University of St. Thomas Athletics
St. Thomas officially joins NCHC as conference’s 10th member
7/1/2026 11:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Tommies begin inaugural NCHC season this October
ST. PAUL, Minn. – July 1 marks a historic day for the University of St. Thomas men's hockey program as the Tommies officially become members of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). St. Thomas joins the conference with full membership and voting rights after the move was first announced in May 2024.
The Tommies become the 10th member of the NCHC, joining Arizona State, Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan.
St. Thomas enters the NCHC following five seasons as a Division I program in the CCHA after beginning the transition from Division III in 2021-22. The Toms are coming off their most successful season in the program's DI era, finishing 21-12-5 overall during the 2025-26 campaign. The 21 victories were a program record and their 15-7-4 conference record was good for second place in the CCHA.
The Tommies will begin their first NCHC season on Oct. 9-10, hosting Air Force for a two-game series at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Conference play opens Oct. 30-31 at Miami and St. Thomas will host its first-ever NCHC home series Nov. 13-14 against North Dakota at Anderson Arena.
Under the NCHC's 10-team scheduling model, St. Thomas and St. Cloud State have been designated travel partners and will meet in four regular season games each year, including the final weekend of the regular season. Beginning in 2027, all 10 conference members will qualify for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, with the tournament champion earning the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. St. Thomas is immediately eligible for both the conference tournament and the NCAA automatic qualifier.
Fans can follow the Tommies throughout their inaugural NCHC season on NCHC.tv, which streams every conference game, home nonconference contest and the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
USE CODE: TOMMIES10 at this link https://nchchockey.com/tv/subscriptions for 10% OFF THE NCHC ANNUAL PASS.
The NCHC has established itself as one of college hockey's premier conferences, capturing eight NCAA national championships in its first 13 seasons, including each of the last three titles. Conference members have combined for 18 Frozen Four appearances and 45 NCAA tournament berths.
Follow Along
For any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas men's hockey, follow along on Instagram and X at @TommieMHockey.
The Tommies become the 10th member of the NCHC, joining Arizona State, Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota Duluth, Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan.
St. Thomas enters the NCHC following five seasons as a Division I program in the CCHA after beginning the transition from Division III in 2021-22. The Toms are coming off their most successful season in the program's DI era, finishing 21-12-5 overall during the 2025-26 campaign. The 21 victories were a program record and their 15-7-4 conference record was good for second place in the CCHA.
The Tommies will begin their first NCHC season on Oct. 9-10, hosting Air Force for a two-game series at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Conference play opens Oct. 30-31 at Miami and St. Thomas will host its first-ever NCHC home series Nov. 13-14 against North Dakota at Anderson Arena.
Under the NCHC's 10-team scheduling model, St. Thomas and St. Cloud State have been designated travel partners and will meet in four regular season games each year, including the final weekend of the regular season. Beginning in 2027, all 10 conference members will qualify for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, with the tournament champion earning the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. St. Thomas is immediately eligible for both the conference tournament and the NCAA automatic qualifier.
Fans can follow the Tommies throughout their inaugural NCHC season on NCHC.tv, which streams every conference game, home nonconference contest and the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
USE CODE: TOMMIES10 at this link https://nchchockey.com/tv/subscriptions for 10% OFF THE NCHC ANNUAL PASS.
The NCHC has established itself as one of college hockey's premier conferences, capturing eight NCAA national championships in its first 13 seasons, including each of the last three titles. Conference members have combined for 18 Frozen Four appearances and 45 NCAA tournament berths.
Follow Along
For any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas men's hockey, follow along on Instagram and X at @TommieMHockey.
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