Let’s go to Vegas, baby.
The 2026 Frozen Four will be played in T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, and wouldn’t any team from the Big Ten love to ride a streak all the way to the final buzzer of the national championship game next April?
Because, of course, not one of them has since the Big Ten’s inception in 2013.
It’s not that B1G teams haven’t earned national titles. Four storied programs – Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin – have 23 national championships among them, but not one of them has won representing the Big Ten.
Two current teams, Notre Dame (2018) and Minnesota (2014, 2023) have been Frozen Four runners-up while playing Big Ten hockey, and since 2013-14 and including those title game appearances, the conference has been represented 10 times, most notably in 2018 when Michigan and Ohio State joined Notre Dame in St. Paul. Minnesota Duluth, the lowest seed in the field, won it all.
The last time any current B1G team won a national championship was in 2007, when the Spartans surprised Boston College in St. Louis for their third national title, back when Michigan State was part of the CCHA.
The youngest player currently on Michigan State’s roster, sophomore Shane Vansaghi, was four days shy of five months old when that happened. This year’s Michigan State captain, Matt Basgall, hadn’t yet started kindergarten.
Picked first in the Big Ten coaches’ preseason poll, Michigan state welcomes 13 new players this season. “We’re excited,” said coach Adam Nightingale, entering his fourth season. “We feel like the guys that decided to come here came for the right reasons.”
The Spartans saw their bid for another title end with a 4-3 loss to Cornell in the Northeast Regional semifinal last season. This year, Nightingale said that he and his staff “started the year talking about some scars.” Success in the Nightingale era includes back-to-back playoff titles in 2024 and 2025, but it’s clear that Michigan State has an additional goal.
“The nice thing with scars,” said Nightingale, “is that you don’t forget why you have them.”
Picked second by the coaches this season, Penn State made its first trip to the Frozen Four last year and lost the semifinal game 3-1 to Boston University. The Nittany Lions made that program history after not winning a single Big Ten game until the start of the second half of the season, fueling a remarkable run.
Following the loss to the Terriers, coach Guy Gadowsky said that “the fact that we were so far back, so left for dead and came back to make the Frozen Four is something I don’t think any of these guys are ever going to forget. I know I’m not.”
That lesson is undoubtedly what inspired the return of so many key Nittany Lions this season, including five forwards who accounted for 84 of Penn State’s 139 overall goals from last year. Joining all of Penn State’s returning talent are six players from Canadian major juniors.
Every current B1G team has now made a Frozen Four appearance, but one program hasn’t done so since the start of Big Ten conference play. Wisconsin last played in the Frozen Four in 2010, representing the WCHA. In their most recent trip prior to that, the Badgers won the national title in 2006, the year before Michigan State’s last championship.
After a disappointing 2024-25 season led to a sixth-place conference finish and an exit in the Big Ten quarterfinal round, the Badgers were picked fifth in the coaches’ preseason poll. Coach Mike Hastings, beginning his third season in Madison, welcomes eight freshmen and two players from the transfer portal as this season begins.
“We’re still in the process of creating and sustaining our identity,” Hastings said after a preseason scrimmage. “As boring as this sounds, we’ve got to get to our dailies. I do feel we’ve got a unified group in the idea of what their understanding is to what we have to get better every day.”
The Big Ten team to play most recently for a national championship, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, were picked third in the coaches preseason poll after sharing last year’s regular-season B1G title with Michigan State. The Gophers welcome eight freshmen and two transfers, and coach Bob Motzko noted the new look of the team before the season began.
“Gone are a lot of names that we would count on,” said Motzko. “We’re going to find out where it goes, but I can tell you we like what we see. It’s going to be a little different version, but there’s a whole can of whump-ass out there with how they compete and get after it.”
Michigan made three straight trips to the Frozen Four from 2022 to 2024, but the Wolverines missed the NCAA tournament altogether last season following a campaign in which the team never seemed to gel. Coach Brandon Naurato said that this year, he’s hoping to find that chemistry earlier – and that he and his staff are very excited about this team.
“It’s been a lot of fun working this group,” said Naurato, who called this Wolverines team “a group of kids that want to get better every day.”
There are a dozen rookies on the Michigan roster, six of whom are from among the Canadian major junior ranks, plus some talent brought in through the transfer portal. Like the Gophers, the Wolverines have 13 total NHL draft picks on their roster. Michigan may be rebuilding a bit, but the Wolverines are not reinventing anything.
