A Final Look at Frozen Four, Postseason Awards, Denver's Dynasty: Puck Drop

College Hockey Dynasties
Hobey Baker/Player of the Year Award
Mike Richter Award/Best Goaltender
Transfer Portal Opens
Puck Drop: Monday, April 13, 2026
Countdown to the 2026-27 Season
Hockey Quote of the Day
We'll Leave You With This ...

What constitutes a dynasty? Every sport is a little bit different, and not all championships are created equal, but years ago I asked this question in another sport and then did so much research on it that the subject became the core of a book.

Specifically, it was "Nick Saban vs. College Football: The Case for College Football's Greatest Coach," which was published in 2014, and it included a whole section about dynasties and how someone defines one. In context with the book theme the publication date was important because Saban had just won three national titles over four seasons at Alabama (2009, 2011 and 2012), giving him four total at the time.

I wasn't ready to call him the most successful coach in college history, and least not yet, but instead made the case that if there was a Mount Rushmore of college football coaches he would already be on it with Bear Bryant, Knute Rockne and Bobby Bowden, and backed it all up with all sorts of numbers and facts.

Of course, Saban went on to win three more national titles and pretty much blew that argument away, however the statistical breakdown made it pretty clear where the line needed to be drawn in terms of claiming a dynasty: Three national titles in six years, although one could continue to add to it, which Saban obviously did.

So which programs have been able to do that in hockey: It's not a long list:

College Hockey Dynasties

2022-26 Denver, David Carle
2008-12 Boston College, Jerry York
1974-79 Minnesota, Herb Brooks
1958-69 Denver, Murray Armstrong (five titles)*
1948-56 Michigan, Vic Heyliger (six titles)

Murray Armstrong won three in four years, and then had two runner-up finishes before winning two more titles at the end of the 1960s decade. One could argue his dynasty was really 1958-61 because the gap between championships was so big, but that’s probably a discussion for another day.

Two near-misses under this definition, which need to be mentioned are Gino Gasparini won three titles over eight years at North Dakota (1980-1987), and Bob Bob Johnson won three over nine years at Wisconsin (1973-1981). Overall, Jerry York won five titles (four at BC), and yes, Jack Parker won three titles at Boston University, but they were each in a different decade.

Regardless, what David Carle has done at age 36 is absolutely remarkable by any standard.

Hobey Baker/Player of the Year Award

This isn't to suggest that winner Max Plante shouldn't have won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award because he was absolutely deserving and outstanding for Minnesota Duluth this season. But was he the best player, had the best career, or the most exciting player?

You can make the argument that he may have been the best, but Plante had to be the most exciting. The sophomore finished with 52 points (25 goals and 27 assists) in 40 games, yet he didn't lead the nation in any major offensive category — not that it's necessary, nor should it be — and was eighth in points per game.

Two years ago you could the same something similar about about Macklin Celebrini of Boston University, who is now tearing up the NFL. Last season, Isaac Howard of Michigan State did lead the nation in points per game, and also had the best career marker in his favor as well.

So who did the College Hockey News pick as it's player of the year? Plante. He topped its analytical College Hockey Individual Point (CHIP) Rating because he was near the top in so many statistical categories.

Mike Richter Award/Best Goaltender

Trey Augustine of Michigan State was named the recipient of the Mike Richter Award as the best goaltender, after posting a 2.11 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. He finished 11th in the former statistical category, and sixth in the latter, but had Michigan State at No. 1 for a good chunk of the season.

If you go back to the same question — was he the best player, had the best career, or the most exciting player — Augustine's career was clearly a factor. He was a Mike Richter semifinalist all three of his collegiate seasons, and twice named a finalist

Just food for thought.

