2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
| 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip will host the 2026 Frozen Four. | |||||
| Duration | October 3, 2025– April 10, 2026 | ||||
| NCAA tournament | 2026 | ||||
| National championship | T-Mobile Arena Las Vegas, Nevada | ||||
| |||||
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 from 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 | Western Michigan | Wisconsin |
| Great Lakes Invitational | December 28–29, 2025 | Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, Michigan) |
4 | Michigan State | Michigan Tech |
| Coachella Valley Cactus Cup | January 2–3, 2026 | Acrisure Arena (Thousand Palms, California) |
4 | St. Cloud State | Massachusetts Lowell |
| Desert Hockey Classic | January 2–3, 2026 | Mullett Arena (Tempe, Arizona) |
4 | Arizona State | Air Force |
| Connecticut Ice | January 23–24, 2026 | Ingalls Rink (New Haven, Connecticut) |
4 | Connecticut | Quinnipiac |
| Beanpot | February 2, 9 2026 | TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts) |
4 | Boston College | Boston University |
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 Michigan | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 90 | 60 | 32 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 145 | 76 | ||
| #1 Michigan State | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 74 | 42 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 115 | 59 | ||
| #6 Penn State | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 75 | 63 | 30 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 116 | 88 | ||
| #13 Wisconsin | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 83 | 79 | 32 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 117 | 96 | ||
| Ohio State | 20 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 23 | 63 | 87 | 30 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 91 | 111 | ||
| Minnesota | 20 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 51 | 63 | 31 | 10 | 19 | 2 | 85 | 103 | ||
| Notre Dame | 20 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 49 | 91 | 32 | 6 | 22 | 4 | 86 | 132 | ||
| Championship: March 21, 2026 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated February 21, 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 | ||
| #18 Augustana | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 14 | ||
| #16 Michigan Tech | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 24 | ||
| #17 Minnesota State | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 18 | ||
| #15 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 | |||
| #14 Dartmouth | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 28 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 16 | ||
| #11 Cornell | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 29 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 19 | ||
| Harvard | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 30 | ||
| Princeton | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 27 | ||
| Colgate | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 27 | 25 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 48 | 61 | ||
| #5 Quinnipiac | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 64 | 43 | ||
| Union | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 72 | 39 | ||
| Clarkson | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 49 | 57 | ||
| Yale | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 24 | 40 | ||
| Brown | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 32 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 32 | ||
| Rensselaer | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 27 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 36 | 62 | ||
| St. Lawrence | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 40 | 18 | 2 | 15 | 1 | 38 | 79 | ||
| Championship: March 21, 2025 † indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated December 21, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #12 Boston College | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Boston University | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| #10 Connecticut | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Maine | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| #19 Massachusetts | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Massachusetts Lowell | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Merrimack | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| New Hampshire | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| Northeastern | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| #7 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 | |||
| #3 North Dakota | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 78 | 43 | 30 | 23 | 7 | 0 | 113 | 64 | ||
| #8 Denver | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 46 | 73 | 48 | 33 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 113 | 75 | ||
| #4 Western Michigan | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 79 | 56 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 0 | 117 | 74 | ||
| #9 Minnesota Duluth | 20 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 52 | 57 | 30 | 18 | 12 | 0 | 98 | 76 | ||
| St. Cloud State | 22 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 65 | 76 | 32 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 100 | 96 | ||
| #20 Miami | 20 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 50 | 58 | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 92 | 83 | ||
| Colorado College | 20 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 24 | 56 | 60 | 30 | 12 | 14 | 4 | 85 | 85 | ||
| Arizona State | 20 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 51 | 78 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 1 | 95 | 116 | ||
| Omaha | 20 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 43 | 71 | 30 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 77 | 104 | ||
| Championship: March 21, 2026 † indicates conference regular season champion (Penrose Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (National Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated February 16, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||
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.