After finishing third in the conference last season, Ohio State was picked in preseason to finish sixth. Given that the Buckeyes are returning a veteran team with solid goaltending, one reason for that relative lack of faith may be the way Ohio State bowed out of the NCAA tournament with an 8-3 loss to Boston University in the Northeast Regional semifinal game.
At a glance, Ohio State may not look as fancy as other B1G teams this season, but the Buckeyes do have the talent to surprise some people.
Picked to finish last in the conference, Notre Dame begins a new era following the retirement of Jeff Jackson as Fighting Irish alum Brock Sheahan (2004-08) takes the helm.
Notre Dame struggled last season, leading to four conference wins and a 1-0 semifinal loss to Michigan State in the conference playoffs. The list of things for first-year head coach Brock Sheahan to address this season is longish. An offense that averaged 2.68 goals per game on average last year but gave up 3.34. A leaky penalty kill (.774). Good goaltending but an inconsistent team defense.
With eight drafted players, a small rookie class, and solid use of the portal, the Fighting Irish may punch well above their weight, so to speak.
“I think the Big Ten is going to be loaded,” said Naurato, “in a tough way, in an awesome way.”
Wouldn’t that be something?
What are the odds?
MICHIGAN
HEAD COACH: Brandon Naurato (fourth season)
LAST SEASON: 18-15-3 (12-10-2 B1G, fourth, lost conference quarterfinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Michael Hage (13-21-34), Will Horcoff (4-6-10), T.J. Hughes (15-23-38), Garrett Schifsky (11-9-20); defenseman Tyler Duke (5-18-13)
KEY LOSSES: Forward Evan Werner (11-11-22); defensemen Ethan Edwards (5-16-21) and Jacob Truscott (3-13-16); goalie Logan Stein (11-9-2, 3.22, .893)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Matthew Mania (Flint, OHL), Cole McKinney (USNTDP, USHL), Jayden Perron (North Dakota, NCHC), Drew Schock (USNTDP, USHL), (Malcolm Spence (Erie, OHL), Teddy Spitznagel (Muskegon, USHL); defensemen Asher Barnett (USNTDP, USHL), Henry Mews (Sudbury, OHL), Ben Robertson (Cornell, ECAC); goalies Jack Ivankovic (Brampton, OHL), Stephen Peck (Muskegon, USHL)
2025-26 PREDICTION: Usually Michigan reloads every season, bringing in high-level players to complement an already well-oiled machine. This year, the Wolverines are renovating, with 11 new players on the roster. For two years running, Michigan has finished fourth in the Big Ten standings. In 2024, the Wolverines parlayed that finish into a Frozen Four appearance; last year, they sat out the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2020 follow three straight trips to the Frozen Four. With a mix of talented veterans, transfers, OHL players and freshmen, Michigan is going to have to find its identity fast if the Wolverines want to contend for a Big Ten title – or even finish above fourth place, again.
PAULA’S PICK: Fourth
MICHIGAN STATE
HEAD COACH: Adam Nightingale (fourth season)
LAST SEASON: 26-7-4 (15-5-4, tied first B1G, lost NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Daniel Russell (13-12-25) and Charlie Stramel (9-18-27); defensemen Matt Basgall (6-20-26), Patrick Geary (1-6-7), Maxim Strbak (3-16-19); goalie Trey Augustine (19-7-4, 2.08, .924)
KEY LOSSES: Forwards Karsen Dorwart (13-18-31), Isaac Howard (26-26-52), Joey Larson (10-14-24); defensemen Nicklas Andrews (2-16-18)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Cole Burke (Fairbanks, NAHL), Ryker Lee (Madison, USHL), Cayden Lindstrom (Medicine Hat, WHL), Porter Martone (Brampton, OHL), Eric Nilson (Djurgårdens, Sweden), Anthony Romani (Barrie, OHL); defensemen Sean Barnhill (Dubuque, USHL) and Colin Ralph (St. Cloud, NCHC); goalie Melvin Strahl (Youngstown, USHL)
2025-26 PREDICTION: It’s hard for any team to lose a 26-goal scorer, as the Spartans did when Isaac Howard departed for the pros at the end of last season. Harder still is losing two more of the team’s four 10-plus goal scorers, but here’s the thing about Michigan State: in spite of having only four guys on the roster with 10 or more goals last season, the Spartans were still averaging 3.49 goals per game for the seventh most productive offense in the NCAA. With 15 NHL draft picks on their roster – including 2023 second-round Detroit pick, goaltender Trey Augustine – there’s no doubt that the Spartans have the talent to compete for another conference title. How quickly this squad coalesces will determine how far Michigan State will go.
