Way too early 2026 Frozen Four predictions

The college hockey season came to an end about two weeks ago as the Western Michigan Broncos defeated the Boston University Terriers to win the 2025 National Championship. It was a great year of college hockey that saw it capped off with a team winning their first National Championship in program history.

With that, it’s now time to look ahead to next year and what we could see, and what better way to start than predicting the Frozen Four that is just under a year away.

The Frozen Four will be held at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas next year. So, which teams will win big and make it to the Frozen Four?

Boston University

They made it this year, and it can easily see them doing it again. They keep two of their best players in Cole Eiserman and Cole Hutson. Both of them had outstanding freshman seasons and will look to continue to build on them.

Along with this, they have goalie Mikhail Yegorov returning. He was a huge factor in bringing this team to the Frozen Four and will look to step up even more next year.

Boston University proved that they have talent this year and will continue to build on it into next year. They look scary and could easily make a run to the Frozen Four.

Western Michigan

The National Champions have a really good shot at making a run for another Natty. They have great coaching and have not lost as much talent as they could have. Alex Bump going to the Philadelphia Flyers is a big hit, but Owen Michaels' return is huge.

Another huge returner is in the net as Hampton Slukynsky will be back with the Broncos. I have always said it, but goalies can win you games. Slukynsky is one of the best goalies in college hockey and will be able to carry this Western Michigan team.

Along with a lot of returning talent, we could easily see them in the Frozen Four again.

Michigan State

They were the No. 1-ranked team in PairWise for most of the season for a reason. They had a ton of talent. Although they disappointed, they are poised to come back next season. In an unexpected move, Isaac Howard did not sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning and will be returning to East Lansing next season.

Along with that, Trey Augustine is also returning for the Spartans. These two alone make this team scary, but it's also the additions they made in the transfer portal. They added Colin Ralph from St. Cloud State, who will help solidify the blueline.

Finally, they have a really good Freshman by the name of Cayden Lindstrom coming in. Lindstrom was the fourth overall pick in 2024 by the Columbus Blue Jackets and is going to be an outstanding power forward.

Despite their losses, Michigan State added some great pieces that will give them a great shot at the Frozen Four.

Penn State/Michigan

It is highly likely that we see two Big Ten teams find their way into the Frozen Four next year. The two that I see most likely to be the second team are Penn State and Michigan.

For Penn State, they had some great additions in the portal, most notably Mac Gadowsky, son of head coach Guy Gadowsky. He will likely be the replacement for Simon Mack.

Penn State also gets to keep Aiden Fink, who was one of the best players in college hockey last season. Alongside the line of Matt DiMarsico, Charlie Cerrato and JJ Wiebusch, the Nittany Lions could find themselves in the Frozen Four once again.

For Michigan, they still have a ton of talent. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Michael Hage will be a leader for the Wolverines next season. Along with this, they add to an already strong defense, adding Henry Mews. Michigan looks like they could go on a run.

A question Mark for both these teams is in the net. The Nittany Lions lost Arsenii Sergeev but replaced him with Kevin Reidler.

For Michigan, it will likely be Cameron Korpi once again. If he could take the next step, this Michigan team could be dominant.

There is still plenty of time until the 2026 Frozen Four. The questions are what teams will make it, and will it be as good as we saw this year?

Andrew Matz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email atm5759@psu.edu.