It has been 28 long years since the Michigan Wolverines last captured the NCAA men's hockey title.
After falling short of the 16-team field last year, the proud program is back with the team to beat in this year's event.
The Wolverines are the unanimous No. 1 team in the country in this week's poll and have a real shot to tie Denver for top spot with a 10th national title. However, crazy things can happen in a single-elimination, four-round event.
With this being the first year where ex-CHL players are eligible for the NCAA, expect increased interest.
Here's a look at this week's four regionals, which will determine the teams for the Frozen Four, April 9-11 in Las Vegas.
Worcester, Mass., regional
No. 1 Michigan State Spartans (25-8-2) vs. No. 4 UConn Huskies (20-12-5), Thursday, 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT
After winning the Big Ten regular-season title, Michigan State was upset by Ohio State in the conference semifinals.
Canadian world junior team captain Porter Martone (Philadelphia Flyers first-round pick) leads the Spartans in scoring and is third among all NCAA rookies. He's complemented by Minnesota Wild first-rounder Charlie Stramel and Nashville Predators first-rounder Ryker Lee.
In goal, Michigan State has one of the best in Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine, a two-time world junior gold medallist with the U.S.
The Huskies dropped the Hockey East final to upstart Merrimack before getting the final at-large spot.
Joey Muldowney (San Jose Sharks), Jake Richard (Buffalo Sabres) and Ryan Tattle lead the attack, while goalie Tyler Muszelik (Florida Panthers) put up a .929 save percentage.
UConn and Michigan both have their women's and men's basketball and men's hockey teams still going in their respective national tournaments this week.
No. 2 Dartmouth Big Green (23-7-4) vs. No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers (21-12-2), Thursday, 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
Dartmouth captured its first ECAC title in school history and is in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1980.
Undrafted sophomore Hayden Stavroff leads the country with 29 goals in 34 games, while goaltender Emmett Croteau (Montreal Canadiens) allowed just one goal in two games for the Hanover, N.H. school at the ECAC final four in Lake Placid, N.Y. last week.
The Badgers, who lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten quarterfinals, sweated out results in other games before securing an at-large bid. Badgers forward Blake Montgomery (Ottawa Senators) won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights last season. Quinn Finley, a New York Islanders 2022 pick, tied for the team goal-scoring lead.
The Worcester regional final is Saturday.
Sioux Falls, S.D., regional
No. 2 Providence Friars (23-10-2) vs. No. 3 Quinnipiac Bobcats (26-9-3), Thursday, 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
Providence was the lone Hockey East team that was a sure thing for the NCAA tourney before its conference championship, where the top-seeded Friars lost to eventual champion Merrimack in the quarterfinals.
The Rhode Island team wins with excellent defence (2.2 goals allowed per game) and has received great work from freshman goalie Jack Parsons. Three NHL picks lead the forward group — John Mustard (Chicago Blackhawks), Roger McQueen (Anaheim Ducks first-round pick, Hockey East rookie of the year) and Logan Sawyer (Canadiens).
Like Providence, Quinnipiac was assured of an NCAA spot before its conference tournament. And like the Friars, the Hamden, Conn. team exited as a top seed, being swept by Clarkson in a best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal.
Calgary Flames prospect and Bobcats freshman Ethan Wyttenbach leads the country in scoring. He's making a return to Sioux Falls, where he played in the USHL.
Quinnipiac's Elliott Groenewold (Boston Bruins) was named best defensive defenceman in the ECAC.
No. 1 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (27-9-1) vs. No. 4 Merrimack Warriors (21-15-2), Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT
North Dakota rolled to the NCHC regular-season title before dropping a confernece-tournament semifinal against Minnesota Duluth.
Forward Cole Reschny (Flames first-round pick) was the conference's rookie of the year, while another Flames prospect, Abram Wiebe, is a leader on defence, along with top 2026 draft prospect Keaton Verhoeff. Czech goalie Jan Spunar was the NCHC's top netminder.
The NCHC has been the top conference in recent years, winning seven of the past nine national championships. North Dakota's last title came in 2016.
Merrimack won its first Hockey East title in school history as a No. 8 seed, stealing a national-championship berth in the process.
