2024-25 NCAA Hockey Championship Odds and Predictions

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The 2024-25 NCAA hockey season is underway whether you knew it or not. Scores & Stats is your home for all things hockey this season, both NHL and NCAA. We’ve got the best NHL odds and NHL picks in the industry and we’ll keep you in the loop on NCAA hockey all season from the regular season to the Frozen Four.

As we head into the New Year, surprising Michigan State (13-2-1) is ranked No. 1 in the country. After Denver won its 10th national championship (an NCAA record) last year, the Pioneers were one of the early favorites to repeat. They have 18 players returning from last year’s roster, including Hobey Baker Award candidate Zeev Buium. The Pioneers are off to a strong start. They are 14-4 after 18 games and ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Unlike college football and basketball, there are only six conferenced in Division I hockey. There are 64 schools that play D1 hockey. Beginning next season, Tennessee State will become the 65th team. They will play as an independent along with Alaska, Alaska-Anchorage, Lindenwood, Long Island University, and Stonehill. The six conferences are as follows:

• Atlantic Hockey America
• Big Ten
• CCHA
• ECAC Hockey
• Hockey East
• NCHC

Scores & Stats will work all season long to bring you the best in news, odds, predictions, picks and more throughout the college hockey season. If you aren’t as familiar with NCAA hockey as you are with NCAAF and NCAAB, checking Scores & Stats each day is a step in the right direction.

You will also find the best sportsbook reviews to give yourself plenty of options when you are ready to bet on college hockey. Our experts are dialed into the offshore sportsbook arena and know the industry inside and out. You can shop for the best lines on NHL and NCAAM hockey bets. Let’s take our first look at the NCAA hockey championship odds, favorites, and predictions.

NCAA Hockey Championship Odds

NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Favorites

The following is a breakdown of the favorites to win the 2024-25 NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship, according to sportsbooks:

Boston College (+440)

The Eagles are primed and ready for another run to the Frozen Four. Last year, Boston College went 34-6-1 and won the Hockey East Conference championship. That earned them an automatic berth in the 2024 NCAAM hockey tournament. Boston College beat Michigan Tech 6-1 in its opening game of the tournament.

BC went on to beat Quinnipiac, the 2023 national champion, 5-4 in overtime in Round 2. The Eagles shut out Michigan 4-0 in the semifinals before bowing out as the national runner-up. Boston College lost to Denver 2-0 in the national championship game.

The Eagles lost both Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith to the NHL, but this year’s team could be even better than last. Jacob Fowler returns in goal and Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perrault return up front. Leonard scored 31 goals and had 60 points last season while Perrault had 19 goals and also recorded 60 points. 

Boston College also had one of the best recruiting classes in the nation last offseason. They signed James Hagens who could be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft. Through 16 games this season, Hagens has five goals and 20 points. He is just one part of a very deep and talented Boston College roster.

Denver (+550)

They are the defending national champions and the Pioneers own the NCAA record for the most NCAAM hockey tournament championships. No team has won back-to-back NCAA titles since Minnesota-Duluth in 2018 and 2019. Denver pulled off the feat back in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Head coach David Carle is the youngest coach in NCAAM hockey history to have won multiple national championships.

The Pioneers have the roster to pull off the rare back-to-back. The previously mentioned Buiumi one of the favorites to win the Hobey Baker award, which is given annually to college hockey’s best player. Buium scored 11 goals and tallied 50 points last season and leads one of the more impressive backlines in college hockey. 

The big reason why Denver can repeat is the level of experience. Eighteen players from last year’s team return. As mentioned earlier, the Pioneers are off to a 14-4 start. They are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation. Experience and tradition pay off in this sport. Denver has played in five Frozen Fours over the last nine seasons and the Pioneers have won three national championships in that span.

Minnesota (+900)

The Golden Gophers are typically always in the hunt for a trip to the Frozen Four. They missed out last year when they lost in the West Regional final. That capped a 23-11-5 season. Minnesota finished third in the Big Ten and returns seven players from last year’s team, including second-leading scorer Jimmy Snuggerud (21 g, 34 pts).

Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko enters his seventh season at the helm of a program that made the Frozen Four in 2022 and 2023. He also has been an outstanding developer of talent. Minnesota has more draft picks – 16 – playing college hockey than any team in the country. 

