Is MSU the Best in College Hockey?

Let’s start a debate: Is Michigan State the best program in college hockey right now?

If we’re talking about the best program historically, the answer is probably no. Michigan has nine national championships and has made the Frozen Four 25 times. Michigan State has three national championships and 10 Frozen Four appearances.

But that’s not really the question.

If we’re talking about right now, Michigan State has a pretty convincing argument.

The Spartans have won three consecutive Big Ten regular-season championships, something the program had never done before this run. They finished the 2025-26 regular season 25-7-1 and earned the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

And this isn’t just a one-year fluke. Michigan State has become one of the most consistent teams in the country under Adam Nightingale. The Spartans won the Big Ten Tournament in both 2024 and 2025, then followed that up with another regular-season championship in 2026.

The biggest argument against calling MSU the best is also pretty obvious: Michigan.

The Wolverines finished the 2025-26 season 31-8-1, won the Big Ten Tournament and reached the NCAA Frozen Four. They also have nine national championships compared to Michigan State’s three.

So no, I’m not ready to say Michigan State has officially surpassed Michigan as the greatest college hockey program of all time.

But right now?

I think you can absolutely make the argument that Michigan State is the team everyone else is chasing.

Three straight regular-season conference championships, two conference tournament titles in the previous two seasons and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances is not a coincidence. MSU has built a program that expects to compete for championships every year.

Maybe “the best college hockey program” is still a little too much.

But one of the best?

That’s no longer a debate.