Men’s college hockey check-in – Top Frozen Four contenders, Olympians who caught our eye

With the NCAA men’s hockey tournament selection show March 20 less than a month away, conference races hitting the homestretch and conference tournaments on deck, it’s a good time to assess what the field of 16 could look like and who has the chops to win it all at the Frozen Four in Boston on April 7 and 9.

Additionally, a number of college players have returned to their teams after a trip to Beijing for the Olympics, so we asked ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski for his take on who impressed the most while playing for their national teams.

But first, let’s look at the top contenders to make the NCAA field, which will be comprised of the six conference champions and 10 at-large teams. We broke teams up into tiers and listed them in order based on a composite of the PairWise rankings (the main determinant used by the NCAA selection committee), the DCU/USCHO poll and the #cawlidgehockey rankings of ESPN’s John Buccigross.

1 and 1A

Michigan Wolverines (25-7-1)

Where they stand: First in the Big Ten, 2 points ahead of Minnesota; No. 1 in PairWise

What’s ahead: Two games at Notre Dame, then the Big Ten tournament

Postseason outlook: With its four Olympians — Matty Beniers and Brendan Brisson of Team USA and Owen Power and Kent Johnson of Canada — back in the fold, Michigan’s status as one of the co-favorites for the national title is unquestioned.

Minnesota State Mavericks (29-5-0)

Where they stand: Clinched CCHA regular-season title; No. 2 in PairWise

What’s ahead: Two games at Michigan Tech, then the CCHA tournament as the top seed

Postseason outlook: Dominant from start to finish this season and led by Dryden McKay, one of the best goalies in NCAA history, the Mavericks are a coin flip with the Wolverines as the No. 1 overall seed at this point.

Top-line contenders

Denver Pioneers (22-7-1)

Where they stand: Second in NCHC, 1 point behind North Dakota; No. 3 in PairWise (tie)

What’s ahead: Two games at Omaha, a home-and-home against Colorado College, then the NCHC tournament

Postseason…