PAULA’S PICK: First
MINNESOTA
HEAD COACH: Bob Motzko (eighth season)
LAST SEASON: 25-11-4 (15-6-3, tied first B1G, lost NCAA West Regional semifinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Brody Lamb (17-9-26) and Brodie Ziemer (12-11-23); defensemen Leo Gruba (1-2-3) and Luke Mittelstadt (2-16-18); goalie Nathan Airey (12-3-2, 2.47, .900)
KEY LOSSES: Forwards Connor Kurth (18-21-39), Oliver Moore (21-21-33), Jimmy Snuggerud (24-27-51), Matthew Wood (17-22-39); defensemen Sam Rinzel (10-22-32), goalie Liam Souliere (13-8-2, 2.35, .917)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Mason Moe (Madison, USHL), L.J. Mooney (USNTDP, USHL), Javon Moore (Sioux Falls, USHL), Tanner Ludtke (Omaha, NCHC); defensemen Finn McLaughlin (Muskegon, USHL) and Jacob Rombach (Lincoln, USHL); goalie Luca Di Pasquo (Michigan State, B1G)
2025-26 PREDICTION: The Golden Gophers ended their 2024-25 season on a bitter note, a 5-4 loss in overtime to Massachusetts in regional semifinal play, a game in which an uncalled trip of a Minnesota player led to the game-winning goal at the other end. After fighting through the injury bug in the second half last season, that end felt like an injustice – perhaps some fuel for another run this year. Although the Minnesota roster looks a bit different this season and no one is sure who will be in net, this is a team loaded with talent, with 13 draft picks and very solid newcomers. The Gophers will be in the mix at the end of it all.
PAULA’S PICK: Third
NOTRE DAME
HEAD COACH: Brock Sheahan (first season)
LAST SEASON: 12-25-1 (4-19-1, seventh B1G, lost conference semifinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Brennan Ali (7-12-19), Cole Knuble (12-27-39), Danny Nelson (13-13-26); defensemen Paul Fischer (2-29-21) and Axel Kumlin (6-15-21); goalie Nicholas Kempf (2-10-1, 3.74, .895)
KEY LOSSES: Forwards Blake Biondi (12-15-27), Justin Janicke (15-19-34), Hunter Strand (8-8-16); defenseman Ryan Helliwell (1-6-7); goalie Owen Say (10-15-0, 2.82, .920)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Will Belle (USNTDP, USHL), Cole Brown (Brantford, OHL), Pano Fimis (Erie, OHL), Sutter Muzzatti (Rensselaer, ECAC), Evan Werner (Michigan, B1G); defensemen Caeden Carlisle (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL); goalie Luke Pearson (Yale, ECAC)
2025-26 PREDICTION: There is a very good chance that the Fighting Irish will finish well above last place, and that’s not just because they may benefit from new-coach bounce. Sheahan has been an associate head coach at Notre Dame for two seasons now, so he’s familiar with everything the Irish need. Notre Dame’s a veteran team returning solid offense up front. The defensive corps needs some solidifying and goaltending is a question mark, but the Irish aren’t starting from rock bottom. Add to that a smart use of the transfer portal and some skilled freshmen and nothing looks bleak in South Bend.
PAULA’S PICK: Seven
OHIO STATE
HEAD COACH: Steve Rohlik (13th season)
LAST SEASON: 24-14-2 (14-9-1, third B1G, lost NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Davis Burnside (14-19-33), Max Motes (14-12-26), Jake Rozzi (5-7-12), Riley Thompson (17-16-33); defensemen Nathan McBrayer (4-6-10) and William Smith (3-3-6); Kristoffer Eberly (12-4-1, 2.28, .915)
KEY LOSSES: Forwards Joe Dunlap (8-14-22), Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (17-23-40), Patrick Guzzo (9-7-16); defensemen Damien Carfagna (7-21-38), Brent Johnson (5-8-13); goalie Logan Terness (12-10-1, 2.47, .917)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Felix Caron (Rensselaer, ECAC), Niall Crocker (Prince Albert, OHL), Adam Eisele (Minnesota State, CCHA), Jake Karabela (Guelph, OHL); defensemen Bryce Ingles (Sioux Falls, USHL), Sam McGinley (Swift Current, WHL), Broten Sabo (Alaska, Independent NCAA), Ethan Straky (Colorado College, NCHC); goalie Sam Hillebrandt (Barrie, OHL)
2025-26 PREDICTION: The Buckeyes lose some of last year’s offensive talent but return a bit as well, and overall, this is a battle-tested, balanced, veteran team. With a mix of transfers, players from Canadian major juniors and some rookies from the U.S. minors, Ohio State may be adding the ingredients it needs to follow up its third-place B1G finish from last season with another push at the top of the standings. They may not be flashy, but if they find their chemistry early in the season, they won’t be a team that can be taken for granted in any way.
