25 Things to Know About the 2026 Frozen Four in College Hockey: Puck Drop

There are three general themes about the 2026 Frozen Four that will be talked abotu and referred nearly non-stop through the weekeend.

First, the four teams to qualify have won the most Frozen Four national championships, led by Denver with 10, and followed by Michigan (nine), North Dakota (eight) and Wisconsin (six). That's never happened before in college hockey.

Second, it's being hailed as an offensive showcase as all four are in the top 10 nationally in goals scored. Yes, the Wolverines led the nation in average goals per game at 4.56, but the other three teams are prolific as well: North Dakota 3.85 (third), Wisconsin 3.76 (ffith), and Denver 3.61 (ninth) — and that's despite playing in the two best conferences in college hockey this season, they'll all in the top 20 in strength of schedule.

Finally, the Frozen Four will be played in Las Vegas for the first time. T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL's Golden Knights, is located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, and nicknamed "The Fortress." But it's also the most Western location for the college hockey national championship since the first Frozen Four was played in Anaheim, Calif. in 1999 (more on that later).

Look for the city to go all out as this is the first in a championship run as Las Vegas will host the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship, the 2028 NCAA Men's Final Four and Super Bowl LXIII in 2029.

A couple of weeks ago we did 25 Things to Know About the 2026 NCAA Hockey Tournament. It's time for the Frozen Four edition:

Tournament Key: Don't Fall behind

Overall, the team scoring first in the NCAA Tournament is 10-2 (.833), and teams leading after the first period are 6-0. For the season, the teams are 81-3 when leading after the second period, with Michigan and North Dakota unbeaten (23-0 and 22-0, respectively). However, none of the teams have a winning record this season when trailing after the first period.

Coming in There's Head-to-Head Balance

None of the teams are above .500 in games against the other Frozen Four teams this season. None of them are below .500 either. Combined, they're 6-6.

The Longest Drought

Wisconsin hasn't been to the Frozen Four since 2010. North Dakota hasn't advanced this far since 2016. However, neither has gone the longest among the four teams in winning a national title. That would be top-seeded Michigan. The program with the most semifinal appearances (29) hasn't won the championship since 1998, the year before the name Frozen Four was used for the first time.

Is There a Goaltending Edge?

We've mentioned before that all four starting goaltenders are freshmen. Jan Špunar, North Dakota has yet to yield a goal in the tournament, as he has two shutouts, while Denver's Johnny Hicks has one. Want to take a guess at which of the four freshman goalies has made the least saves so far? It's Wisconsin's Daniel Hauser with 37. The other three have all made at least 50.

A Different Kind of Rebound

We mentioned this one before, but it's worth updating. By winning its regional Wisconsin moved above .500 in games played since Christmas Day, at 11-10. Michigan has the best record at 15-3-1 (.816), just ahead of North Dakota's 15-5-1 and Denver's 15-5-2.

Close Games Favor Big Ten Teams

Michigan and Wisconsin are the best at pulling out one-goal games, with the Wolverines a perfect 6-0 and the Badgers 8-2. Meanwhile, Denver is 7-6 and North Dakota just 5-5.

"I'm Sorry, You're from Where?"

Among the four teams and the locations of where the players are originally from, there are more players from California (five) than Wisconsin (four), Colorado (three), and North Dakota (two). Nine players hail from Michigan, but that's not the top state represented as 21 are from Minnesota.

"No Really, You're From Where?"

Other states represented include Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.

The Foreign Legion is Small

Michigan North Dakota Wisconsin all have 17 American players on their rosters. Denver has the most Canadians with 12. There are four players who are not originally from North America: Croatia (Bruno Idžan, UW), Czechia (Jan Špunar, UND), Finland (Samu Salminen, DU) and Russia (Vasily Zelenov, UW).

Best Defense

Statistically, Denver has the best defense, but it's probably closer than you think: The 2,10 goals-allowed average is fourth in the nation, trailing only Cornell, Augustana and Dartmouth, and barely ahead of Michigan State. UND trails at 2.26 (7), and Michigan is at 2.36 (11th). Wisconsin is 36th at 3.03. Nevertheless, the Wolverines and Pioneers semifinal will be a tpp offense vs. defense showdown.

The Michigan Touch

Michigan's biggest strength may be its power play. The Wolverines score 31.6 percent of the time with a man advantage, including 11 by Will Horcoff, which tops the nation. Wisconsin is sixth at 26.9 percent, just ahead of UND's 26.7 (seventh). Denver is the team least successful at 19.2 percent (35 percent).

The Statistic to Watch

Denver's key to special teams is simple, don't take penalties. The Pioneers average 8.63 penalty miinutes per game, which is almost half of Michigan's 15.87, fourth most in the nation. Penn State and Michigan State were both in the top give and you know what happened to them. Wisconsin has the sixth most penalties in the nation at 13.78, while UND is 28th at 10.46. This could be a key to both semifinals.

