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The NCAA established the men’s Division I ice hockey tournament in 1948. Since then, a handful of schools have dominated the sport, and the list of the best hockey colleges isn’t exactly shocking. For example: ice hockey is the official state sport of Minnesota, and for good reason—Minnesota has produced more men’s NCAA Division I and than any other state in the country. So it should come as no surprise that the University of Minnesota is one of the best colleges for hockey of all time. The same goes for other schools in cold climes where winter sports predominate. Denver, Michigan, North Dakota, and Wisconsin have historically been the best ice hockey colleges in the NCAA.

Collegiate ice hockey—on both the men’s and women’s sides—is unique in that teams that otherwise play at the Division II or III level compete in Division I. Most of Lake Superior State’s sports teams, for example, compete in Division II. But not only does Lake Superior State compete at the Division I level in ice hockey, they’ve won three national titles. In fact, they’re one of the best hockey colleges of all time.

Women’s ice hockey didn’t get incorporated into the NCAA’s championship program until 2001. Unlike men’s college hockey, in which 24 different schools have become national champions, there hasn’t been much competitive parity in women’s ice hockey. The first thirteen women’s Division I championships were won by just three schools—Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota, and Wisconsin—and since then, only two others, Clarkson and Ohio State, have gotten in on the championship action.

So what are the best colleges for hockey? Check out the full list below.

Best Colleges for Women’s Ice Hockey

1) University of Minnesota-Duluth

The women’s ice hockey program at the University of Minnesota Duluth made its debut in 1999. In 2001, the women’s Bulldogs won the inaugural NCAA Division I championship. They’ve won five national championships in total (2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010), and they’ve produced more Winter Olympians than any other school in the history of women’s collegiate ice hockey.

2) University of Minnesota

Both the men’s and women’s ice hockey programs at the University of Minnesota make it one of the best colleges for hockey of all time. The women’s Golden Gophers are six-time NCAA Division I national champs (2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), and they recorded the longest winning streak in the history of college hockey: between February 17th, 2012, and November 17th, 2013, the women’s Gophers didn’t drop a game, a win streak of 62 games.

3) Clarkson University

Women’s ice hockey existed at Clarkson as a varsity sport in the 1970s and 80s, but it wasn’t until 2003 that the school announced it would officially establish women’s ice hockey as a Division I team. In 2014, the women’s Golden Knights won their first national championship, and they went on to win back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. They’re currently ranked 8th in the .

4) Ohio State University

The recent success of the women’s Buckeyes has established Ohio State as one of the best colleges for hockey in the country. The women’s Buckeyes are two-time national champs (2022, 2024), and since 2018 they’ve been a mainstay in the NCAA tournament’s Frozen Four. They’re currently ranked 2nd in the national standings.

5) University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin is one of the best colleges for hockey of all time. Eight-time NCAA tournament champions (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025), the women’s Badgers are the most decorated team in women’s college hockey history.

Best Colleges for Men’s Hockey

1) Bowling Green University

Bowling Green isn’t currently ranked within the national top 20, but the school’s legacy makes it one of the best colleges for hockey of all time. The Falcons were a consistent force in the 1970s and 80s, making several deep runs in the NCAA tournament before finally winning it all in 1984.

2) Harvard University

The men’s hockey program at Harvard dates to 1898, which makes the Crimson one of the oldest teams in college hockey. They’ve only won one national championship in their history (1989), but they’re a consistent threat in the NCAA tournament; they’ve appeared in the Frozen Four a total of thirteen times, most recently in 2017.

3) Northern Michigan University

The Wildcats haven’t had a ton of success in recent years; two years into his tenure as head coach, Dave Shyiak has led the team to a record of 5-27-2. But in the 80s and early 90s, the Wildcats were one of the premiere teams in college hockey. They’ve got three Frozen Four appearances on their resume to complement their national title, which they won in 1991.

4) Union College

Since head coach Josh Hauge took over the team, the Garnet Chargers have a losing record. But they were at the top of college hockey as recently as 2014, when they won the NCAA Division I tournament.

5) Providence College

Providence is one of the best colleges for hockey in the country. They finished the 2025 season ranked 14th nationally. In 2015, the Friars won their first NCAA Division I championship.

6) Yale University

Like many of the best colleges for hockey, Yale has a long and rich hockey history. The men’s ice hockey team at Yale was established in 1895, but it wasn’t until head coach Tim Taylor took over in 1976 that the Bulldogs achieved sustained success. The apex of the Taylor era came in the 1997-98 season, when the team finished the year with a program-best record of 23-9-3.

Keith Allain took over as head coach in 2006. In 2013, Allain led the Bulldogs to their first-ever NCAA Division I championship.

7) University of Massachusetts Amherst

The UMass Minutemen made their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2007, but they were unable to maintain that success over the following years. It wasn’t until 2019 that they made it back to the Division I tournament, but this time they stormed all the way to the finals before losing to Minnesota-Duluth. In 2021, the Minutemen broke through and won their first national championship. They’ve been a force in college hockey since then; they’re currently ranked 10^th in the national standings.

8) Quinnipiac University

Since the late 90s, Quinnipiac has been one of the best hockey colleges in the country. In 1999, the Bobcats finished the year as the regular season ECAC champions. In 2002, for the first time in their history, they appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament. A decade later, head coach Rand Pecknold led the Bobcats to their first appearance in the championship round of the tournament, where they were bested by Yale. The Bobcats made another run all the way to the tournament finals in 2016 but were beaten by North Dakota. In 2023, Quinnipiac was back in the championship round of the NCAA tournament, but this time they wouldn’t be denied, beating Minnesota 3-2 in overtime to win their first national title.