PAULA’S PICK: Fifth
PENN STATE
HEAD COACH: Guy Gadowsky (14th season)
LAST SEASON: 22-14-4 (9-11-4, fifth B1G, lost Frozen Four semifinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Charlie Cerrato (15-27-42), Matt DeMarsico (17-15-32), Aiden Fink (23-30-53), Reese Laubach (15-15-30), JJ Wiebusch (14-19-33); defensemen Cade Christenson (2-7-9) and Jarod Crespo (2-5-7); goalie John Seifarth (3-2-0, 2.02, .932)
KEY LOSSES: Forward Danny Dzhaniyev (12-19-31) and Ben Schoen (7-13-20); defensemen Jimmy Dowd (1-9-10) and Simon Mack (3-27-30); goalie Arsenii Sergeev (19-9-4, 2.54, .919)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Lev Katzin (Guelph, OHL), Gavin McKenna (Medicine Hat, WHL), Luke Misa (Brampton, OHL), Shea Van Olm (Spokane, WHL); defensemen Nolan Collins (Flint, OHL), Mac Gadowsky (Army, AHA), Jackson Smith (Tri-City Americans, WHL); goalie Kevin Reidler (Omaha, NCHC)
2025-26 PREDICTION: It’s impossible not to be enthusiastic about Penn State’s prospects this year. For the entirety of their Big Ten existence, the Nittany Lions have struggled to find their place and sustain it. After capturing the regular-season title in 2020, the Nittany Lions were denied the chance to test that momentum because COVID canceled that season. Gadowsky was up front about how challenging he found coaching during the COVID era, and when Penn State began to realize its potential, key injuries hobbled the Nittany Lions in more ways than one. And now after Penn State came up short in last year’s Frozen Four after a magical second half, so much talent is returning that Nittany Lions fans must be giddy. Who will be in net? Who knows? As long as he keeps out one less than the Nittany Lions score – and the Nittany Lions absolutely will score – that will be all that Penn State needs.
PAULA’S PICK: second
WISCONSIN
HEAD COACH: Mike Hastings (third season)
LAST SEASON: 13-21-3 (7-16-1, sixth B1G, lost conference quarterfinal)
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Forwards Quinn Finley (20-20-40), Kyle Kukkonen (10-9-19), Gavin Morrissey (9-23-32); defensemen Ben Dexheimer (1-16-17), Logan Hensler (2-10-12), Jack Phelan (0-4-4); goalie Anton Castro (0-1-0, 4.27, .786)
KEY LOSSES: Forwards Cody Laskosky (7-4-11), Owen Lindmark (5-4-9), Ryland Mosley (18-19-37); defensemen Daniel Laatsch (2-3-5) and Anthony Kehrer (1-11-12); goalies William Gramme (8-2-4, 3.23, .878) and Tommy Scarfone (11-16-3, 2.61, .900)
KEY ADDITIONS: Forwards Oliver Tulk (Calgary, WHL) and Vasily Zelenov (Green Bay, USHL); defensemen Aiden Dubinsky (Minnesota Duluth, NCHC) and Luke Osburn (Youngstown, USHL); goalies Daniel Hauser (Calgary, WHL) and Eli Pulver (Minnesota State, CCHA)
2025-26 PREDICTION: The Badgers have a lot of rebuilding to do this season – from the net out. It’s unfair to judge the only returning goalie, Anton Castro, by the stats of the single game he played last season, and while Daniel Hauser looks promising, he’s new to college hockey and Eli Pulver played one game in his rookie season. The Badgers allowed 2.97 goals per game on average last year while scoring 2.92, so there’s clearly some work to do in several areas. Wisconsin ends the first half with four straight conference series, so by the time league play intensifies even more after the first of the year, the Badgers should know who they are.
PAULA’S PICK: sixth
