NCAA playoff season is upon us, and the Vancouver Canucks had six players who were part of the dance.

Unfortunately, all six saw their conference chances end in an unfavourable way. Some were expected, while a few of them endured unfortunate upsets. The good news is that a couple of them still have a chance to challenge for a Frozen Four Championship thanks to strong regular-season results.

In addition to the six NCAA conference champions, ten further teams will earn “at-large” spots for the final tournament. Those spots are ranked by a formula which includes strength of schedule, home/road splits and overtime results.

Once the NCAA field is set, the four regional brackets will be announced on March 22 and played March 26-29. The Frozen Four will be held April 9 and April 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Michigan State steamrolled through the 2025–26 regular season. With a 25-7-2 record, they captured the Big Ten regular season title and secured the No. 1 seed heading into the conference playoffs.

With a bye directly into the single-elimination semifinals, things appeared to be tracking nicely for the Spartans as they pushed toward their third consecutive Big Ten Championship. Instead, they ran into an overtime stunner, falling 3-2 to fifth-seeded Ohio State.

The good news for Anthony Romani and Michigan State is that their dominant regular season has already secured their spot in this year’s NCAA National Tournament. With the loss, they are projected to enter the tournament as the No. 3 overall seed.

It has been a strong freshman season for Romani, who sits fifth on the team with 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) in 35 games. The 2024 sixth-round pick is emerging as a legitimate candidate to land an NHL contract with the Canucks once his collegiate career wraps up.

Like Romani, Matthew Lansing and the Quinnipiac Bobcats enjoyed a strong regular season, capturing the No. 1 seed in the ECAC.

After earning a first-round bye, Quinnipiac hosted eighth-seeded Clarkson in a best-of-three quarterfinal series. However, things unravelled quickly. Not only did the Bobcats drop Game One, but they were ultimately swept in the series, ending their hopes of a conference championship for the first time since 2016.

The good news is their season will continue, as Quinnipiac awaits its fate in the NCAA Tournament selection show on March 22.

Lansing saw limited deployment over the weekend, skating under 10 minutes in Game Two while working from the fourth line. Despite the quiet playoff showing, he has enjoyed a positive freshman campaign with 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) and a plus–20 rating in 38 games.

With just one year of college hockey under his belt, Lansing is expected to return for his sophomore season.

Boston University opened its conference tournament with a 4-1 victory over Vermont, but their run came to a halt in the quarterfinals.

Facing the UConn Huskies, BU fell 5-3 and was eliminated from the Hockey East playoffs. Unfortunately for the Terriers, their overall resume was not strong enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, officially ending Aiden Celebrini’s junior season.

Now 21 years old, Celebrini will once again face an important decision this offseason. With one year of NCAA eligibility remaining, he can either return for his senior year or turn professional.

With limited upside, it remains to be seen whether Vancouver will push to sign him to an NHL deal. A more realistic outcome could see him begin his professional career on an AHL contract, where he could provide depth on the right side in Abbotsford.

Celebrini has combined for 21 points (three goals, 18 assists), 46 penalty minutes, and a plus–18 rating across 102 games with the Terriers.

Northeastern followed a similar path to Boston University.

The Huskies opened their conference tournament with a convincing 7-3 victory over New Hampshire, with Matthew Perkins contributing an assist and an empty-net goal in 12:21 of ice time. However, they ran into a red-hot UMass squad in the next round, falling 4-1 and ending their season.

With the loss, Perkins wraps up his junior season — and his first year at Northeastern after transferring from Minnesota Duluth — with four goals and seven points in 29 games.

At this stage, Perkins does not appear likely to factor into the Vancouver Canucks’ plans, though another NCAA season could potentially open the door to an AHL opportunity.

Colorado College saw its season end early after dropping back-to-back games in the opening round of its best-of-three playoff series.

A 2025 fifth-round pick, Wilson Björck is expected to return for his sophomore season after posting 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 31 games as a freshman.

St. Cloud State also saw its season end in heartbreaking fashion, dropping back-to-back overtime games in the opening round of its best-of-three playoff series.

Daimon Gardner did not appear in the series. After a difficult junior season in which he recorded just four points in 26 games, he is expected to return for his senior year.