2025-26 All-Americans

College hockey still names an All-American team for both the East and the West, based on conference affiliation. So while Penn State is located in the East, the Big Ten is considered a West league along with the NCHC. This season's selections were as followed:

First Team East
G Michael Hrabal, Jr., Massachusetts
D Brandon Holt, Sr., Maine
D Cole Hutson, So., Boston University
F James Hagens, So., Boston College
F Hayden Stavroff, So., Dartmouth
F Ethan Wyttenbach, Fr., Quinnipiac

First Team West
G Trey Augustine, Jr., Michigan State
D Jake Livanavage, Jr., North Dakota
D Eric Pohlkamp, Jr., Denver
F T.J. Hughes, Sr., Michigan
F Porter Martone, Fr., Michigan State
F Max Plante, So., Minnesota Duluth

Second Team East
G Lawton Zacher, Jr., Northeastern
D Tyler Dunbar, Jr., Union
D Chris Hedden, Sr., Air Force
F Dylan Hryckowian, Jr., Northeastern
F Jack Musa, Jr., Massachusetts
F Felix Trudeau, Sr., Sacred Heart

Second Team West
G Josh Kotai, Jr., Augustana
D Ty Hanson, Sr., Minnesota Duluth
D Evan Murr, Jr., Minnesota State
F Tyson Gross, Jr., St. Cloud State
F Gavin McKenna, Fr., Penn State
F Charlie Stramel, Sr., Michigan State

Since there's and East and West team, we're going to use the CFN First-Team to offer some perspective on what a true All-American team might look like, if you will:

F Max Plante, So., Minnesota Duluth
F James Hagens, So., Boston College
F TJ Hughes, Sr., Michigan
D Eric Pohlkamp, Jr., Denver
D Ty Hanson, So., Minnesota Duluth
G Michael Hrabal, Jr., Massachusetts

Also at the Frozen Four, Kevin Anderson of Princeton was named the recipient of the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award, and the Hockey Humanitarian Award was presented to Meg Simon of Middlebury. Quinnipiac freshman Ethan Wyttenbach won the Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year honor.

Of note, the College Hockey News named Porter Martone of Michigan State its Freshman of the Year, but check out it's All-Rookie Team:

F Porter Martone, Michigan State
F Gavin McKenna, Penn State
F Ethan Wyttenbach, Quinnipiac
D Jackson Smith, Penn State
D Xavier Veilleux, Cornell
G Johnny Hicks, Denver

With all that in mind, here's two final thoughts to consider from the end of the 2025-26 college hockey season:

1) Which team was better, the first-team All-Americans or the All-Rookie Team?

2) The only time the NCHC had a team ranked No. 1 all season was reigning champion Western Michigan in the preseason and Week 1 polls, yet the league still won its eighth national title out of the last 10 played.

"I think we're seeing that money doesn't buy everything. Bigness doesn't win championships all the time."@DU_Hockey head coach @DCarleDU shares his thoughts on #theNational winning 8 of the last 10 @NCAAIceHockey Championships after the Pioneers captured another title last… pic.twitter.com/W8lntgF7dO
— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) April 12, 2026

Transfer Portal Opens

Here's a list of the players who quickly entered the transfer portal after it opened at midnight. The window is open until April 27th. Graduates can enter at any time.

Air Force: William Dawson, Toby Hopp, Zane Spaniol
Clarkson: Nick Avakyan, William Bishop, Noah Houle, Matthew Mayich, Luke Pakulak
New Hampshire: Reid Conn, Kristian Coombs, Connor Deturris, Zachary Hahn, Josh Player
Lake Superior: Rorke Applebee, John Druskinis, Luke Levandowski, Adam Manji, Reagan Milburn, Everett Pietila, Branden Piku
Lindenwood: Philippe Fontaine, Ty Hipkin, Giovanni Morneau, Charles Savoie, Nolan Seed
Maine: Anthony Calafiore, Luke Coughlin, Miguel Marques, Simon Motew, Bodie Nobes, Nicholas Peluso, Mathis Rousseau, Gage Stewart
Massachusetts: James Duerr, Andrew Lacroix, Owen Mehlenbacher, Robert Norton, Nick Van Tassell, Matthew Wilde, Elias Zimmerman
Merrimack: Trent Ballentyne, Joseph Henneberry, Filip Nordberg, Jack Richard, Benjamin Yurchuk
Miami: Mathis Langevin, Charles Michaud, Casper Nässén, Michael Quinn, Justin Stupka
Michigan: Edward Spitznagel
Minnesota: Jimmy Clark, August Falloon, Leo Gruba, Finn McLaughlin, Erik Påhlsson. Max Rud
Northeastern: Dylan Compton, Griffin Erdman, James Fisher, John Henry. Quentin Sigurdson
Northern Michigan: Anthony Cliché, William Gramme, Aidyn Hutchinson, Evan Johnson, Landon Macdonald, Tyler Stern
Penn State: Nic Chin-Degraves, JJ Wiebusch
RPI: Cole Gordon, Jack Gorton, Matthew Jovanovic, Jackson Kyrkostas, Lucas Lemieux, Gustavs Ozolins, Gunnar Vandamme, Tyler Wallace
St. Lawrence: Theodore Mallgrave, Evan Orloff
Stonehill: Jake Gutwirth, Joel Lehtinen, Justin Mexico, Zachary Nicolas