Quinnipiac is currently ranked 13th nationally.

9) Western Michigan University

The Western Michigan Broncos are 70-43-3 under head coach Pat Ferschweiler. They won the 2025 NCAA Division I national championship, the first in program history.

10) Cornell University

Cornell is one of the best hockey colleges in the country. They’re two-time national champs (1967, 1970), and although their heyday was the late 1960s and early 70s—they were NCAA tournament finalists in 1969 and 1972—they’ve maintained a high level of success throughout the decades. The men’s Big Red finished the 2025 season ranked 11th nationally with a 19-11-6 record.

11) Colorado College

The Tigers have struggled in recent years—they’re 43-59-9 under head coach Kris Mayotte, and their last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2011—but they’re two-time national champs (1950, 1957) and three-time national runners-up (1952, 1955, 1996). Their last deep run in the NCAA tournament was in 2005, when they made their tenth Frozen Four.

12) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Most of RPI’s teams compete at the Division III level, but their men’s hockey team is a Division I legacy. The Engineers are two-time national champions (1954, 1985), and over the years they’ve made a total of five Frozen Four appearances.

13) University of Maine

Since 1988, the men’s Black Bears have made eleven Frozen Fours. They’re three-time NCAA tournament runners-up and two-time national champs (1993, 1999). They finished the 2025 season as the 7th highest-ranked team in the country after going 24-8-6.

14) Michigan Tech

The Michigan Tech Huskies dominated men’s college ice hockey in the 1960s and 70s. Between 1960 and 1976, they made eight Frozen Four appearances. Three of those runs (1962, 1965, and 1975) resulted in national championships. The Huskies aren’t currently ranked within the top 20 nationally, but eight seasons into head coach Joe Shawhan’s tenure, they’re 138-103-26.

15) Lake Superior State University

The Lake Superior Lakers are three-time national champions (1988, 1992, 1994). They’ve produced 31 players who’ve gone on to pro careers in the NHL, two of which—Brian Rolston and Doug Weight—became all-stars. The Lakers last made an appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2021.

16) Michigan State University

Michigan State closed the 2025 season at the 6 spot in the national rankings, going 26-7-4 on the year. The Spartans are three-time national champs (1966, 1986, 2007).

17) University of Minnesota Duluth

The men’s ice hockey program at Minnesota Duluth began in 1930, but only in recent years have they been truly dominant—and arguably one of the best hockey colleges in the country. The men’s Bulldogs are three-time national champions (2011, 2018, 2019), and they’ve made eight Frozen Fours, the most recent of which was in 2021

18) University of Wisconsin

Since the 1960s, the Badgers have been one of the truly elite programs in college hockey. Their resume includes six national titles (1973, 1977, 1981, 1990, 2006), three runners-up finishes, and twelve Frozen Four appearances. The Badgers last appeared in the NCAA Division I tournament in 2024.

19) Boston College

The men’s Eagles have one of the most impressive resumes in all of college hockey. They’re five-time national champs (1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012), seven-time national runners-up, and they’ve made a Frozen Four berth 26 times. 88 former Eagles have gone on to careers in the NHL, and 28 Eagles products have been a part of an Olympic national team.

Boston College ended the year as the 4th highest-ranked team in the country.

20) Boston University

The men’s Terriers are five-time NCAA Division I champions (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009), and in 2025 they made a bid for their sixth, making it all the way to the final round before being bested by Western Michigan. As national runners-up, the ended the 2025 season as the 2nd highest-ranked team in college hockey.

21) University of Minnesota

The men’s ice hockey team at the University of Minnesota is amongst the best in the country. They’ve won the NCAA Division I tournament five times (1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003), finished runner-up eight times, and appeared in the Frozen Four 23 times.

But it’s not just the Golden Gophers’ dominance that sets them apart. The team has long been known to prioritize native Minnesotan talent, as opposed to recruiting European, Canadian, or out-of-state players. That ethos was partly responsible for the massive rise in the sport’s popularity in Minnesota: between 1945 and 1980, the number of Minnesota high schools with ice hockey teams grew from 26 to more than 150. In fact, you could argue that that ethos played a role in the “Miracle on Ice,” the US national team’s unbelievable upset of the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics. US coach Herb Brooks, who coached the Golden Gophers from 1972 to 1979, forged his gold-medal squad with Minnesota talent. Nine players on the Miracle team were former Golden Gophers.

The Golden Gophers wrapped up 2025 ranked 8th nationally.

22) University of North Dakota

The Fighting Hawks are one of the great teams in the college hockey firmament. They’re eight-time national champs (1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2016) and have made 22 Frozen Four appearances. Only two teams in the history of men’s college hockey are more decorated than the Fighting Hawks.

23) University of Michigan

The men’s Wolverines are the second-most decorated ice hockey team in college history. They’re nine-time NCAA Division I champs, and between 1991 and 2012, they didn’t miss a tournament appearance, a streak of 22 playoff berths that constitutes an NCAA record.

24) University of Denver

The Pioneers are the most decorated men’s collegiate hockey team of all time. They’re ten-time NCAA tournament champions (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005, 2017, 2022, 2024), their dominance spanning from the late 1950s to the present moment. Under current head coach David Carle, who took over in 2018, the Pioneers are 148-62-16. The Pioneers ended the 2025 season 31-12-1, a record which earned them a year-end ranking of 3rd in the national standings.

Additional Resources

• List of All NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Teams
• List of All NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Teams
• 15 Good Questions to Ask College Coaches
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