NCAA

March 26: Just like Notre Dame yesterday, Michigan has now been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to multiple positive COVID tests. Minnesota-Duluth will advance in a “no-contest.”

March 22: After an odd season played almost exclusively in-conference, the best of college hockey are finally about to collide. The 2021 NCAA Tournament is set to kick off on Friday, and by Sunday the 16-team field will be down to just four, the Frozen Four. Those teams will then meet next on April 8, with the champion being crowned on April 10. In a single-elimination, do-or-die tournament, the stakes are always high. In a season where almost no one has had the chance to face the top teams outside of their own conference, the bar has been raised even further.

Here is a look at the group in the Midwest Regional, hosted in Fargo, North Dakota. No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 take place on Friday, followed by the winners playing on Saturday for the chance to advance:

1)  No. 1 North Dakota
NHL Prospects:
D Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators (R1, 2020)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker, Ottawa Senators (R1, 2018)
F Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators (R2, 2019)
D Tyler Kleven, Ottawa Senators (R2, 2020)
F Grant Mismash, Nashville Predators (R2, 2017)
F Jasper Weatherby, San Jose Sharks (R4, 2018)
D Cooper Moore, Detroit Red Wings (R5, 2019)
F Harrison Blaisdell, Winnipeg Jets (R5, 2019)
F Judd Caulfield, Pittsburgh Penguins (R5, 2019)
G Peter Thome, Columbus Blue Jackets (R6, 2016)
F Collin Adams, New York Islanders (R6, 2016)
F Gavin Hain, Philadelphia Flyers (R6, 2018)

Priority Free Agents: F Jordan Kawaguchi, D Matt Kiersted, G Adam Scheel

The talent of the Fighting Hawks is obvious, on paper and in their results. The top team in the nation was third in goals per game and sixth in goals against per game, competing against the elite competition of the NCHC. Even though Fargo looks to be the most difficult region, North Dakota should be the favorite to survive and ultimately to win the entire tournament. They almost certainly won’t get another chance with this core of top prospects, a group of high NHL draft picks and several undrafted veterans bound for the pros as well.

2) No. 9 Minnesota-Duluth
NHL Prospects:
D Wyatt Kaiser, Chicago Blackhawks (R3, 2020)
D Matt Kairns, Edmonton Oilers (R3, 2016)
F Quinn Olson, Boston Bruins (R3, 2019)
F Blake Biondi, Montreal Canadiens (R4, 2020)
F Noah Cates, Philadelphia Flyers (R5, 2018)
F Cole Koepke, Tampa Bay Lightning (R6, 2018)
F Luke Loheit, Ottawa Senators (R7, 2018)
F Nick Swaney, Minnesota Wild (R7, 2017)

Priority Free Agents: F Jackson Cates

Still the reigning NCAA champs, after last season’s tournament was canceled, the Bulldogs have appeared in each of the last three finals and have won the past two. They can’t be counted out, even if they don’t quite have the talent level that they used to. They are still a top-ten team in scoring defense and are tough to play against. However, UMD undoubtedly draws the toughest first-round matchup of any higher seed in Michigan – as evidenced by the national poll ranking the “underdog” above them. They would then have to beat NCHC rival North Dakota to move on.

3) No. 8 Michigan
NHL Prospects:
D Cam York, Philadelphia Flyers (R1, 2019)
F Brendan Brisson, Vegas Golden Knights (R1, 2020)
F Johnny Beecher, Boston Bruins (R1, 2019)
F Thomas Bordeleau, San Jose Sharks (R2, 2020)
G Erik Portillo, Buffalo Sabres (R3, 2019)
F Jack Becker, Boston Bruins (R7, 2015)
F Eric Ciccolini, New York Rangers (R7, 2019)

Top 2021 NHL Draft Prospects: D Owen Power, F Matthew Beniers, F Kent Johnson
Priority Free Agents: G Strauss Mann

The Wolverines entered the season with high expectations and have remained one of the most talked-about teams in college hockey all year. Not only does the Big Ten powerhouse already sport three already-drafted NHL first-rounders, but they will add three more this summer – potentially even three top-ten picks. The immense skill among Michigan’s young players, combined with a stingy defense and solid goaltending, makes them a dangerous team and a dark horse to upset two top teams in Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota. Inexperience could be the major hurdle standing in their way.

4) No. 14 American International
NHL Prospects: G Jake Kucharski, Carolina Hurricanes (R7, 2018)

AIC has established themselves as the top dog in Atlantic Hockey over the past few years, but were never considered a threat as an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, still needing to earn the automatic qualification of a conference tournament win. While the situation never arose this year, there was beginning to be some push for AIC to potentially get into the national tourney this year even if they hadn’t won the Atlantic. The program is moving in the right direction. With that said, they are saddled with three elite teams in their region and it is very hard to see them winning their first game, nevertheless both needed to advance.

National ranks courtesy of the March 22 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll

After an odd season played almost exclusively in-conference, the best of college hockey are finally about to collide. The 2021 NCAA Tournament is set to kick off on Friday, and by Sunday the 16-team field will be down to just four, the Frozen Four. Those teams will then meet next on April 8, with the champion being crowned on April 10. In a single-elimination, do-or-die tournament, the stakes are always high. In a season where almost no one has had the chance to face the top teams outside of their own conference, the bar has been raised even further.

