Road to the Championship

National Participation
There are 41 NCAA member institutions that sponsor Division I Men’s Ice Hockey teams and are eligible to compete in the National Championship. All 41 programs support more than 1,200 Men’s Ice Hockey student-athletes across the country.

Selection Process
The 2026 Division I Men’s Hockey Championship provides for a field of 16 teams to compete in a single elimination tournament. Of the 16 teams, six conference champions will receive automatic qualification with the remaining best 10 teams being selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee. A total of four teams will be seeded with each of the seeded teams being placed at one regional site.

Selection Show | March 22, 2026
The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 22.

Regionals | March 26-29, 2026
At each site, four teams will compete in single-elimination Regional Semifinal competition. The two winning teams will then compete against each other in single-elimination Regional Final competition at the same site. The winning team from each of the four Regionals will advance to the Men's Frozen Four in Las Vegas. 

Men's Frozen Four | April 9 & 11, 2026
The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The National Semifinals will be held on April 9, 2026.  The National Championship will take place on April 11, 2026.