NCAA Men’s Hockey Bracket Projections Ahead of 3 p.m. Announcement
The NCAA Percentage Index has produced a final ranking used to seed the field. These standings shape NCAA Men’s Hockey bracket projections ahead of the 3 p.m. announcement.
Seedings
The following list reflects the index order from top to bottom. Each team is assigned a seed from 1 to 16.
| 1 | Michigan |
| 2 | North Dakota |
| 3 | Michigan State |
| 4 | Western Michigan |
| 5 | Denver |
| 6 | Dartmouth |
| 7 | Providence |
| 8 | Minnesota Duluth |
| 9 | Penn State |
| 10 | Quinnipiac |
| 11 | Cornell |
| 12 | Wisconsin |
| 13 | Minnesota State |
| 14 | UConn |
| 15 | Merrimack |
| 16 | Bentley |
Regional sites and seed assignments
The tournament is split into four regionals. Sites are Albany, N.Y.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Worcester, Mass.; and Loveland, Colo.
Four teams will appear in each regional. The lowest four seeds include Bentley, Merrimack, UConn, and Minnesota State.
Primary bracket projection
This projection aligns seeds by strict index order and travel practicality. It avoids early conference clashes where possible.
- Albany (Fri-Sun): No. 1 Michigan vs No. 16 Bentley. No. 8 Minnesota Duluth vs No. 11 Cornell.
- Worcester (Thu-Sat): No. 3 Michigan State vs No. 14 UConn. No. 6 Dartmouth vs No. 9 Penn State.
- Sioux Falls (Thu-Sat): No. 2 North Dakota vs No. 15 Merrimack. No. 7 Providence vs No. 10 Quinnipiac.
- Loveland (Fri-Sun): No. 4 Western Michigan vs No. 13 Minnesota State. No. 5 Denver vs No. 12 Wisconsin.
Alternate alignment
A simple swap could move some teams closer to home. The change trades Providence and Minnesota Duluth between Albany and Sioux Falls.
- Albany (Fri-Sun): No. 1 Michigan vs No. 16 Bentley. No. 7 Providence vs No. 11 Cornell.
- Worcester (Thu-Sat): No. 3 Michigan State vs No. 14 UConn. No. 6 Dartmouth vs No. 9 Penn State.
- Sioux Falls (Thu-Sat): No. 2 North Dakota vs No. 15 Merrimack. No. 8 Minnesota Duluth vs No. 10 Quinnipiac.
- Loveland (Fri-Sun): No. 4 Western Michigan vs No. 13 Minnesota State. No. 5 Denver vs No. 12 Wisconsin.
Notes and considerations
Bentley, as the field’s lowest-ranked team, would draw Michigan in the first round. That pairing keeps Bentley on the East Coast.
Merrimack would likely travel to Sioux Falls to face North Dakota. UConn appears set to meet Michigan State in Worcester.
The committee typically avoids first-round matchups between conference foes. That factor may force Cornell to move from Worcester to Albany.
Swapping Providence and Minnesota Duluth reduces travel for those teams. The tradeoff places four NCHC programs into just two regionals.
All projections are subject to the official selection at 3 p.m. Filmogaz.com will update brackets after the announcement.