Here is a look at the group in the West Regional, hosted in Loveland, Colorado. No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 take place on Saturday, followed by the winners playing on Sunday for the chance to advance:

1)  No. 2 Minnesota
NHL Prospects:
D Ryan Johnson, Buffalo Sabres (R1, 2019)
D Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks (R2, 2019)
D Brock Faber, Los Angeles Kings (R2, 2020)
G Jack LaFontaine, Carolina Hurricanes (R3, 2016)
F Sampo Ranta, Colorado Avalanche (R3, 2018)
F Blake McLaughlin, Anaheim Ducks (R3, 2018)
F Scott Reedy, San Jose Sharks (R4, 2017)
F Jack Perbix, Anaheim Ducks (R4, 2018)
D Mike Koster, Toronto Maple Leafs (R5, 2019)
D Ben Brinkman, Dallas Stars (R6, 2019)
G Jared Moe, Winnipeg Jets (R6, 2018)
F Bryce Brodzinski, Philadelphia Flyers (R7, 2019)
F Sammy Walker, Tampa Bay Lightning (R7, 2017)
D Robbie Stucker, Columbus Blue Jackets (R7, 2017)

Priority Free Agents: F Ben Meyers

A historic program that has missed three of the past four NCAA Tournaments and hasn’t won a National Championship since 2003, Minnesota is ready to re-assert themselves as one the best in college hockey. The Gophers have more NHL draft picks on their roster than any other team and it shows in their impressive depth at every position, including six 20+ point players. The No. 4-ranked offense and No.-2 ranked defense in the country combine to make Minnesota a dangerous and well-rounded contender. They likely didn’t expect or wish to potentially face Minnesota State, the only team in the NCAA with a greater scoring differential, but the Gophers are still the team to beat in the West by a wide margin. The real question is whether they have enough high-end talent to take down the other big names that could be waiting in the Frozen Four.

2) No. 6 Minnesota State
NHL Prospects:
D Nathan Smith, Winnipeg Jets (R3, 2018)
D Todd Burgess, Ottawa Senators (R4, 2016)

Priority Free Agents: D Akito Hirose, G Dryden McKay, F Julian Napravnik

Built very differently from their in-state counterparts, the Mavericks of Mankato are nevertheless a scary opposition. With the nation’s top defense paired with a top-ten offense, Minnesota State led the NCAA with a 2.62 average scoring margin. An experienced, conservative team backed up by stellar goaltending, Minnesota State beats up on its WCHA opponents year after year, fine tuning its structure in anticipation of superior competition in the NCAA Tournament. It has become a near-fool proof strategy for the team, provided they win their conference tournament. That didn’t happen this year and Minnesota State likely lost a No. 1 seed as a result. They get relatively lucky with Quinnipiac in the first round – not a pushover but a team with an even less impressive resume than Mankato’s this season – but facing Minnesota to get through to the Frozen Four is a daunting task.

3) No. 10 Quinnipiac
NHL Prospects:
F Ty Smilanic, Florida Panthers (R3, 2020)
G Keith Petruzelli, Detroit Red Wings (R3, 2017)
F Skyler Brind’Amour, Edmonton Oilers (R6, 2017)
D Peter DiLiberatore, Vegas Golden Knights (R6, 2018)

Priority Free Agents: F Odeen Tufto 

Technically, it took a positive COVID test from the stunning ECAC Champions St. Lawrence to guarantee Quinnipiac a spot in the NCAA Tournament this year as the replacement auto-qualifier. However, Quinnipiac was undeniably the best team in their conference this year and may have made the tournament anyway. Yet, the ECAC in 2020-21 was not the typical quality of the conference. With the Ivy League schools, Union, and RIT all opting out of the season, the ECAC was composed of just Quinnipiac, Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Colgate, the latter two of which are perennially at the bottom of the conference standings. COVID also knocked Clarkson out of the ECAC tournament, eliminating yet another roadblock for Quinnipiac. The team has some talented players, but there really is no way of knowing what to expect from a largely untested Bobcats squad this year.

4) No. 12 Nebraska-Omaha
NHL Prospects:
D Jonny Tychonick, Ottawa Senators (R2, 2018)
F Tyler Weiss, Colorado Avalanche (R4, 2018)
G Isaiah Saville, Vegas Golden Knights (R5, 2019)

Priority Free Agents: F Chayse Primeau, D Brandon Scanlin

A true bubble team this year, Omaha’s one-and-done NCHC Tournament looked like it might doom their national title hopes, but they snuck into the national tournament somehow. Their reward? A much deeper and more talented Minnesota team in the first round. While Omaha is by no means the easiest first-round opponent, they do have some holes, namely inconsistent secondary scoring and defensive play and so-so goaltending. UNO will have to shake off their poor conference tournament, ride their top scorers, and hope for the best on the back end if they want to upset the Gophers.

National ranks courtesy of the March 22 USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll