LAS VEGAS – Michigan hockey has spent all season trying to get to Las Vegas. And now that the Wolverines are here, they have their biggest game of the season ahead of them.
The 1-seed Wolverines (32-7-1) are taking on the 2-seed Denver Pioneers (27-11-3) in the national semifinal of the 2026 NCAA Hockey Tournament on Thursday, April 9, at T-Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for around 8:30 p.m. ET (or an hour after the other semifinal game between North Dakota and Wisconsin) with the game televised on ESPN2 and streaming available on Fubo.
The winner of this game will take on the winner of the North Dakota-Wisconsin matchup, taking place at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, for the national championship on Saturday, April 11 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Watch the Frozen Four on Fubo
With No. 1 overall seed Michigan and perennial championship contender Denver squaring off, this could end up the most riveting game of the Frozen Four. Michigan and Denver last met in the tournament during the 2022 national semifinal, one that saw Denver pull out a 3-2 overtime win on its way to its ninth national championship. Denver’s 10 national championships are the most in NCAA men’s hockey, though Michigan could tie that record with two wins this week.
Though the Wolverines are second overall with nine national championships, Michigan hasn’t lifted the trophy since 1998, its longest drought without a national title since a 32-year gap between the 1964 and 1996 titles. Michigan has made the Frozen Four nine times since its 1998 title but has advanced to the championship game just once in those nine tries, ending in a 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota Duluth in 2011.
Michigan features Hobey Baker Award finalist T.J. Hughes, whose 56 points are second in the NCAA this season behind Quinnipiac’s Ethan Wyttenbach. Denver features a Hobey Baker finalist on its side, as well, with defenseman Eric Pohlkamp leading the Pioneers with 39 points in 41 games.
Here’s what you need to know about this Frozen Four matchup.
Michigan hockey scouting report at the Frozen Four
What do Michigan basketball and Michigan hockey have in common?
(Besides, you know, both representing U-M.)
You could point to No. 1 seeds in their respective tournament regionals leading to national semifinal appearances, or a senior forward already named one of the best college players in the country – Yaxel Lendeborg on the basketball side and T.J. Hughes on the hockey side.
But maybe most impressively, the quality that exemplifies both of these teams this season is roster turnover.
Michigan became the first college basketball team to win an NCAA title with five transfers in the starting lineup, four of which played for different schools the season before. Michigan hockey has something similar going on, with 15 new players on its roster helping to bolster arguably the most talented roster the Wolverines have had in at least a decade.
“It’s the deepest our team has ever been, the reason being for that is guys accepting roles,” said Michigan coach Brandon Naurato. “Every night that we go by we don’t know which line is going to be our first line … everyone just trying to find value as an individual.”
The youth movement in Ann Arbor has really paid off, too. Of the 11 Michigan skaters with at least 20 points this season, six are either freshmen or sophomores, with sophomore (and Pittsburgh Penguins first-round draft pick) Will Horcoff leading the team with 25 goals and freshman Adam Valentini leading the first years in both goals (11) and assists (15). And that doesn’t even mention freshman goalie Jack Ivankovic, who went 25-7-1 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.13 goals-against average this season, behind only Michigan State goalie Trey Augustine in both marks among all Big Ten netminders.
But despite all the quality the Wolverines have gotten from their new talent, their best and most important player is the senior Hughes, one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Hughes’ 56 points over 39 games lead the Big Ten despite Hughes not leading the team in goals (Horcoff has 25 to Hughes’ 21) nor assists (sophomore Michael Hage has 38 to Hughes’ 35). As Naurato emphasizes, Hughes’ balanced offensive contributions show this team’s willingness to take on different roles at different times, something that has Michigan on the precipice of its first national championship in the 21st century.
That’s something that the hockey team doesn’t have in common with the basketball team, yet – but that might change by Saturday night.
Denver hockey scouting report at the Frozen Four
Denver has a similar story to its 2025-26 season as Michigan – a second-place regular-season conference finish, a conference tournament win, a conference rival on the other side of the Frozen Four bracket (North Dakota), a Hobey Baker finalist and historical pedigree as one of the greatest college hockey programs of all time.
Actually, maybe the greatest program of all time.
Denver’s 10 national championships are the most in NCAA history, with the first five coming in a 12-year period between 1958-69 and the last five coming in the 21st century. And now only two wins away from their 11th, Denver has a good case for why it should stand on top of college hockey once again.
That case starts with defenseman Eric Pohlkamp, a Minnesota native and San Jose Sharks selection from the 2023 NHL Draft who is one of three players shortlisted for the Hobey Baker Award. His 39 points in 41 games lead all Pioneers, no small feat for a defender on a team with as much firepower as Denver.
“He wants to impact the game at both ends of the rink, he does it with a level of abrasiveness that’s unique for his position,” said Denver coach David Carle. “He attacks the game with and without the puck.”
Another Pioneer with an outstanding season is freshman goalie Johnny Hicks, who entered the year as Denver’s third-string goalie but took over the starting role when Quentin Miller went down with an injury midway through the season. Hicks has allowed only 18 goals over 21 games played (14 starts), good for a .958 save percentage while having a record of 14-0-1.
Michigan has the talent advantage, especially on the attack, but Denver has the experience advantage having made the Frozen Four each of the last three seasons (Michigan missed out in 2025 but made it in 2024). And with a roster brimming with talented upperclassmen, the Pioneers might have the cooler nerves coming into what could be the game of the season.
What time is Michigan hockey vs Denver in the Frozen Four
What channel is Michigan hockey vs Denver in the Frozen Four
Thursday’s Frozen Four matchup between Michigan and Denver will be televised on ESPN2 with streaming available on Fubo.
Watch the Frozen Four on Fubo
Michigan hockey NCAA Tournament scores
Denver hockey NCAA Tournament scores
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan hockey vs Denver Frozen Four time, channel, scouting report
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
