By Bridget (Weide) Brooks
NCHC Commissioner Heather Weems opened the conference’s 2026 Media Day on Tuesday with her annual State of the Conference address, covering everything from conference expansion and the new playoff format to media rights, roster limits, NIL, and revenue sharing.
The question-and-answer session that followed also produced some news — including an update on a possible increase in the college hockey roster limit from 26 to 28 players.
Mayich and Arizona State
Before turning to the season ahead, Weems acknowledged the situation involving Arizona State student-athlete Matthew Mayich.
“Our foremost concern is for Matthew,” Weems said, adding that her thoughts were with his family, friends, teammates and the Arizona State community.
She declined further comment while the incident review continues.
St. Thomas Makes It 10
Weems said college hockey has “never been stronger,” pointing to the addition of CHL players, advances in player development, and continued investment across the sport.
She highlighted Denver winning the 2026 NCAA national championship in April, giving the conference its eighth national title in the last 10 NCAA Tournaments.
“We often say that ‘iron sharpens iron,’” Weems said. “In the NCHC, our teams challenge one another every weekend, and that relentless competition helps prepare them to perform when the postseason arrives.”
The conference also has a new member this season.
St. Thomas officially became the NCHC’s 10th member on July 1, the second expansion in conference history after Arizona State joined in 2024.
Weems pointed to St. Thomas’ investment in its programs and facilities, its location in the Twin Cities, and the opening of the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena last year.
The addition, she said, “stabilizes our membership at 10” while strengthening the conference’s reach and visibility.
Another Change to the Frozen Faceoff
The NCHC will enter the second season of its campus-based playoff format after moving the Frozen Faceoff out of a neutral-site venue.
Weems said the first year produced the highest gross revenue across all rounds of the playoffs, allowing the conference to distribute money to support league and campus initiatives.
“As envisioned, the on-campus format put our best and most meaningful games of the year on campus in front of our loyal fans and showcased the world-class facilities across our league,” Weems noted.
With 10 teams now in the conference, all 10 will qualify for the postseason.
The first round consists of five best-of-three series, with the top five seeds hosting the bottom five. The five remaining teams are then reseeded.
The no. 4 and no. 5 seeds will play Friday at the no. 1 seed’s campus, with the winner advancing to play the top seed on Saturday. The no. 2 and no. 3 seeds will host the other semifinal games. The championship will be played the following weekend at the home of the highest remaining seed.
What’s Next for NCHC.tv?
The 2026-27 season is the final year of the NCHC’s current agreement with SIDEARM Sports for NCHC.tv.
The conference is working with its members and a consultant to explore its options for the next media-rights agreement, with more information expected in the spring.
For this season, NCHC.tv will continue to stream more than 200 games, including the entire NCHC postseason.
The conference is also in discussions with a FAST — free ad-supported television — network to carry a selection of live and tape-delayed NCHC games.
During the Q&A, NCHC Associate Commissioner Michael Weisman explained that a FAST channel is technically streaming, but operates more like a traditional television channel. Viewers watch whatever is being shown at the time rather than selecting a game on demand.
He also clarified that any games included in a FAST package would still be available on NCHC.tv, unlike games carried by CBS Sports Network.
I asked Weems how the potential revenue impact factors into the decision, since NCHC.tv subscriptions provide revenue to the conference and its members.
She said the conference is trying to balance reaching new audiences with maintaining the value of NCHC.tv for its existing subscribers.
“We still have a select number of games because we also identify that we have a group of subscribers and long-term loyal subscribers who pay for our services, and we want to make sure that that’s the main place that they go,” Weems said.
“So it’s a balance of increasing visibility and trying to gain some new subscribers while at the same time making sure that our current subscribers are front and center in what we do.”
Improving NCHC.tv Broadcasts
I also asked Weems whether the conference had communicated with individual schools about continuing to improve the quality of their NCHC.tv broadcasts.
She said those conversations are ongoing.
“We continue to put forward to our schools who maybe aren’t at the level that we would want,” Weems said. “We have regular conversations with them.”
She specifically mentioned Western Michigan, where she expects an improvement when the Broncos move into their new arena next season. She also acknowledged that a large investment in new equipment at Lawson Ice Arena during its final season is unlikely.
Weems said Weisman has drafted a document outlining expectations as the conference considers its next media-rights agreement, whether that’s another agreement with SIDEARM or a new partner.
The conference has already communicated with athletic directors about those expectations so schools have time to consider potential upgrades as they prepare budgets for next year.
There will also be some new equipment in NCHC arenas this season.
The conference is replacing its DVSport video review system, adding and upgrading cameras in each building. The cameras were selected so they can serve two purposes: video review for officials and use by schools in their game productions.
Changes Across College Hockey
Weems spent a significant portion of her address talking about the changes across college hockey and college athletics.
“Many of us would agree the last number of years could best be described as unpredictable — and maybe even chaotic,” she said.
“If you enjoy roller coasters or tilt-a-whirls, you might be in the right place.”
In just a few years, college athletics has gone from COVID protocols to NIL, the transfer portal and direct revenue sharing. Hockey has also added roster limits, CHL players, and new age-based eligibility rules.
One of those changes came this spring with the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model. For hockey, Weems focused on the decision to move the age trigger from 18 to 19.
“That additional year matters in a sport where access and development opportunities vary widely across the country, and many players rely upon junior hockey to prepare academically, physically, and emotionally for college,” she said.
Weems said the transfer portal and revenue sharing are also changing the makeup of college hockey rosters.
Where coaches once might bring seven to nine first-year players into a locker room with a large group of returning players, some teams are now integrating 12 to 15 or more new players at once.
Scholarship, revenue-sharing, and NIL packages have also become more complex, leading programs to add positions such as general managers and player personnel staff.
Could the Roster Limit Increase to 28?
One of the more interesting updates from the Q&A involved the 26-player roster limit.
The NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Oversight Committee had met the day before Media Day and recommended increasing the roster limit for programs that opted into the House settlement from 26 players to 28.
Weems called it a “first-step update.”
The recommendation still has to go through additional review before the roster limit can change.
Because the limit is part of the House settlement, Weems said the proposal next goes to the four defendant conferences for review. If they support it, the proposal would return to the NCAA for additional approval.
Weems said hockey is the first sport to put forward a request to change its roster number under the settlement, so there isn’t yet a blueprint for how the process will work.
“Yes, we are seriously pursuing an increased roster size,” Weems said. “Obviously, just given health and safety, some concern about goalie spots, those sorts of things, it’s an important part of our sport.”
Asked how she felt about the proposal’s chances of moving forward, Weems said there is “overwhelming support from within hockey.”
She noted the bigger question may be what happens if other sports also seek increases to their roster limits — and the financial impact of adding those roster spots.
“I think that's the biggest hurdle, to be honest,” Weems said.
NIL and Revenue Sharing
Weems was also asked about the differences in NIL and revenue-sharing resources between college hockey programs and whether that could create a competitive divide in the sport.
She acknowledged there is “a pretty significant variance,” while also cautioning that some of the numbers rumored to be available to players and programs may not be accurate.
There are also programs finding success with considerably smaller NIL and revenue-sharing budgets.
“I’m not so naive to believe that it doesn’t have an impact,” Weems said.
She said the addition of CHL players and the overall quality of the available talent pool helps to some degree, but it won’t eliminate the financial differences between programs.
“The hard part — and you see this in all levels of sport — is how do you, in all of your conversations, keep the health of the overall sport in mind while you don’t penalize those programs that are also willing to invest at a high level?” Weems said.
She also said college hockey needs to be mindful of putting institutions in a position where they decide to eliminate programs.
“That divide is certainly widening, and it’s hard,” Weems said.
The Search for Stability
The NCHC is also following the Protect College Sports Act as it moves through Congress.
Weems described the legislation as an attempt to create a more consistent national framework around NIL, revenue sharing, transfers, eligibility, and enforcement.
“The legislation has drawn both bipartisan support and legitimate concerns, and like any proposal of this size and complexity, it is still not perfect,” she said.
“But it represents meaningful progress toward a more consistent national framework.”
During the Q&A, Weems said individual institutions have been involved in conversations about the legislation, while college hockey itself hasn’t had as much direct involvement.
She said one area where greater consistency would be welcome is the transfer portal.
“I think lots of us would love some grounding to the transfer rules,” Weems said.
She said there could be some benefit to returning to something closer to a one-time transfer opportunity, noting that she believes student-athletes benefit from some consistency.
“Somewhere, we have to find some stability,” she said.
Five Years In — and Four More Ahead
Weems is beginning her fifth season as NCHC commissioner after receiving a four-year contract extension in July.
I asked her to look both backward and forward: What does she consider her biggest accomplishment during her first five years, and what does she see as the biggest challenge, obstacle, or opportunity ahead?
“If I were to focus on one, I would probably say membership expansion,” Weems said.
“I think we have added very strong teams and grown our stability and our opportunities with the move to 10 members, and I think that positions us well for success in the future,” she added.
She also mentioned the move to the campus-based playoff format and the continued success of NCHC teams, while crediting the conference's coaches, administrators and her own staff.
Looking ahead, Weems returned to the financial and resource demands facing college athletics.
“If you look at the trajectory of higher education, there’s some tension that has been building and continues to build,” she noted.
“How do we continue to make good decisions that keep our programs and our opportunities for student-athletes front and center — while also understanding some of the financial and just growth demands and changing landscape that is happening in higher education?”
Despite all the changes around college athletics, Weems closed her prepared remarks by bringing the focus back to the people involved in the sport.
“Talent certainly matters, and our NCHC rosters are filled with exceptional players and NHL draft picks,” she said. “But what I have always loved about the college game is watching individual talent develop and come together over the course of a season.”
“Skill grows into chemistry, chemistry builds confidence, and when everything comes together, teams are prepared to perform under the brightest lights of championship play.”
The NCHC’s 14th season begins Oct. 2. Omaha Hockey opens with an exhibition at Air Force in Colorado Springs.