| Rank | Team | NPI | SOS | QWB | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State | 59.888* | 52.565 | 1.115 | Big Ten |
| 2 | Michigan | 59.781* | 53.211 | 1.029 | Big Ten |
| 3 | North Dakota | 58.319* | 51.355 | 0.539 | NCHC |
| 4 | Western Michigan | 57.908 | 52.384 | 0.722 | NCHC |
| 5 | Penn State | 57.115 | 52.962 | 0.555 | Big Ten |
| 6 | Quinnipiac | 56.599 | 49.629 | 0.286 | ECAC Hockey |
| 7 | Providence | 56.461 | 52.252 | 0.479 | Hockey East |
| 8 | Denver | 56.001 | 52.589 | 0.666 | NCHC |
| 9 | Minnesota Duluth | 55.579 | 53.069 | 0.516 | NCHC |
| 10 | Cornell | 55.185 | 49.837 | 0.180 | ECAC Hockey |
| 11 | Dartmouth | 55.159 | 49.025 | 0.213 | ECAC Hockey |
| 12 | Connecticut | 55.032 | 51.237 | 0.320 | Hockey East |
| 13 | St. Thomas | 54.703 | 51.333 | 0.347 | CCHA |
| 14 | Boston College | 54.678 | 51.454 | 0.184 | Hockey East |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 54.538 | 52.696 | 0.513 | Big Ten |
| 16 | Minnesota State | 53.609 | 49.757 | 0.311 | CCHA |
| 17 | Augustana | 53.329 | 49.309 | 0.233 | CCHA |
| 18 | Michigan Tech | 53.238 | 49.198 | 0.222 | CCHA |
| 19 | Bowling Green | 53.127 | 49.066 | 0.247 | CCHA |
| 20 | Massachusetts | 52.958 | 51.092 | 0.230 | Hockey East |
| 21 | Miami | 52.928 | 51.823 | 0.225 | NCHC |
| 22 | St. Cloud State | 52.493 | 52.615 | 0.380 | NCHC |
| 23 | Harvard | 52.315 | 50.791 | 0.135 | ECAC Hockey |
| 24 | Merrimack | 52.314 | 51.224 | 0.237 | Hockey East |
| 25 | Union | 52.246 | 48.773 | 0.145 | ECAC Hockey |
| 26 | Maine | 52.107 | 52.322 | 0.417 | Hockey East |
| 27 | Ohio State | 51.948 | 53.321 | 0.432 | Big Ten |
| 28 | Bentley | 51.907 | 48.845 | 0.023 | AHA |
| 29 | Boston University | 51.775 | 52.800 | 0.371 | Hockey East |
| 30 | Northeastern | 51.572 | 51.857 | 0.391 | Hockey East |
| 31 | Colorado College | 51.552 | 52.638 | 0.385 | NCHC |
| 32 | Princeton | 51.431 | 49.589 | 0.137 | ECAC Hockey |
| 33 | RIT | 50.711 | 48.400 | 0.082 | AHA |
| 34 | Air Force | 50.473 | 49.665 | 0.119 | AHA |
| 35 | Long Island | 50.325 | 49.310 | 0.082 | Independent |
| 36 | New Hampshire | 50.288 | 52.464 | 0.389 | Hockey East |
| 37 | Arizona State | 50.245 | 53.999 | 0.442 | NCHC |
| 38 | Holy Cross | 50.210 | 49.707 | 0.073 | AHA |
| 39 | Sacred Heart | 50.183 | 49.337 | 0.047 | AHA |
| 40 | Lindenwood | 50.065 | 49.429 | 0.095 | Independent |
| 41 | Minnesota | 49.938 | 54.346 | 0.503 | Big Ten |
| 42 | Alaska | 49.658 | 51.362 | 0.343 | Independent |
| 43 | Omaha | 49.656 | 54.295 | 0.381 | NCHC |
| 44 | Clarkson | 49.646 | 51.078 | 0.426 | ECAC Hockey |
| 45 | Massachusetts Lowell | 49.486 | 51.576 | 0.256 | Hockey East |
| 46 | Canisius | 49.144 | 48.396 | 0 | AHA |
| 47 | Army | 49.043 | 49.603 | 0.074 | AHA |
| 48 | Colgate | 48.733 | 50.975 | 0.160 | ECAC Hockey |
| 49 | Bemidji State | 48.274 | 51.055 | 0.233 | CCHA |
| 50 | Vermont | 48.260 | 51.254 | 0.230 | Hockey East |
| 51 | Lake Superior State | 47.715 | 50.727 | 0.180 | CCHA |
| 52 | Notre Dame | 47.464 | 53.985 | 0.157 | Big Ten |
| 53 | Robert Morris | 47.437 | 49.493 | 0.006 | AHA |
| 54 | Yale | 46.178 | 51.397 | 0.170 | ECAC Hockey |
| 55 | Rensselaer | 45.995 | 50.944 | 0.105 | ECAC Hockey |
| 56 | Niagara | 45.688 | 49.065 | 0.079 | AHA |
| 57 | Ferris State | 44.978 | 52.390 | 0.222 | CCHA |
| 58 | Brown | 44.894 | 51.022 | 0.132 | ECAC Hockey |
| 59 | Stonehill | 44.357 | 49.604 | 0.041 | Independent |
| 60 | Alaska Anchorage | 43.447 | 50.095 | 0.092 | Independent |
| 61 | Northern Michigan | 43.391^ | 52.303 | 0.115 | CCHA |
| 62 | St. Lawrence | 42.607 | 50.042 | 0.006 | ECAC Hockey |
| 63 | Mercyhurst | 42.504^ | 50.743 | 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 February 16, 2026 | |||||
Player stats
Scoring leaders
| Player | Class | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Wyttenbach | Freshman | Quinnipiac | 32 | 21 | 30 | 51 | 14 |
| T. J. Hughes | Senior | Michigan | 30 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 20 |
| Michael Hage | Sophomore | Michigan | 30 | 12 | 30 | 42 | 10 |
| Max Plante | Sophomore | Minnesota Duluth | 30 | 20 | 21 | 41 | 17 |
