NCAA select team to participate in 2025 Spengler Cup

A new type of team will be participating in the 2025 Spengler Cup.

For the first time in the tournament’s 102-year history, a team comprised of the best NCAA college hockey players in the country will compete in the tournament this winter.

“The 2025 tournament will be the first time a select team representing college hockey has ever competed in the event,” according to a joint announcement made Tuesday by Spengler Cup Davos, the Hockey Commissioners Association (HCA) and College Hockey Inc. “Officially named the U.S. Collegiate Selects, the team will be comprised of active NCAA Division I players of any nationality representing all six conferences and the Division I independent programs.”

The players, as well as the coaches and support staff, will be named at a later date, according to the statement.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be sending a college hockey team to participate in the Spengler Cup,” said HCA President and Hockey East Commissioner Steve Metcalf. “The players that get selected will have an unforgettable experience at the oldest club tournament in the world.”

While the University of Minnesota (1981) and University of North Dakota (1982) both competed at the Spengler Cup, this is the first time a hand-picked squad of college hockey’s best players will compete in Davos.

“We are honored by the invitation to participate in the Spengler Cup, one of the most prestigious hockey events in the world,” said Sean Hogan, College Hockey Inc. executive director. “The opportunity to field a team of NCAA student-athletes is a testament to the elite level of play within college hockey and represents an incredible experience for everyone involved—players and staff alike.”

The Swiss league’s HC Fribourg-Gotteron won the 2024 Spengler Cup, defeating Germany’s Straubing Tigers in the championship.