With about a month to go until selection day for the NCAA men's hockey tournament, it's time to look at the contenders for the field of 16, from the teams on the bubble to those playing for the top spots.
Six automatic NCAA Tournament bids will be awarded to the winners of the conference's six tournaments, with championship games scheduled for March 20-21. Ten more teams will earn at-large spots determined by the NPI formula, which replaces PairWise rankings this season. Each game can affect NPI ratings, which take into account strength of schedule, home and road splits and overtime results.
Once the NCAA field is set, the four regional groups will be announced on March 22. Regional games will be played March 26-29; The sites are Albany, New York; Loveland, Colorado; Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Worcester, Massachusetts. The Frozen Four will take place April 9 and 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All NCAA Tournament games and the selection show will be available on ESPN networks and the ESPN app.
Here's a look at the NCAA contenders, listed with their NPI rankings, key results and remaining regular season schedules.
NPI rankings as of February 20.
Frozen Four or bust
Michigan State and Michigan have been at or near the top of the standings all season as the best teams in the best conference in the country. North Dakota and Western Michigan are no slouch as their counterparts in the ever-resilient NCHC.
No. 1 in the state of Michigan
Record: 23-6-0, 14-5-0 Big Ten
Key results: The Spartans have won six of their last seven games, including a 5-2 victory over Michigan on February 7. Michigan State lost 4-3 in overtime at Michigan on February 6.
Remaining schedule: against Notre Dame on Friday; vs. Ohio State Feb. 27-28; in Minnesota March 5-6
No. 2 Michigan
Record: 24-5-1, 15-4-1 Big Ten
Key results: The Wolverines took five of six points in a weekend series against Penn State on Feb. 13-14 and split four meetings with Michigan State on the season.
Remaining schedule: in Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday; vs. Minnesota Feb. 26-27
No. 3 North Dakota
Record: 23-7-0, 15-5-0 NCHC
Key results: NoDak is 8-4 against ranked teams this season, splitting four games with Minnesota Duluth and a pair against Denver in January.
Remaining schedule: against St. Cloud State on Friday and Saturday; in West Michigan Feb. 27-28
No. 4 Western Michigan
Record: 22-8-0, 14-6-0 NCHC
Key results: The defending national champions are 12-2 since Christmas, including wins over Boston College and Wisconsin in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off and a two-game sweep at Denver.
Remaining schedule: at Colorado College on Friday and Saturday; vs. North Dakota Feb. 27-28
Solid as a rock
All four teams at this level should make sure to keep their schedules clean for the final weekend of March. It's hard to imagine scenarios in which they miss the NCAA tournament.
No. 5 Penn State
Record: 18-9-1, 10-7-1 Big Ten
Key results: The Nittany Lions are 17-3-0 against teams not named Michigan and Michigan State, but 1-6-1 against the Big Ten's two best teams. Two of those losses came in overtime, but Penn State needs to prove it can beat the best.
Remaining schedule: against Ohio State on Friday and Saturday; at Notre Dame from February 27 to 28; vs. Wisconsin March 5-6
No. 6 Quinnipiac
Record: 24-5-3, 15-2-1 ECSC
Key results: The Bobcats are 12-1-1 since the calendar flipped to 2026, with the only loss coming to UConn. Quinnipiac has outscored its opponents 78-22 in that span. The only question for the Bobcats is the strength of their schedule, which ranks 47th.
Remaining schedule: against Cornell on Friday; against Colgate on Saturday; at Dartmouth on February 27; at Harvard on February 28
No. 7 Providence
Record: 19-8-2, 14-4-1 Hockey East
Key results: The Friars had a nine-game winning streak snapped Feb. 13 against Northeastern. The race included wins over ranked conference foes Maine, Boston University and Boston College.
Remaining schedule: in Vermont on Friday and Saturday; against New Hampshire on February 27; in New Hampshire on February 28; against UConn on March 7
Number 8 Denver
Record: 19-11-3, 15-6-1 NCHC
Key results: Denver is undefeated in its last seven games (6-0-1), including a two-game sweep of Minnesota Duluth. The Pios have bounced back after opening January with a 1-5-1 run against Maine, Western Michigan and North Dakota.
Remaining schedule: vs. Arizona State Feb. 27-28
looking good
These four teams are in good shape to enter the field, but they cannot be satisfied. A sloppy finish to the regular season would add to the pressure come conference tournament time.
No. 9 Minnesota Duluth
Record: 18-12-0, 9-11-0 NCHC
Key results: The Bulldogs are coming off a tough stretch of their schedule, losing five of six against Western Michigan, Denver and North Dakota. Still, UMD has wins over Western Michigan and NoDak (two) on its resume.
Remaining schedule: in Miami (Ohio) on Friday, Saturday; vs. Colorado College Feb. 27-28
No. 10 Cornell
Record: 17-7-1, 12-5-1 CEAC
Key results: The Big Red were on a roll, winning 11 of 12, before going 0-2-1 in their last three games. Cornell gave up an average of two goals per game during its hot streak.
Remaining schedule: at Quinnipiac on Friday; in Princeton on Saturday; vs. St. Lawrence on Feb. 27; vs. Clarkson February 28
No. 11 Dartmouth
Record: 17-7-2, 11-5-2 ECSC
Key results: Dartmouth's place in the NCAA field is due to its 11-0 start. The Big Green have been below .500 since then, but have a chance to improve their standing when Quinnipiac comes to town.
Remaining schedule: at RPI on Friday; in Union on Saturday; against Quinnipiac on February 27; vs. Princeton February 28
No. 12 University of Connecticut
Record: 17-7-4, 11-5-2 Hockey East
Key results: The Huskies won five of six points at Maine on Feb. 13 and 14, and beat Quinnipiac on Jan. 24, putting them in a strong position to make the NCAA field. The rest of their schedule includes five games against Hockey East's top four teams, so they need to stay on their toes.
Remaining schedule: at Boston College on Friday; against Boston College on Saturday; against UMass on February 27; at UMass on February 28; vs. New Hampshire on March 5; in Providencia on March 7
In the field… for now
The cut line in the NPI rankings to make the NCAA field sits at No. 15, as the Atlantic champion will earn an automatic bid and claim No. 16. As of Feb. 19, these teams are on the right side of the bubble, but that could change if any mistakes are made.
No. 13 Saint Thomas
Record: 18-9-3, 15-5-2 CCHA
Key results: St. Thomas went on an 11-game winning streak before losing two of its last three games. The Tommies don't have a huge margin for error, as there's a chance the CCHA will be limited to one offer.
Remaining schedule: vs. Augustana on Friday, Saturday; at Bemidji State February 27-28
No. 14 Boston College
Record: 17-10-1, 11-7-0 Hockey East
Key results: The biggest result to date for Eagles fans was BC's victory over Boston University for the program's first Beanpot title in 10 years. Overall, the Eagles' season has been a bit uneven, but they have opportunities to solidify their status.
Remaining schedule: against UConn on Friday; at UConn on Saturday; at Boston University on February 27; vs. BU on Feb. 28; at UMass on March 5; against Northeast on March 7
No. 15 Wisconsin
Record: 18-10-2, 11-9-0 Big Ten
Key results: The Badgers are off to a fantastic start this season, splitting two games at Michigan and winning twice at Michigan State, and were No. 3 in NPI entering 2026. But six straight losses in January, plus a brutal final stretch in the regular season, have Wisconsin in a precarious situation.
Remaining schedule: against Michigan on Friday and Saturday; at Penn State March 5-6
Bentley/Atlantic Champion
Record: 17-9-5, 15-4-4 Atlantic; No. 28 in NPI
Key results: The 16th seed in the NCAA field will likely go to the Atlantic Hockey champion, with Bentley closing in on the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. The Falcons' best weekend of the season, according to NPI, was taking five of six points against Princeton (currently No. 32) in late January.
Remaining schedule: at RIT on Friday; against the Air Force from February 27 to 28
work to do
Teams at this level have between an 18% and 23% chance of making the NCAA field as an automatic qualifier or at-large team, according to projections from collegehockeynews.com. Four of these teams are in the CCHA stalemate, where the head-to-head matchups will be huge. Overall hopes aren't high, but we say there's a chance, and there's always the conference tournament to fall back on.
State of Minnesota
Record: 16-9-5, 12-7-3 CCHA; No. 16 in NPI
Key results: The Mustangs are 5-5 in 2026, going 1-3 against other CCHA bubble teams St. Thomas, Michigan Tech and Augustana in that stretch.
Remaining schedule: in Bowling Green on Friday and Saturday; vs. Northern Michigan Feb. 27-28
Augustana
Record: 19-10-3, 13-8-3 CCHA; No. 17 in NPI
Key results: After going 9-1 in January, the Vikings are 1-3 in February with a two-game set at St. Thomas sure to play a key role in their NCAA hopes.
Remaining schedule: in St. Thomas on Friday, Saturday
Michigan Tech
Record: 21-10-3, 16-5-3 CCHA; No. 18 in NPI
Key results: At 9-2-1 since Jan. 9, the Huskies are the top contenders in the CCHA.
Remaining schedule: against Bowling Green on February 27-28
Bowling green
Record: 16-8-6, 13-6-3 CCHA; #19 in NPI
Key results: In addition to fending off the CCHA's best, the Falcons went 1-0-1 against Ohio State and 2-0 against Princeton.
Remaining schedule: against Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday; at Michigan Tech Feb. 27-28
University of Massachusetts
Record: 17-11-0, 10-8-0 Hockey East; No. 20 in NPI
Key results: After a slow start to the season, the Minutemen have won eight of their last nine games. They have a chance to move up in NPI with two games against UConn and one against Boston College.
Remaining schedule: against New Hampshire on Friday; in New Hampshire on Saturday; at UConn on Feb. 27; vs. UConn on Feb. 28; against Boston College on March 5; in New Hampshire on March 7