Wisconsin's Biggest Weakness?

Wisconsin's penalty killing is pretty terrible. At 70.9 percent, it's 62nd in the nation and there were only 63 teams playing this season. The only team that was worse was Minnesota.

Why Draws Could be a Draw

Statistically, North Dakota is the best team at faceoffs at 54 percent (fourth in the nation), just ahead of Wisconsin at 53.9 percent. Michigan is eighth at 53,3 and Denver is 22nd at 51.0 percent.

Where the Badgers Have an Edge

This might be the key to Wisconsin making the Frozen Four, it has the most veteran team in Las Vegas, with seven seniors and an average age of 22.1 years. All of the other teams have at least 10 freshman on the roster.

Where North Dakota has an Advantage

The biggest team in terms of size is North Dakota, with a roster that averages 6-1.1, 195 pounds. However, all four teams average at least 6-0, 185 pounds per player. The tallest player on the four rosters is 6-6 graduate goaltender Gibson Homer of North Dakota (a transfer from Arizona State). Just as interesting is that he's just one of two graduate students at the Frozen Four, the other being teammate Bennett Zmolek, a defenseman who transferred from Minnesota State).

The only coach in the nation to earn his conference's coach of the year and reach the Frozen Four.

Enough said. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/qJvKg5GIpK
— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) April 7, 2026

How Many Players Went Through the Transfer Portal?

There are six transfers from other NCAA Division program on UND, five on Michigan, two on Denver and on on Wisconsin. There's only one player who transferred from one school in the Frozen Four, to another, Michigan junior forward Jayden Perron. He spent his freshman and sophomore years at North Dakota

Two Hobey Baker Memorial Award Finalists

In terms of career numbers, Michigan's T.J. Hughes has the most goals, assists, points and power-play goals, and second place isn't close in any of those categories. For example, his 178 points leads the nation, while Wisconsin's Christian Fitzgerald is the only other player in triple digits at 101. Denver's Eric Pohlkamp, who along with Huhes is a Hobey Baker finalist, had 98.

Those Scouts Might Know a Few Things

Of all the players in the Frozen Four, roughly half have already been selected in the NHL Draft already. Specifically, there's 49. Denver has the most with 14, followed by Michigan (13), North Dakota (12) and Wisconsin (10). They're all in the top six of teams with the most drafted players this season along with Michigan State (15) and Western Michigan (10).

Draft-Eligible Players on Display

There are four draft-eligible players in the Frozen Four, Denver forward Reid Varkonyi, Michigan forwards Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen and Adam Valentini, and North Dakota defenseman Keaton Verhoeff. The NHL Central Scouting Burreau has Verhoeff rated second among North American skaters.

First-Round Selections

There were 10 first-round selections in the NFL Draft in the NCAA Tournament at the start, and five made it to the Frozen Four: Cole Reschny, North Dakota (18th overall in 2025 by Calgary); Michael Hage, Michigan (21st overall in 2024 by Montreal); Logan Hensler, Wisconsin (23rd overall in 2025 by Ottawa); Will Horcoff, Michigan (24th overall in 2025 by Pittsburgh); EJ Emery, North Dakota (30th overall in 2024 by NY Rangers)

Which Frozen Four Program had the Most Players in NHL This Season?

Michigan led the way with 25, followed by North Dakota (15), Denver (14), and Wisconsin (12), although there have been numerous players making their league debuts recently. Also, Michigan's T.J. Hughes is expected to sign as a free agent with an NHL team as soon as his season concludes.

Might Denver have a crowd advantage?

The Frozen Four is always a smörgåsbord of fans from all over, but no one quite knows what to expect in Las Vegas. Even though it's not exactly in the neighborhood, North Dakota is the host school for this weekend. Among the four teams Denver's campus is the closest at roughly 600 miles, which is about an 11-hour drive. North Dakota is twice as far at approximately 1,200 miles, and Michigan is three-times as far at nearly 1,800 miles (1,722 to be exact).

Two Hobey Baker Memorial Award Finalists

Familiar Names

There are eight players in the semifinals who are the sons of former NHL players: Garrett Brown, Denver (father Curtis); Kienan Draper, Michigan (Kris); Aiden Dubinsky, Wisconsin (Steve); Will Horcoff, Michigan (Shawn); David Klee, North Dakota (Ken); Mac Swanson, North Dakota (Brian); Tyler Young, North Dakota (Scott); Bennett Zmolek, North Dakota (Doug). However, the biggest name drop may be Michigan's Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, who is the son of goaltender Manon Rhéaume, first woman to play in an NHL exhibition game.

The perks of being the No 1 overall seed? Getting the @NHL locker room. pic.twitter.com/IyQ8cM4OEO
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) April 8, 2026

Puck Drop: Wednesday, April 8, 2026

• The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced that Dartmouth head coach Reid Cashman is this year's recipient of th 2026 Spencer Penrose Award as the Division I Men's Ice Hockey coach of the year. The Big Green then won a program- best 23 games this season and landed a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980. Cashman is the second Dartmouth coach to win the award (Eddie Jeremiah won the first award in 1951, and again 1967). A full list of the award winners can be found at the end of Puck Drop.

