When men's ice hockey begins at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, players with college ties will be all over the ice. Nearly 50 NCAA alumni from 29 schools are set to compete for nine countries. Players include former national champions, Frozen Four standouts and major award winners. On a world stage, the Olympics will showcase collegiate hockey's impact on some of the world's best athletes.
How many NCAA players are in men's ice hockey at Milan Cortina 2026?
- NCAA alums competing in men's ice hockey: 49 athletes from nine countries.
- NCAA programs represented: 29.
- Did you know? 16% (49 of 300) of all men's hockey athletes in the Olympics played at an NCAA institution. (Full NCAA Olympic dashboard)
NCAA Division Breakdown
- Division I: 34.
- Division II: 11.
- Division III: 5.
- Note: Players transferring to another division are counted in both divisions.
Which NCAA schools are represented?
A total of 29 NCAA schools are represented across Olympic men's ice hockey. Below are Olympians who were also student-athletes (transfers are counted for each school):
- Boston U. (6): Macklin Celebrini, Jack Eichel, Clayton Keller, Charlie McAvoy, Jake Oettinger, Brady Tkachuk.
- Michigan (4): Kyle Connor, Quinn Hughes, Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski.
- Clarkson (3): Haralds Egle, Lukas Kaelble, Nico Sturm.
- Minnesota (3): Brock Faber, Erik Haula, Jackson LaCombe.
- Minnesota State Mankato (3): Teddy Blueger, Marc Michaelis, Parker Tuomie.
- Boston College (2): Matt Boldy, Noah Hanifin.
- Lake Superior State (2): Louis Boudon, Lukas Kaelble.
- Michigan State (2): Dustin Gazley, Wojciech Stachowiak.
- North Dakota (2): Brock Nelson, Jake Sanderson.
- Robert Morris (2): Justin Addamo, Daniel Mantenuto.
- St. Cloud State (2): Oliver Lauridsen, Patrick Russell.
- UMass Lowell (2): Connor Hellebuyck, Dans Locmelis.
- University of Maine (2): Jeremy Swayman, Eduards Tralmaks.
- Alaska Fairbanks: Colton Parayko.
- American International: Janis Jaks.
- Bowling Green: Ralfs Freibergs.
- Colgate: Thomas Larkin.
- Colorado College: Jaccob Slavin.
- Massachusetts: Cale Makar.
- Merrimack: Stéphane Da Costa.
- Michigan Tech: Alex Petan.
- Minnesota Duluth: Adam Gajan.
- Omaha: Jake Guentzel.
- Plattsburgh State: Nick Jensen.
- Providence: Nick Saracino.
- Quinnipiac: Devon Toews.
- Rensselaer: Justin Addamo.
- UConn: Tage Thompson.
- Western Michigan: Frederik Tiffels.
What NCAA Conferences are represented?
17 NCAA primary conferences contributed men's hockey Olympians:
- Big Ten Conference — 9.
- Patriot League — 7.
- Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference — 6.
- America East Conference — 4.
- Liberty League — 4.
- Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — 3.
- Mid-American Conference — 3.
- The Summit League — 3.
- Atlantic Coast Conference — 2.
- Big East Conference — 2.
- Horizon League — 2.
- Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference — 2.
- Northeast Conference — 1.
- Northeast 10 Conference — 1.
- Great Northwest Athletic Conference — 1.
- Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference — 1.
- State University of New York Athletic Conference — 1.
Sport-specific conferences
Six sport-specific conferences are represented within the men's Olympic ice hockey rosters, as well as one independent school (Alaska Fairbanks).
- Hockey East Association — 15.
- Central Collegiate Hockey Association — 7.
- National Collegiate Hockey Conference — 7.
- Eastern College Athletic Conference — 5.
- Atlantic Hockey America (Men's) — 2.
- Northern Collegiate Hockey Conference — 1.
What countries are the NCAA athletes representing at the Olympics?
The men's hockey Olympians come from 9 national teams:
- United States — 20.
- Germany — 6.
- Latvia — 6.
- Italy — 5.
