NPI Ranking: 13
How the Mavericks got here: CCHA Champion
Last 10 games: 6-2-2 (defeated St. Thomas in CCHA final)
NCAA History: 12th appearance; In search of a third Frozen Four and first national title. …Eighth tournament appearance in the last nine years. … Lost to eventual national champion Western Michigan in double overtime in the first round of last year’s tournament.
Fast Facts: The Mavericks are in the tournament for the second consecutive year under Luke Strand after taking the field in nine of 11 seasons under Mike Hastings, who left as Wisconsin’s coach after the 2020-21 season.
