The Road to the Championship
National Participation
There are 41 NCAA member institutions that sponsor Division I Men’s Ice Hockey teams and are eligible to compete in the National Championship. All 41 programs support more than 1,200 Men’s Ice Hockey student-athletes across the country.
Selection Process
The 2027 Division I Men’s Hockey Championship provides for a field of 16 teams to compete in a single elimination tournament. Of the 16 teams, six conference champions will receive automatic qualification with the remaining best 10 teams being selected on an at-large basis by the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee. A total of four teams will be seeded with each of the seeded teams being placed at one regional site.
Selection Show - March 21, 2027
The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 21.
Regionals - March 25-28, 2027
At each site, four teams will compete in single-elimination Regional Semifinal competition. The two winning teams will then compete against each other in single-elimination Regional Final competition at the same site. The winning team from each of the four Regionals will advance to the Men's Frozen Four in Washington, D.C.
Men's Frozen Four - April 8 & 10, 2027
The 2027 NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Championship will be held at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The National Semifinals will be held on April 8, 2027. The National Championship will take place on April 10, 2027.