| Stiven Sardarian | Senior | Michigan Tech | 32 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 26 |
| Tyson Gross | Junior | St. Cloud State | 32 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 26 |
| Charlie Stramel | Senior | Michigan State | 28 | 18 | 20 | 38 | 18 |
| Zam Plante | Sophomore | Minnesota Duluth | 30 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 2 |
| Cruz Lucius | Senior | Arizona State | 32 | 12 | 26 | 38 | 14 |
| Bennett Schimek | Junior | Arizona State | 31 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 14 |
As of February 16, 2026[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dylan Silverstein | Sophomore | Quinnipiac | 12 | 669:30 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 2 | .931 | 1.52 |
| Nicholas Bevilacqua | Sophomore | Bentley | 11 | 663:50 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 2 | .940 | 1.54 |
| Jan Špunar | Freshman | North Dakota | 19 | 1121:47 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 4 | .922 | 1.76 |
| Alex Tracy | Senior | Minnesota State | 29 | 1754:37 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 56 | 3 | .926 | 1.91 |
| Trey Augustine | Junior | Michigan State | 26 | 1563:46 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 3 | .932 | 1.96 |
| Emmett Croteau | Junior | Dartmouth | 16 | 966:05 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 1 | .918 | 1.99 |
| Jack Parsons | Freshman | Providence | 13 | 724:03 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 2 | .922 | 1.99 |
| Alexis Cournoyer | Freshman | Cornell | 20 | 1164:24 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 0 | .918 | 2.01 |
| Tyler Muszelik | Senior | UConn | 25 | 1492:44 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 50 | 3 | .935 | 2.01 |
| Josh Kotai | Junior | Augustana | 30 | 1810:04 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 62 | 4 | .935 | 2.06 |
As of February 16, 2026[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 | |
| December [14] | Forward of the Month | Brett Meerman, Augustana |
| Justin Poirier, Maine | ||
| Defender of the Month | Jake Livanavage, North Dakota | |
| Goaltender of the Month | Jack Ivankovic, Michigan | |
| Rookie of the Month | Anthony Romani, Michigan State | |
| January [15] | Forward of the Month | Jake Black, Bentley |
| Defender of the Month | Jack Anderson, Michigan Tech | |
| Goaltender of the Month | Michael Hrabal, Massachusetts | |
| Rookie of the Month | Josh Fleming, Penn State | |
| Jack Parsons, Providence |
See also
- 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season
- 2025–26 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
- 2025–26 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
References
- ^ "WHL's Braxton Whitehead commits to Arizona State, challenging NCAA rules". ESPN. September 12, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "CHL players to be eligible to play NCAA hockey beginning in 2025-26". NHL. November 7, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2025.
- ^ "American International to reclassify as Division II beginning with 2025-26 college hockey season". USCHO. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Tennessee State postpones men's hockey program launch to 2026-27 season". NHL. July 10, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Goodbye Pairwise, Hello NPI". College Hockey News. May 7, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Men's Division I NPI Rankings". Retrieved October 22, 2025.
- ^ "National 2025–26 Scoring Leaders". College Hockey inc. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ^ "National 2025-26 Goaltending Leaders". College Hockey inc. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ^ "Big Ten, Hockey East pace HCA men's hockey players of the month for October". USCHO.com. November 6, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Men's HCA December Honors Are Announced". Hockey Commissioners Association. January 8, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
- ^ "Men's HCA January Honors Feature Stingy Netminders". Hockey Commissioners Association. February 5, 2026. Retrieved February 10, 2026.