COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The National is now a perfect 10! More than two years after making the initial announcement, the University of St. Thomas is officially a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) as of today, July 1, 2026. The NCHC first revealed St. Thomas would be joining the NCHC back on May 15, 2024, but the Tommies now have full membership and voting rights in the Conference.

The addition of St. Thomas marks the second time the NCHC has expanded since play began in 2013-14, with Arizona State becoming a member prior to the 2024-25 season. With UST officially in the fold, the National has 10 members for the first time in its history. The NCHC’s membership now consists of Arizona State University, Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University, the University of St. Thomas and Western Michigan University. 
 
“The official addition of the University of St. Thomas represents another significant step forward in the continued growth of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference,” said NCHC Commissioner Heather Weems. “St. Thomas has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence through its investment in Division I athletics, outstanding academic reputation, and focus on delivering a first-class student-athlete experience. Their expanding hockey tradition, ambitious vision, and central location within our conference footprint make them an ideal addition to the NCHC.
 
“We are thrilled to officially welcome St. Thomas President Rob Vischer, Director of Athletics Phil Esten, Head Coach Rico Blasi, their student-athletes, alumni, and Tommies fans to the NCHC family and look forward to the exciting future we will build together,” Weems added.
 
St. Thomas joins the NCHC after spending its first five seasons as a Division I men’s hockey program in the CCHA. The Tommies made the jump to Division I for all sports beginning with the 2021-22 season. St. Thomas men’s hockey is coming off its best season in Division I after posting a 21-12-5 overall record in 2025-26, with the 21 wins the most in UST’s D-I era. St. Thomas also went 15-7-4 in the CCHA this past year for a runner-up finish. The Tommies also finished as CCHA runners-up in the 2023-24 regular season.
 
Prior to reclassifying to Division I, St. Thomas was a force in Division III men’s hockey, winning six conference championships in its last 10 seasons in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Tommies also made three NCAA Tournament appearances over their final nine years in Division III (17 overall D-III NCAA Tournament appearances).
 
“We are extremely excited for this next chapter for our men’s hockey program. The University of St. Thomas is committed to comprehensive excellence, and the NCHC exudes excellence in college hockey,” said St. Thomas Vice President and Director of Athletics Phil Esten. “Coach Blasi and his staff, our student-athletes, and our entire department have worked hard to position ourselves to compete with the best in the country. The NCHC is home to some of the best programs in college hockey and we’re thrilled to play alongside those well-established and historically successful brands. We have a proud past as we’ve built a strong tradition of excellence in St. Paul, and we have an equally as bright future as we join the premier conference in college hockey.”
 
St. Thomas begins the 2026-27 season on Oct. 9-10, hosting a two-game series against Air Force at UST’s Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, which opened in the fall of 2025. The Tommies will make their NCHC debut on Oct. 30-31 at Miami with UST head coach Rico Blasi returning to his alma mater. Blasi also served as head coach at Miami for 20 years, including six seasons in the NCHC. St. Thomas’ first home NCHC series will be on Nov. 13-14 against North Dakota.
 
The NCHC released its full, 120-game conference schedule back in April, when UST’s NCHC slate was unveiled. As part of the NCHC’s 10-team scheduling model, the Tommies and St. Cloud State have been deemed travel partners and will play each other in two series (four games) every season, including facing off on the final weekend of the regular season. The National also has a new postseason tournament format for 2027, which will see all 10 teams qualify for the Frozen Faceoff. The Tommies are immediately eligible for the NCHC Tournament and the NCHC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
St. Thomas plays in the new Lee & Penny Anderson Arena – a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility, which serves as the home of St. Thomas men’s and women’s hockey, as well as men’s and women’s basketball. The 253,000 square foot Anderson Arena includes two sheets of ice and a capacity of 4,000 for hockey games.
 
The University of St. Thomas is located in Saint Paul, Minn. and has an enrollment of more than 9,000 students. The Tommies sponsor 21 Division I sports, including men’s and women’s ice hockey, with women’s hockey in the WCHA and the majority of their other sports in The Summit League.
 
St. Thomas fans looking to watch the Tommies in their debut season in the NCHC can do so on the Conference’s digital network, NCHC.tv. NCHC.tv is home to approximately 200 live games during the upcoming 2026-27 season, including every home non-conference and exhibition game, all 120 conference games, and the entire NCHC Frozen Faceoff. UST fans can subscribe to NCHC.tv today to secure access to watch the Tommies all season before prices go up in September. To learn more about NCHC.tv, including availability on mobile and OTT apps such as Roku, AppleTV and FireTV, click here.
 
The NCHC has won eight NCAA National Championships in its first 13 seasons (12 tournaments), including each of the last three, with four different members winning a title, led by Denver this year. NCHC teams have combined to make 18 Frozen Four appearances in conference history (12 tournaments), as well as 45 NCAA Tournament berths.
 
The 2026-27 season officially gets underway on Friday, Oct. 2, with five NCHC teams facing non-conference foes and one playing an exhibition. St. Thomas begins its season the following Friday, Oct. 9. The pursuit of the Penrose Cup then begins on Oct. 30-31 with four conference series.