MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. — St. Thomas will be starting a new chapter – at least its men's hockey team will be.
The Tommies will be joining North Dakota, St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) starting 2026, according to school officials.
St. Thomas was admitted following a unanimous vote by the NCHC Board of Directors.
“The NCHC is among the premier conferences in all of college hockey and we are thrilled to announce our membership in 2026. The move aligns with our institutional and athletics trajectory and places the Tommies with the other Summit League hockey-playing members competing in the conference,” St. Thomas Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Phil Esten said in a statement. “We are enthusiastic about the new strategic opportunities this will bring our university and department as we will bring new rivalries to St. Paul and compete in expanded markets nationally.”
The Tommies will the the 10th team to join the conference, which also includes the Denver Pioneers, who have won national titles two of the past three years.
“The NCHC is excited to welcome the University of St. Thomas to our ranks in 2026-27. During our annual NCHC meetings in Naples, the athletics directors engaged in robust conversation about the conference’s vision and goals in the current NCAA landscape, including membership. St. Thomas’ institutional vision and commitment to nationally competitive hockey, as well as their central location in our footprint and new facility, make them an ideal fit,” said NCHC Commissioner Heather Weems in a statement. “The window of opportunity arose quickly, and we worked efficiently with our Board of Directors, Athletics Council, and the University of St. Thomas to achieve expansion. I want to thank St. Thomas President Rob Vischer and Vice President and Director of Athletics Phil Esten for their vision and investment in hockey. We expect they will compete well against our current members and only strengthen the depth and quality of the NCHC.”
St. Thomas, which made the jump to Division I in 2021, will remain in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for the next two seasons before joining the NCHC in the 2026-27 season.
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