Swedish goalie Max Lundgren made 49 saves in the title tilt against UConn. He has a .920 save percentage while playing every minute of every game for the North Andover, Mass. team.
Flames fans should have their eyes on this first-round game with Calgary prospect Trevor Hoskin one of the leaders for Merrimack offensively, along with Justin Gill (Islanders).
The Sioux Falls regional final is Saturday.
Loveland, Colo., regional
No. 1 Western Michigan Broncos (26-10-1) vs. No. 4 Minnesota State Mavericks (22-10-7), Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT
The reigning national-champion Broncos may not have the biggest individual names, but they're certainly proven winners. They are in the tournament for the fifth time in as many seasons under coach Pat Ferschweiler.
Western Michigan lost 2-1 in overtime to Denver in an NCHC semifinal, and could be destined for another meeting with the Pioneers in the second round here.
Goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (Los Angeles Kings) has played every minute of every game, while his brother Grant leads the team in scoring. William Whitelaw (Columbus Blue Jackets) has had a nice season after transferring from Michigan.
Minnesota State is looking for its third Frozen Four appearance this decade after capturing the CCHA title for the second year in a row.
Tristan Lemyre leads the team in scoring after winning the national championship the last two years with Western Michigan and Denver, respectively. Alex Tracy gives the Mavericks strong play in net.
No. 2 Denver Pioneers (25-11-3) vs. No. 3 Cornell Big Red (22-10-1), Friday, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT
Denver is the host team for this regional, playing less than an hour from campus.
The Pioneers won national titles under coach David Carle in 2022 and '24 before losing to Western Michigan in last year's NCAA semifinals. Denver beat Minnesota Duluth in double overtime in this year's NCHC final, extending the Pioneers' win streak to nine games.
Eric Pohlkamp (San Jose Sharks) is an elite blue-liner and led the team in scoring. He is a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as top player in the country. Freshman goalie Johnny Hicks is 12-0-1 after taking over from Quentin Miller when the Canadiens prospect suffered a mid-season injury.
Cornell lost to Princeton in an ECAC semifinal but was assured of an NCAA spot before the conference tourney. The Ithaca, N.Y. team has reached the second round of the national championship the past three years.
Canadians prospect goaltender Alexis Cournoyer has a 1.98 GAA in his freshman year for Cornell. Top Cornell scorer Jonathan Castagna was acquired by the Flames from Utah in the MacKenzie Weegar deal.
The Loveland regional final is Sunday.
Albany, N.Y., regional
No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (29-7-1) vs. No. 4 Bentley Falcons (23-11-5), Friday, 5:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. PT
Michigan was guaranteed a No. 1 seed heading into the Big Ten final, but the Wolverines went full steam ahead and beat Ohio State 7-3.
Undrafted senior forward T.J. Hughes was named Big Ten player of the year, leading the charge for the top offensive team in the country. Right behind him are a couple of first-round picks — Michael Hage (Canadiens) and Will Horcoff (Pittsburgh Penguins).
In net, freshman Jack Ivankovic (Predators) is a two-time member of Canada's junior team.
The Falcons won the Atlantic Hockey title for the second year in a row to grab the 16th and final spot in the tourney. Bentley's Kellan Hjartarson was named the lowest-ranked conference's top defensive forward and had two goals and an assist in the Atlantic-title win over Sacred Heart, while Michael Mesic has scored in nine consecutive games for the Waltham, Mass. school.
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (23-14-1) vs. No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions (21-13-2), Friday, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
The final game of the first round might be the most interesting.
Minnesota Duluth has a couple of top-10 scorers in brothers Max (Red Wings) and Zam Plante (Penguins). Jayson Shaugabay (Tampa Bay Lightning) gives the Bulldogs another huge threat up front.
Penn State lost to Michigan in a Big Ten semifinal after reaching the Frozen Four for the first time in school history last year..
All eyes, of course, will be on Gavin McKenna, who finished third in national scoring in his freshman campaign. He'll try to make a final case to go No. 1 in this year's NHL Draft.
Penn State defenceman Jackson Smith (Blue Jackets first-rounder) was named to the all-Big Ten second team in his freshman season.
The Albany regional final is Sunday.