• On the women's side there were numerous commitments over the weekend including junior forward Ashley Allard from from Connecticut to Minnesota; senior defender Ellie Gauvin from Brown to Quinnipiac; and sophomore forward Charlotte Wensley from RPI to Maine. the exodus from St. Cloud State continued with freshman forward Reese Strauts heading to Providence, freshman froward Lily Erickson going to Frankin Pierce, and freshman defender Hannah Arnold heading to St. Francis Xavier. Also leaving for Canada is Bemidji State freshman forward Paige Smith to MacEwan. Finally, new additions to the Long Island roster include sophomore forward Bo Dean from Franklin Pierce, and sophomore defender Ashley Mandeville from Mercyhurst.

Puck Drop: Monday, April 13, 2026

• St. Cloud State named Nick Oliver, a former team captain, its new head men's hockey coach. Oliver Oliver spent the past three seasons at Wisconsin under fellow-SCSU alum Mike Hastings. He spent the 2022-23 season as the head coach of the Fargo Force (USHL), and was previously an assistant coach for the Huskies from 2018-22. He'll be introduced as the head coach during a press conference Monday.

• Plante revealed he will return to Minnesota Duluth for his junior season in order to play with his two brothers. Meanwhile, Michael Hage is returning to Michigan instead of joining the Montreal Canadiens. he had 13 goals and 39 assists for 52 points to tie Plante for third in the nation this past season

• Michigan forward T.J. Hughes signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Colorado Avalanche beginning in the 2026-27 season. The Columbus Blue Jackets signed Wolverines forward Josh Eernisse to a one-year ELC for the 2026-27 season.

• Former Wisconsin forward Cole Caufield became the sixth player with the Montreal Canadiens to score 50 goals in a season ... Former Boston College forward Curtter Gauthier reached the 40-goal plateau with the Anaheim Ducks. He's just the fourth player to do so in franchise history,

• North Dakota defender Abram Wiebe made his debut with the Calgary Flames, former Boston University forward Wilmer Skoogand played his first NHL game with the Florida Panthers, and James Hagens played in his first game with the Boston Bruins and got his first point. For more check out Boston College On SI.

James Hagens takes his rookie lap ahead of his debut 👀

(via @adampellerin) pic.twitter.com/boMYRfiQVr
— NESN (@NESN) April 12, 2026

Countdown to the 2026-27 Season

It's not official, but the expected start date is Oct. 2, so 172 days.

Hockey Quote of the Day

“Have fun right now. If you do pursue this career, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to take hockey very, very seriously. But right now, just appreciate and build on whatever you love about the game. Enjoy hanging out with your buddies on the ice. No matter how big you make it, you’ll miss that time when it’s gone. Try that move out, look silly, and get better.”
Johnny Gaudreau

We'll Leave You With This ...

THE TROPHY HAS LANDED

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆@DU_Hockey / #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/MFY4mKxXPm
— Nick Rothschild (@nick_rothschild) April 12, 2026