• Former NHL veteran Matt Cullen has officially joined Brett Larson’s staff at Minnesota as the director of player development. Two of his sons had already committed to the Gophers. Former players Ben Gordon and Paul Martin are staying on staff, and another former player, Minnesota alum Cory Laylin, is joining as an assistant coach.

• Cornell announced that women's hockey head coach Doug Derraugh has signed a multi-year contract extension. No other details were made available.

• Former Dartmouth forward Luke Haymes was called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

• The women's transfer portal has picked up. Sophomore forwards Jessie Pellerin (Providence) and Isa Goettl (Bemidji State) are both heading to Clarkson. Sophomore defender Caroline Aufiero is going from Clarkson to Robert Morris. Junior forward Rylee Bartz is heading to Ohio State from St. Thomas. Junior forward Sidney Jackel is leaving St. Cloud State for RIT. Freshman goaltender Tara Bach is heading from Mercyhurst to Vermont.

• Lane Hutson (Boston University) became the third defenseman in Montreal Canadiens history to score 75 points in a season.

Frozen Four Schedule

At Las Vegas
T-Mobile Arena
All times Eastern
Thursday, April 9
No. 2 North Dakota vs. Wisconsin, 5 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 Michigan vs. Denver, 8:30 p.m., ESPN2

Championship
Saturday, April 11
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2

Hockey Quote of the Day

[On the development of the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens] "You have to take care of the baby. But a child is more autonomous: he's able to make his bed or brush his teeth."
Martin St-Louis (Vermont)

We'll Leave You With This ...

INTRODUCING, THE ZAMMOTH!!! 🤩

📺: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/m0LyTCHYnH pic.twitter.com/b4fKKlXPde
— NHL (@NHL) April 8, 2026

Spencer Penrose Award: Coach the Year

1951    Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth
1952    Cheddy Thompson, Colorado College
1953    John Mariucci, Minnesota
1954    Vic Heyliger, Michigan
1955    Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard
1956    William Harrison, Clarkson
1957    Jack Riley, Army
1958    Harry Cleverly, Boston University
1959    John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College
1960    Jack Riley, Army
1961    Murray Armstrong, Denver
1962    Jack Kelley, Colby
1963    Tony Frasca, Colorado College
1964    Tom Eccleston, Jr., Providence
1965    Jim Fullerton, Brown
1966    Amo Bessone, Michigan State; Len Ceglarski, Clarkson
1967    Edward Jeremiah, Dartmouth
1968    Ned Harkness, Cornell
1969    Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1970    John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech
1971    Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, Harvard
1972    John "Snooks" Kelley, Boston College
1973    Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1974    Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1975    Jack Parker, Boston University
1976    John Maclnnes, Michigan Tech
1977    Jerry York, Clarkson
1978    Jack Parker, Boston University
1979    Charlie Holt, New Hampshire
1980    Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1981    Bill O'Flaherty, Clarkson
1982    Ferny Flaman, Northeastern
1983    Bill Cleary, Harvard
1984    Mike Sertich, Minnesota-Duluth
1985    Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1986    Ralph Backstrom, Denver
1987    John "Gino" Gasparini, North Dakota
1988    Frank Anzalone, Lake Superior
1989    Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
1990    Terry Slater, Colgate
1991    Rick Comley, Northern Michigan
1992    Ron Mason, Michigan State
1993    George Gwozdecky, Miami
1994    Don Lucia, Colorado College
1995    Shawn Walsh, Maine
1996    Bruce Crowder, UMass Lowell
1997    Dean Blais, North Dakota
1998    Tim Taylor, Yale
1999    Richard Umile, New Hampshire
2000    Joe Marsh, St. Lawrence
2001    Dean Blais, North Dakota
2002    Tim Whitehead, Maine
2003    Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2004    Scott Sandelin, Minnesota-Duluth
2005    George Gwozdecky, Denver
2006    Enrico Blasi, Miami
2007    Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2008    Red Berenson, Michigan
2009    Jack Parker, Boston University
2010    Wayne Wilson, RIT
2011    Nate Leaman, Union
2012    Bob Daniels, Ferris State
2013    Norm Bazin, UMass Lowell
2014    Rick Bennett, Union
2015    Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
2016    Rand Pecknold, Quinnipiac
2017    Jim Montgomery, Denver
2018    Jeff Jackson, Notre Dame
2019    Greg Carvel, Massachusetts
2020    Brad Berry, North Dakota; Mike Schafer, Cornell
2021    Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
2022    Mike Hastings, Minnesota State
2023    Bob Motzko, Minnesota
2024    Greg Brown, Boston College
2025    Pat Ferschweiler, Western Michigan
2026    Reid Cashman, Dartmouth