At the NHL level, the attention of Blackhawks fans remains on the team and, for some, the Rockford IceHogs. The 4 Nations Face-Off will take the NHL off the ice for a couple weeks this month, and then it’s a sprint to the March 7 trade deadline.
However, now that our calendars have flipped to February, we’re entering the home stretch for college hockey this season. And the Blackhawks have their share of top prospects playing in the NCAA ranks this season.
We’ve talked about the prospects the Blackhawks might sign when their respective college seasons/careers end. For some prospects, that could come as early as their conference tournaments. For others, a chance to dance on the road to the Frozen Four will present itself.
Here’s everything you need to know about the postseason dates for the Blackhawks’ college prospects as they look to finish strong.
NCHC Postseason
The Blackhawks have four prospects playing in the NCHC: Aidan Thompson at Denver, Sacha Boisvert at North Dakota and Dominic James and Adam Gajan at Minnesota-Duluth. (And, for those interested in such things, Denver head coach David Carle…)
The NCHC’s Frozen Faceoff will take place March 21-22 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.
2025 NCHC Tournament Schedule
- Wednesday, March 12ย โ Play-In Game (No. 8 vs. No. 9 at No. 1 seed)
- Friday, March 14ย โ Game 1 of Quarterfinals (four games)
- Saturday, March 15ย โ Game 2 of Quarterfinals (four games)
- Sunday, March 16ย โ Game 3 of Quarterfinals (four games, if necessary)
- Friday, March 21ย โ Frozen Faceoff Semifinals (two games)
- Saturday, March 22ย โ Frozen Faceoff Championship Game
Hockey East Postseason
The Blackhawks have four prospects playing in Hockey East: Ryan Greene at Boston University and John Mustard, Taige Harding and Connor Kelley at Providence.
The Hockey East semifinals and championship game will be played at TD Garden in Boston.
2025 Hockey East Tournament Schedule
- Wednesday, March 12ย โ Opening Round (Seeds 6-11)
- Saturday, March 15ย โ Re-seeded Quarterfinals (1-3 play Opening Round winners, 4 vs 5)
- Thursday, March 20ย โ Semifinals
- Friday, March 21ย โ Hockey East Championship Game
Big Ten Postseason
The Blackhawks have two top prospects in the Big Ten: Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel at Minnesota.
The Big Ten Tournament is different than the other conferences. The first round is a best-of-three format. The semifinals and championship game are single elimination. Each round is hosted by the better seeded team. The No. 1 seed based on regular season record gets a bye to the semifinals.
2025 Big Ten Tournament Schedule
- Friday-Sunday, March 7-9ย โ Quarterfinals (Seeds 2-7)
- Saturday, March 15ย โ Semifinals
- Saturday, March 22ย โ Big Ten Championship Game
NCAA Tournament
How the conference tournaments play out and the final rankings will impact which Blackhawks prospects get a chance to play for a shot at the 2025 Frozen Four. The 2025 NCAA Division I Menโs Hockey Championship will be held at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
- The NCAA Menโs Ice Hockey Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 23.
- The Regional Semifinals will be played at Penn State, North Dakota, Bowling Green and New Hampshire.
2025 Road to the Frozen Four Schedule
- March 27-30ย โ Regional Semifinals, Finals (four teams, single elimination)
- April 10ย โ NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals
- April 12ย โ NCAA Championship Game