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6d ago

College Hockey Season Opens With New Talent Pipeline and Selection Rules

Eligibility shifts alongside the new NPI create fresh incentives to start the season.

Minnesota State captured the 2025 MacNaughton Cup, the trophy awarded to the CCHA regular-season champion, for the seventh time in eight years (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
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Overview

  • The 13th Big Ten season begins this weekend with six teams in nonconference action before league play starts Oct. 30-31.
  • Penn State visits Arizona State in a nationally televised series on NHL Network and NHL YouTube, featuring top prospect Gavin McKenna.
  • Big Ten coaches tabbed Michigan State to defend its regular-season crown, with Penn State second and Minnesota third after heavy NHL departures.
  • A recent rule change now allows CHL alumni to play NCAA hockey, bringing in high-end talent such as Penn State’s Gavin McKenna and Michigan State’s Cayden Lindstrom and Porter Martone.
  • Postseason frameworks are shifting, with the Big Ten moving to single-elimination quarterfinals in 2026 and the NCAA adopting the NPI to replace the Pairwise for tournament selection.