Men’s Highlights: Key Storylines to Follow in Las Vegas

Las Vegas will host the 2026 NCAA Division I men’s Frozen Four at T-Mobile Arena. The semifinals are set for April 9, with the championship on April 11. Four programs with deep championship histories headline the field.

Schedule and broadcast

The semifinals on April 9 feature North Dakota vs. Wisconsin at 5 p.m. ET. Michigan meets Denver at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The title game is scheduled for April 11 at 5:30 p.m. ET. ESPN networks and Westwood One will carry the games.

Paths to Las Vegas

Michigan

Michigan entered as the No. 1 overall seed. The Wolverines beat Bentley 5-1 and Minnesota Duluth 4-3 in the Albany Regional.

Freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic was named regional Most Outstanding Player. He stopped 54 of 57 shots in those wins.

Denver

Denver reached Las Vegas from the Loveland Regional. The Pioneers defeated Cornell 5-0 and Western Michigan 6-2.

Freshman Johnny Hicks backstopped both wins and earned regional MOP honors. He improved his record to 13-0-1.

North Dakota

North Dakota blanked Merrimack 3-0 and Quinnipiac 5-0 at the Sioux Falls Regional. Freshman Jan Špunar recorded multiple tournament shutouts.

Špunar stopped all 53 shots he faced that weekend and was named Most Outstanding Player.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin advanced through the Worcester Regional. The Badgers beat Dartmouth and topped Michigan State in overtime.

Senior captain Ben Dexheimer scored the game-winner in OT. Junior Quinn Finley led the regional with five points.

Championship pedigree and seeds

These four teams combine for 33 NCAA titles. Denver leads with 10 championships.

• Denver — 10 (most recent 2024)
• Michigan — 9 (most recent 1998)
• North Dakota — 8 (most recent 2016)
• Wisconsin — 6 (most recent 2006)

Seeds for the tournament include two No. 1s (Michigan, North Dakota), a No. 2 (Denver), and a No. 3 (Wisconsin).

Freshmen netminders make history

For the first time, all four projected starting goaltenders at the Frozen Four are freshmen. That group includes Jack Ivankovic, Johnny Hicks, Jan Špunar, and Daniel Hauser.

Hauser stopped 37 of 40 shots in his two regional wins. Hicks, Ivankovic and Špunar were each named regional MOPs.

Players, awards, and draft implications

T.J. Hughes (Michigan) and Eric Pohlkamp (Denver) are top-10 Hobey Baker finalists. Hughes has 56 points this season.

Pohlkamp is college hockey’s leading scoring defenseman. He has 18 goals, 39 points, and leads the nation in shots on goal.

The four teams feature 49 NHL Draft picks combined. Denver lists 14, Michigan 13, North Dakota 12, and Wisconsin 10.

Several skaters are draft-eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft. Names include Reid Varkonyi, Keaton Verhoeff, Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen, and Adam Valentini.

Key storylines to follow in Las Vegas

Denver brings a nation-best 15-game unbeaten streak into the Frozen Four. The Pioneers have also won 11 straight.

Michigan fields the top scoring offense in the country. The Wolverines lead the nation in goals per game and power-play percentage.

North Dakota reached the Frozen Four under first-year head coach Dane Jackson. He seeks to mirror a predecessor who won a title in his first season.

Wisconsin returns to the semifinals for the first time since 2010. The Badgers survived a dramatic comeback win to punch their ticket.

Las Vegas setting and context

This is the first NCAA men’s Frozen Four held in Las Vegas. T-Mobile Arena becomes the westernmost site since Anaheim in 1999.

The arena is home to the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. Several current Golden Knights played in past Frozen Fours as collegians.

Dates and additional notes

The Hobey Baker “Hobey Hat Trick” finalists will be announced on April 2. National award winners are set to be revealed on April 10.

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