NCAA (United States) 2026/27

The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship crowns the national collegiate champion for men's ice hockey in the United States. Inaugurated in 1948, the tournament currently features 16 teams competing in a single-elimination format. The field is constructed from six automatic bids awarded to conference tournament winners and 10 at-large selections given by the selection committee.

Participation is restricted to the highest competitive tier, known as Division I. As of the 2025–26 season, 63 teams compete across six conferences: Atlantic Hockey America, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, and NCHC. Regular season structures vary by conference, typically involving conference-heavy schedules rather than a national round-robin. Unlike club-level organizations such as the ACHA, NCAA hockey operates as varsity athletics with athletic scholarships and greater institutional support.

The postseason culminates in the "Frozen Four," a semifinal and final round held at a neutral site. Winners of each regional bracket advance to this stage. The Denver Pioneers hold the record for most titles with 11. Recent champions include Western Michigan (2025), Denver (2024), Quinnipiac (2023), Boston College (2022), and UMass (2021). The competition sits at the apex of the US college sports pyramid, with no promotion or relegation between NCAA divisions; movement is administrative, based on financial and compliance criteria.

Conferences undergo periodic shifts. The formation of the Big Ten hockey league in 2013–14 led to the collapse of the original CCHA and WCHA, followed by the subsequent revival of the CCHA in 2021 with new members. Teams listed in the current season include Air Force Falcons, Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Nanooks, American International, Arizona State Sun Devils, and Army Black Knights.