While the importance of the NCAA in the general hockey landscape has increased in recent years, the coming season will take the college circuit to a much higher level of visibility.
With the NCAA changing a rule last November to allow CHL players starting this season, U.S. college hockey suddenly has much more star power.
With top 2026 NHL Draft prospects Gavin McKenna (Penn State, Medicine Hat Tigers) and Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota, Victoria Royals) changing leagues for their draft year and other recent top NHL picks like Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers, Michigan State, Brampton Steelheads) and Roger McQueen (Anaheim Ducks, Providence College, Brandon Wheat Kings) making similar moves, the NCAA figures to attract a bunch of new eyes in 2025-26.
College Hockey Inc. says 174 ex-CHLers will compete in the NCAA this season. The college circuit also has 18 NHL first-round picks.
“College hockey was already really good and now it’s going to be even better. Our player pool, our prospect pool doubled with the entire CHL becoming available to us,” Arizona State coach Greg Powers told reporters recently.
“…We think there’s no doubt we’re better than we’ve ever been, we’re deeper than we’ve ever been, but so is everybody else.”
Because it has taken a back seat to the CHL for most Canadian hockey fans until now, it’s a good time to catch up on how NCAA hockey works, as well as examine the top storylines.
The season kicks off Friday, with Arizona State hosting McKenna and Penn State in the marquee game (10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT). Other interesting games on the opening-night docket include Quinnipiac versus Boston College and UConn against Colorado College.
Here’s a look at what’s in store in NCAA rinks in 2025-26.
There are six conferences for 63 teams, though five teams are independents — Alaska, Alaska Anchorage, Lindenwood, Long Island and Stoenhill.
The winners of the championship tournaments for Atlantic Hockey America, the Big Ten, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference get automatic bids in the 16-team NCAA hockey championship tournament. The other 10 spots are filled by at-large teams.
Most teams play non-conference games the first two weeks of the season before entering the conference grind.
The schedule is much shorter than the CHL. Reigning national champion Western Michigan played 42 overall games last season, significantly less than a 68-game OHL regular season.
Las Vegas hosts the 2026 Frozen Four, April 9-11. Albany, N.Y., Loveland, Colo, Sioux Falls, S.D., and Worcester, Mass., host tournament regionals to determine the Frozen Four entrants.
Additionally, this year, a United States Collegiate Select team will participate at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland over Christmas. Penn State’s Guy Gadowsky will coach the team.
Western Michigan won the national crown last season.
Denver, with prized young coach David Carle, captured the title in 2022 and ’24. UMass (2021) and Quinnipiac (2023) are the other winners this decade.
While the NCAA remains an older league than the CHL, some top younger players like 17-year-olds McKenna and Verhoeff are going to take their shots at the new level.
The thinking for some players could be that playing against older foes could make them more pro-ready.
The majority of the 150-plus CHLers changing leagues are either aged out of major-junior or overagers, but it’s not the case across the board.
Just like before the rule change, there’s nothing stopping an NCAA hockey player from now changing plans mid-season and going to the CHL.
It’s also worth noting that in recent years, almost no first-round picks in the NHL have been dominant players in the Frozen Four. A look at the list of most outstanding players in the tournament does not include many notable NHL stars.
Western Michigan plays in the shadow of the Big Ten’s Michigan and Michigan State in many ways, but it was the Broncos who ultimately emerged victorious last season.
Will things change with NIL money drawing bigger names to the NCAA’s bigger teams? It seems likely, but we’ll need a few years to see what patterns emerge.
Teams and players to watch
Among the long list of CHLers taking their talents to the NCAA, McKenna is the clear headliner. After taking the Medicine Hat Tigers to the Memorial Cup final last season, he hopes to go a step further with reigning Frozen Four semifinalist Penn State. He’s joined at the Big Ten school by Columbus Blue Jackets first-round pick Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans) and Calgary Flames prospect Luka Misa (Brampton Steelheads).
The longtime hockey power added Verhoeff and fellow former Victoria Royals star Cole Reschny, a Flames first-round pick, and Bruins prospect Will Zellers (USHL).
Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick Porter Martone (Brampton Steelheads) joins McKenna’s old Medicine Hat teammate and Columbus first-rounder Cayden Lindstrom in East Lansing. The Spartans also have a top goaltender in Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine.
Penn State will host Michigan State in an outdoor game at the massive Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31, 2026.
Another Big Ten team that has dipped heavily into the CHL recruiting waters. Goaltender and Nashville Predators prospect Jack Ivankovic (Brampton Steelheads) and Flames prospect Henry Mews (Sudbury Wolves) are two of the notable newcomers, along with 2026 NHL Draft prospect Adam Valentini, who decided against playing for the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers. The Wolverines also have a top Montreal Canadiens prospect in second-year centre Michael Hage, along with an ex-Habs captain (Max Pacioretty) as the special assistant to the head coach.
Reigning NCAA rookie of the year Cole Hutson, brother of Lane and a Washington Capitals prospect, is part of the reigning national finalists. Swedish Winnipeg Jets prospect Sascha Boumedienne, New York Islanders first-rounder Cole Eiserman and Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie (Medicine Hat Tigers) are three of the other key players. Boston has an NCAA-leading 19 NHL draft picks on its roster.
James Hagens may have something to prove in his second season after falling to No. 7 in this year’s NHL Draft by, wouldn’t you know it, the Bruins. Second-round Bruins pick Will Moore will play alongside Hagens at college this year.
Flames first-rounder Cullen Potter leads the Sun Devils. Braxton Whitehead (Regina Pats) was the first CHL player to commit to an NCAA team last year, announcing the move even before the rules were officially changed.
They may not have the same amount of high-end NHL prospects as other teams, but they were champions for a reason. Returning and undrafted forward Owen Michaels was named the top player at last season’s Frozen Four. Returning goalie Hampton Slukynsky (Los Angeles Kings) gives the team a top man in net. The Broncos are ranked No. 1 in both pre-season polls.
Senators fans will be keeping an eye on first-round pick and second-year Badgers defenceman Logan Hensler and fourth-round pick and first-year forward Blake Montgomery. Freshman goalie Daniel Hauser posted four shutouts in a row for the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen last season.
The Mavericks have taken a unique approach to recruiting, grabbing seven players from the Canadian university ranks, including reigning U Sports rookie of the year Sean Tschigerl (University of Alberta, Calgary Hitmen, Lethbridge Hurricanes). Many U Sports players wouldn’t have been available before the rule change due to their previous CHL time. Omaha coach Mike Gabinet previously coached at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).
You might recognize the last names of Bowling Green forward Jackson Niedermayer and defenceman Jack Blake. Their fathers, Scott and Rob, might have done a good thing or two in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Mike Richter’s son, Will, plays for Yale, while Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis has two sons, Lucas (Harvard) and Ryan (Brown), in the NCAA ranks.