- Canada — 4.
- Denmark — 3.
- France — 3.
- Finland — 1.
- Slovakia — 1.
(Team USA men's ice hockey roster: NCAA connections.)
NCAA champions and Frozen Four standouts at the Olympics
Frozen Four pressure has long been a proving ground for future Olympians. Many of the 2026 competitors, including one national champion, authored big-game moments at the NCAA's highest level.
NCAA Champion
Nick Saracino (Providence, 2015): While at Providence, Saracino amassed 116 points on 46 goals and 70 assists. His career-high 38 points in 2014-15 boosted the Friars to the 2015 national championship.
Frozen Four Appearances
- Brock Nelson (North Dakota, 2011): Propelled his team to the Frozen Four as a freshman.
- Erik Haula (Minnesota, 2012): Helped lead the Gophers to the Frozen Four as a sophomore, leading the team in points in 2011-12.
- Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell, 2013): Backstopped the River Hawks' first Frozen Four appearance.
- Jack Eichel (Boston U., 2015): Powered Boston U.'s run to the national title game in 2015 during one of the most decorated freshman seasons in college hockey history.
- Jake Guentzel (Omaha, 2015): Helped Omaha reach the Frozen Four in 2015, a milestone moment for the Mavericks program.
- Devon Toews (Quinnipiac, 2016): As a senior, Toews guided Quinnipiac to the Frozen Four title game.
- Quinn Hughes (Michigan, 2018): Helped Michigan clinch a 2018 Frozen Four berth.
- Cale Makar (Massachusetts, 2019): Makar led the Minutemen to their first-ever Frozen Four appearance and championship game in 2019.
- Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe (Minnesota, 2022 and 2023): Part of Minnesota teams that reached the Frozen Four in 2022 and returned to the title game in 2023.
- Macklin Celebrini (Boston U., 2024): During his standout freshman campaign, Celebrini guided Boston U. to the Frozen Four.
NCAA awards and record holders on 2026 Olympic rosters
The 2026 field features award winners, NCAA single-season leaders and one record holder.
Hobey Baker Memorial Award (national player of the year)
- Jack Eichel (2015) — Boston U. (United States).
- Cale Makar (2019) — Massachusetts (Canada).
- Macklin Celebrini (2024) — Boston U. (Canada).
Mike Richter Award (national goalie of the year)
- Connor Hellebuyck (2014) — UMass Lowell (United States).
- Jeremy Swayman (2020) — Maine (United States).
Tim Taylor Award (national rookie of the year)
- Stéphane Da Costa (2010) — Merrimack (France).
- Jack Eichel (2015) — Boston U. (United States).
- Kyle Connor (2016) — Michigan (United States).
- Clayton Keller (2017) — Boston U. (United States).
- Macklin Celebrini (2024) — Boston U. (Canada).
Single-season leaders
- Matt Boldy, Boston College — NCAA short-handed goals co-leader in 2020-21 (3).
- Kyle Connor, Michigan — NCAA national leader in points per game (1.87) and goals per game(0.92) for the 2015-16 season. Connor notched 71 points in 38 games as a freshman, including a Michigan-record 27-game point streak.
- Jack Eichel, Boston U. — Led the NCAA in points per game (1.78) in the 2014-15 season, scoring 71 points in 40 games as a freshman.
- Erik Haula, Minnesota — NCAA national assists leader in 2013 (0.95).
- Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell): NCAA leader in save percentage and goals against average for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons and goalie winning percentage for the 2012-13 season.
- Marc Michaelis, Minnesota State — NCAA co-leader in 2019-20 for short-handed goals (3).
- Tage Thompson, UConn — NCAA national leader in power-play goals (13) in the 2015-16 season.
NCAA Record Holders
- Brock Faber — Minnesota (United States): Remains tied for an NCAA tournament record with five assists in a game against Omaha in the 2021 regional.
- Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell): NCAA career save percentage leader (.946).
How to watch
Every game will be livestreamed and available on demand on Peacock. Daily broadcast schedules are available at nbcolympics.com/schedule.