The Gophers are off to a great start in 2024-25. They are 15-3-2 after 20 games and ranked No. 3 in the nation behind Michigan State and Boston College. Most experts pick Minnesota to finish second in the Big Ten, but with all that NHL talent on the ice, the Gophers have the roster that can bring home a national championship.

Best NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Betting Value

There’s no question Denver and Boston College should be the top favorites entering the 2024-25 college hockey season. There are a few teams that were kind of overlooked early on. That’s where our Scores & Stats college hockey experts have found some serious value. Let’s take a look.

Michigan State (+900)

Coming into the season, the Spartans were ranked No. 4 in the country after a season to remember in East Lansing. Michigan State went 25-10-3 overall, won the Big Ten regular season title, and won the conference tournament. The Spartans fell short of the Frozen Four, which you can bet is the goal this season.

Head coach Adam Nightingale has turned the Spartans program around in just two seasons. MSU has its sights set on a national championship in 2025. 

The Spartans last trip to the Frozen Four was in 2007. They are off to a strong start this season. Michigan State is 13-2-1 with a loss to last year’s runner-up Boston College and another to Big Ten rival Wisconsin. 

Heading into the beginning of the New Year, Michigan State is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA men’s Division I hockey poll. The Spartans beat Minnesota in a shootout and beat the Gophers outright 5-3 the next day. MSU will continue through the Big Ten schedule with two more games against Minnesota, two against No. 9 Michigan, and two against No. 14 Ohio State. 

With a young roster loaded with talent and tons of momentum heading into the 2024-25 season, Michigan State offers bettors a value at +900. 

Western Michigan (+1500)

The Broncos are an afterthought when it comes to talking about the NCAA championship. Sure, Western Michigan is a contender, but could they really pull off the unthinkable? WMU has never even been to a Frozen Four let alone sniff a national title. However, the Broncos are coming off a 21-16-1 season last year. 

WMU made the NCAA tournament and was eliminated by Michigan State in a regional semifinal. The Broncos did lose some serious firepower from last year’s team. 

Only 32 goals return in 2024-25, but Western Michigan is off to a great start. The Broncos are 10-3-1 so far and have wins over perennial powers Minnesota, Colorado College, Denver, and Michigan. 

Western Michigan has a ton of young talent, including G Cameron Rowe (2.61 GAA) and NCHC All-Rookie team selection Alex Bump (5 g, 11 pts) as well as experienced players like current leading scorer Tim Washe (7 g, 14 pts). The Broncos are currently ranked No. 6 in the nation and certainly have enough to surprise any of the top teams in the playoffs.

Top Longshot to Win NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship

Boston College and Denver are clearly the favorites in a two-horse NCAAM hockey national championship race. Western Michigan is certainly a sleeper worth taking a look at with some strong young talent and some strong momentum heading into 2024-25.

But, one program with even better talent and stronger chance to win the national championship is North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks won the NCHC regular season last year with a 15-8-1 record in conference play, 26-12-2 overall. 

The Hawks lost some outstanding players like Jackson Blake who put up 60 points last year. Still, North Dakota has enough returning talent mixed with some strong newcomers to surprise the rest of the conference. 

The Hawks got G TJ Semptimphelter in the transfer portal from Arizona State. Last season, he went 16-5-4 for the Sun Devils with a 2.52 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Solid goaltending and a new crop of fresh faces has North Dakota off to an 11-7-1 start. 

NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship Predictions

Until someone proves otherwise, the University of Denver is our pick to win the 2024-25 NCAAM hockey championship. The Pioneers won the title last year and did lose some key players, but they return enough talent to repeat. Jack Devine is the nation’s leading scorer as well as the current NCAA player with the most career points (106).

Devine has just two goals but 25 assists for a total of 27 points. His teammate Aidan Thompson is tied for second in the country with 11 goals and 24 points. There is no question that Denver can score. 

The only issue may be defense and goaltending. Senior Matt Davis is 13-4 in 17 games this season. He sports a 2.06 GAA and a .918 save percentage. In the grand scheme of things, that’s good enough to win a national championship.

Denver did suffer some early losses. The Pioneers surprisingly lost a two-game set to Arizona State. They also have one loss each to national playoff contenders Colorado College and Western Michigan. 

At 14-4 so far this season, Denver is ranked No. 5 in the country. The Pioneers are favored to win the NCHC, but having a roster full of players that have been there before will go a long way in helping Denver claim another title.

Bet: Denver (+550)

Recent NCAA Men’s Hockey Champions

The following is a list of the most recent NCAA Men’s Hockey Champions: