2026 NCAA males’s hockey event bubble watch
With selection day for the NCAA men’s hockey tournament less than a month away, it’s time to look at the contenders for the field of 16, from teams on the bubble to those playing for No. 1 seeds.
Six automatic bids to the NCAA tournament will be awarded to the winners of the six conference tournaments, with championship games scheduled for March 20 and 21. Ten more teams will earn at-large spots determined by the NPI formula, which replaces the PairWise rankings this season. Every game can impact the NPI rankings, which factor in strength of schedule, home/road splits and overtime results.
Once the NCAA field is set, the four regional brackets will be announced 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 be held April 9 and 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Every game of the NCAA tournament, 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, team records through games of Feb. 21.
Frozen Four or bust
Michigan State and Michigan have been at or near the top of the rankings all season as the top teams in the best conference in the country. North Dakota and Western Michigan are not far behind as their counterparts in the always-rugged NCHC — they square off for a pair of games this weekend that will determine the regular-season champ.
No. 1 Michigan State
Record: 24-6-0, 15-5-0 Big Ten
Key results: The Spartans have won nine of their last 10 games, including a 5-2 win over Michigan on Feb. 7. Their only loss in that stretch was in overtime to the Wolverines, 4-3, on Feb. 6.
Remaining schedule: vs. Ohio State on Friday, Saturday; at Minnesota March 5-6
No. 2 Michigan
Record: 25-6-1, 16-5-1 Big Ten
Key results: Michigan bounced back from a 4-1 Friday night loss at Wisconsin with a 3-1 win for a weekend split. The Wolverines took five of six points in a weekend series with Penn State on Feb. 13-14 and split four meetings with Michigan State on the season.
Remaining schedule: vs. Minnesota on Thursday, Friday
No. 3 North Dakota
Record: 24-7-1, 16-5-1 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: at Western Michigan on Friday, Saturday
No. 4 Western Michigan
Record: 23-8-1, 15-6-1 NCHC
Key results: The defending national champs are 13-2-1 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: vs. North Dakota on Friday, Saturday
Rock-solid
The five teams in this tier should be sure to keep their calendars clear for the last weekend of March. It is hard to craft scenarios where they miss the NCAA tournament.
No. 5 Penn State
Record: 20-9-1, 12-7-1 Big Ten
Key results: Penn State showed how dangerous it can be with an 11-4 win over Ohio State on Friday, behind a goal and seven assists from freshman phenom Gavin McKenna. The Nittany Lions are 19-3-0 against teams not named Michigan and Michigan State, but 1-6-1 against the Big Ten’s two top teams. Two of those losses came in overtime, but Penn State needs to show it can beat the best.
Remaining schedule: at Notre Dame on Friday, Saturday; vs. Wisconsin March 5-6
No. 6 Providence
Record: 21-8-2, 16-4-1 Hockey East
Key results: The Friars have won 12 of their last 13 games, the lone loss coming Feb. 13 against Northeastern. The run includes wins over ranked conference foes Maine, Boston University and Boston College.
Remaining schedule: vs. New Hampshire on Friday; at New Hampshire on Saturday; vs. UConn March 7
No. 7 Quinnipiac
Record: 25-6-3, 16-3-1 ECAC
Key results: Prior to Friday’s loss to Cornell, the Bobcats had been 12-1-1 since the calendar flipped to 2026, outscoring their opponents 78-22 over that span.
Remaining schedule: at Dartmouth on Friday; at Harvard on Saturday
No. 8 Minnesota Duluth
Record: 20-12-0, 11-11-0 NCHC
Key results: The Bulldogs bounced back with a road sweep at Miami (Ohio) after a tough stretch of their schedule in which they dropped five of six against Western Michigan, Denver and North Dakota. UMD has wins over Western Michigan and NoDak (two) on its résumé.
Remaining schedule: vs. Colorado College on Friday, Saturday
No. 9 Denver
Record: 19-11-3, 15-6-1 NCHC
Key results: Denver is unbeaten in its past seven games (6-0-1), including a two-game sweep of Minnesota Duluth. The Pios have rebounded after opening January with a 1-5-1 stretch against Maine, Western Michigan and North Dakota.
Remaining schedule: vs. Arizona State on Friday, Saturday
Looking good
These four teams are in good shape to make the field, but they can’t be complacent. A sloppy finish to the regular season would crank up the pressure come conference tournament time.
No. 10 Cornell
Record: 18-8-1, 13-6-1 ECAC
Key results: The Big Red posted their best win of the season with a 6-1 rout at Quinnipiac on Friday, but couldn’t sustain their momentum, losing at Princeton the following night. Cornell is 1-3-1 in its last five games.
Remaining schedule: vs. St. Lawrence on Friday; vs. Clarkson on Saturday
No. 11 Dartmouth
Record: 18-7-3, 12-5-3 ECAC
Key results: Dartmouth’s place in the NCAA field is on the strength of its 11-0 start. The Big Green have been .500 since, but have a chance to boost their standing when Quinnipiac comes to town.
Remaining schedule: vs. Quinnipiac on Friday; vs. Princeton on Saturday
No. 12 Boston College
Record: 19-10-1, 13-7-0 Hockey East
Key results: The Eagles leapfrogged UConn in the Hockey East standings and the NPI rankings after a weekend home-and-home sweep, solidifying their at-large status. BC fans already are smiling after their team’s 6-2 win over Boston University for the program’s first Beanpot title in 10 years.
Remaining schedule: at Boston University on Friday; vs. BU on Saturday; at UMass March 5; vs. Northeastern March 7
No. 13 Wisconsin
Record: 19-11-2, 12-10-0 Big Ten
Key results: Wisconsin gave its at-large hopes a big boost with a 4-1 win over Michigan on Friday. (The Wolverines gained a split for the weekend.) The Badgers got off to a fantastic start this season, with a win at Michigan and two at Michigan State, and were No. 3 in NPI at the start of 2026. But six straight losses in January knocked them back to the pack.
Remaining schedule: at Penn State on Friday, Saturday
In the field — for now
The cutline in the NPI rankings for making the NCAA field figures to be at No. 15, as the Atlantic champ will earn an automatic bid and claim the 16th seed. For now, these teams are on the right side of the bubble, but that could change with any slip-ups.
No. 14 UConn
Record: 17-9-4, 11-7-2 Hockey East
Key results: UConn dropped both ends of a home-and-home against Boston College, costing them two spots in the NPI rankings. A big set with UMass is up next, and the Huskies close the regular season at Providence, so they must remain sharp.
Remaining schedule: vs. UMass on Friday; at UMass on Saturday; vs. New Hampshire March 5; at Providence March 7
No. 15 St. Thomas
Record: 18-10-4, 15-6-3 CCHA
Key results: St. Thomas pulled just one point in the CCHA standings from a two-game set at Augustana over the weekend and is 1-3-1 in its last five games. The Tommies had won 11 in a row before that, but they need to right the ship as it’s looking as if the CCHA could be limited to one bid.
Remaining schedule: at Bemidji State on Friday, Saturday
Bentley/Atlantic champ
Record: 18-9-5, 16-4-4 Atlantic; No. 25 in NPI
Key results: The 16th spot in the NCAA field most likely will be filled by the Atlantic Hockey champion, with Bentley clinching the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. The Falcons’ best weekend of the season, based on NPI, was taking five of six points against Princeton (currently No. 27) in late January.
Remaining schedule: vs. Air Force on Friday, Saturday
Work to do
No one in this tier really separated themselves from the group this past weekend, with three of the teams in the CCHA’s logjam. Augustana had a great weekend against St. Thomas, but it’s done for the regular season. The at-large hopes aren’t great for anyone here, but we’re saying there’s a chance — and there’s always the conference tournament to fall back on.
Minnesota State
Record: 17-9-6, 13-7-4 CCHA; No. 16 in NPI
Key results: The Mustangs are 6-5-1 in 2026, going 1-3 against fellow CCHA bubble teams St. Thomas, Michigan Tech and Augustana in that stretch.
Remaining schedule: vs. Northern Michigan on Friday, Saturday
Augustana
Record: 20-10-4, 14-8-4 CCHA; No. 17 in NPI
Key results: The Vikings, who await their opponent in a best-of-three CCHA quarterfinal series, have to feel good after a five-point sweep at St. Thomas. Augustana had dropped three of four after going 9-1 in January.
Remaining schedule: Regular season over
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 hottest of the CCHA contenders.
Remaining schedule: vs. Bowling Green on Friday, Saturday
UMass
Record: 18-12-0, 11-9-0 Hockey East; No. 19 in NPI
Key results: A weekend split with New Hampshire did not help the Minutemen’s at-large hopes, but the schedule could work in their favor. UMass has two games against UConn and one against Boston College ahead to potentially boost its résumé.
Remaining schedule: at UConn on Friday; vs. UConn on Saturday; vs. Boston College March 5; at New Hampshire March 7