10 Schools•Division I•Est. 2011
The NCHC was founded in 2011 and dropped the puck in October 2013. Six schools started it: Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Omaha and North Dakota. St. Cloud State and Western Michigan accepted invitations that September. The first two games, Miami hosting North Dakota and Colorado College hosting Minnesota Duluth, were televised nationally.
The league set up in Colorado Springs, the birthplace of the NCAA hockey championships, and still works out of the Copper Building on the grounds of the Penrose House. Its mission is plain: foster competitive, academic and operational excellence through the sport of ice hockey.
The trophies followed quickly. North Dakota won the national title in 2016, Denver in 2017, and Minnesota Duluth in 2018 and 2019, making the NCHC the first conference with four straight champions since the WCHA run that ended in 2006. Denver added titles in 2022 and 2024, Western Michigan broke through in 2025, and Denver won again in 2026. Will Butcher of Denver and Scott Perunovich of Minnesota Duluth have won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player.
The Olympic pipeline runs just as deep. NCHC players and alumni have worn the Stars and Stripes at the Winter Games in 2018, 2022 and 2026, among them Troy Terry, Will Borgen, Jake Sanderson, Jake Guentzel, Brock Nelson and Jaccob Slavin. The league sends talent to other flags too, with alumni representing Slovakia, Denmark and Germany.
Two trophies shape every season. The Penrose Cup, named for Julie and Spencer Penrose, goes to the regular season champion. The National Cup goes to the winner of the Frozen Faceoff, a tournament fans helped name by vote.
Official Website
The NCHC was founded in 2011 and dropped the puck in October 2013. Six schools started it: Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Omaha and North Dakota. St. Cloud State and Western Michigan accepted invitations that September. The first two games, Miami hosting North Dakota and Colorado College hosting Minnesota Duluth, were televised nationally.
The league set up in Colorado Springs, the birthplace of the NCAA hockey championships, and still works out of the Copper Building on the grounds of the Penrose House. Its mission is plain: foster competitive, academic and operational excellence through the sport of ice hockey.
The trophies followed quickly. North Dakota won the national title in 2016, Denver in 2017, and Minnesota Duluth in 2018 and 2019, making the NCHC the first conference with four straight champions since the WCHA run that ended in 2006. Denver added titles in 2022 and 2024, Western Michigan broke through in 2025, and Denver won again in 2026. Will Butcher of Denver and Scott Perunovich of Minnesota Duluth have won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player.
The Olympic pipeline runs just as deep. NCHC players and alumni have worn the Stars and Stripes at the Winter Games in 2018, 2022 and 2026, among them Troy Terry, Will Borgen, Jake Sanderson, Jake Guentzel, Brock Nelson and Jaccob Slavin. The league sends talent to other flags too, with alumni representing Slovakia, Denmark and Germany.
Two trophies shape every season. The Penrose Cup, named for Julie and Spencer Penrose, goes to the regular season champion. The National Cup goes to the winner of the Frozen Faceoff, a tournament fans helped name by vote.
Official Website