The regional rounds of the NCAA men's hockey tournament are complete, with four teams moving on to St. Paul for the Frozen Four on April 5-7. A pair of 1-seeds in Notre Dame and Ohio State survived, while No. 2 Michigan took down Boston University to move on, and Minnesota-Duluth surprised out of the West to earn a shot at the title in St. Paul.
Ohio State will play Minnesota-Duluth on April 5 at 6 p.m., while Notre Dame will meet Michigan later that evening at 9:30 p.m. Both games will be on ESPN2.
The winners of those games will play for the national title on April 7 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
As was the case in the regional rounds, the Frozen Four will provide an excellent chance for fans to see their favorite NHL team's prospects, along with a few solid, draft-eligible players and several free agents.
Here's a look at some of the prospects to watch at the 2018 men's Frozen Four.
Note: All game times are ET.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish rolled through the Big Ten in their first season in the conference, collecting both the regular-season and tournament titles. Their strength is in a veteran D corps led by senior Jordan Gross and Cale Morris playing at a Hobey Baker-caliber level in net. The Irish survived a scare against Michigan Tech, winning in overtime, before beating Providence to advance.
Cale Morris, G, UFA: Goaltending was a concern coming into the year, with Notre Dame losing All-American Cal Petersen, who played practically every minute of every game last season. But Morris, who appeared in a grand total of 19:43 of action last season, is having the most dominant season by a goalie in a major conference since Winnipeg Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck was tending goal for UMass-Lowell. Morris has a .946 save percentage and 1.92 goals-against average to go along with a 24-7-1 record. He should win the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in college hockey this year. I don't know that he'll leave school as a UFA, but I suspect he'll have offers to do so. He made 36 saves against Michigan Tech in the overtime win.
Jake Evans, C/W, Montreal Canadiens: The 207th pick in the 2014 NHL draft, Evans did not appear destined for college stardom, but he has 82 points in 76 games over the past two seasons. He'll be eligible to be a UFA if he chooses not to sign with the Habs, but I would not anticipate that being an issue. Notre Dame's captain is only 21 and has really done well as a senior as a stronger, more well-rounded player.
Other NHL-affiliated players: Dennis Gilbert (Chicago Blackhawks), Matt Hellickson (Devils), Cam Morrison (Colorado Avalanche), Andrew Peeke (Columbus Blue Jackets), Joe Wegwerth (Florida Panthers)
Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines did not look so great early in the season, struggling with consistency and goal prevention in a big way. However, Michigan ended the season by winning seven of their last eight games and got into the tournament as an at-large bid. So, U-M is humming right along under new coach Mel Pearson, boasting a lineup with a lot of different offensive assets. The Wolverines took down Northeastern before exploding for six goals against Boston University.
Quinn Hughes, D, 2018 NHL draft-eligible: This regional features the top two college players who are eligible for the NHL draft. Hughes has a chance to go as high as the top-five but could settle somewhere a little lower. An offensively dynamic defenseman, Hughes is one of the better skaters I've seen this year. He can regularly make highlight-reel plays, and it's pretty common to see him leading the rush instead of supporting it. He has plenty of risk in his game, but he's managing it better and seems to be playing his best hockey right now. He has 28 points in 34 games, and his 0.82 points per game is right between what Zach Werenski did at Michigan over his under-age freshman season and as an 18-year-old sophomore -- and the Big Ten conference is much tougher than it was at that point. Hughes is a player you won't be able to take your eyes off of when he has the puck. His goal against BU got Michigan going early.
Cooper Marody, C, Edmonton Oilers: Marody made rare March headlines in the NHL when the Oilers traded for him Wednesday. The former Philadelphia Flyers draft pick has had an exceptional junior season, showing some offensive flair. He leads the team with 46 points in 37 games. Marody could choose not to sign with Edmonton, go back to school for a year and become a UFA. We'll see if the Oilers can get him locked down after the season.
Josh Norris, C, San Jose Sharks: Selected 19th overall last summer, Norris probably hasn't produced like a first-rounder this season, but I think he has been building as the season progresses. He has good two-way skills, which maximize his value even if the points aren't coming. There's really no need to rush Norris, so he can stick in college for at least another year, if not longer.
Other NHL-affiliated players: Jack Becker (Boston Bruins), Nick Boka (Minnesota Wild), Joseph Cecconi (Dallas Stars), Jack LaFontaine (Carolina Hurricanes), Will Lockwood (Vancouver Canucks - injured), Luke Martin (Carolina Hurricanes), Nick Pastujov (New York Islanders)
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes have never had a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament before, marking a big moment for Steve Rohlik and his program. A killer power play, solid goaltending from Sean Romeo and enough scoring pop up front to give teams concern have all combined to make this one of the better OSU teams in recent memory. Ohio State poured it on against the defending champion Denver Pioneers on Sunday night, one day after defeating Princeton, 4-2.
Tanner Laczynski, C/W, Philadelphia Flyers: A do-everything forward who can shut down opposing teams' top lines all while averaging better than a point per game, Laczynski has been one of the better players in college hockey this year. He's so smart out there and makes plays in all zones. With 43 points in 38 games, he has been a leader for this team as a sophomore. He had three points in the opening pair of games.
Mason Jobst, C, UFA: The speedy Jobst leads the Buckeyes with 19 goals and is second with 41 points. He's 24 years old and 5-foot-7, so I think there might be a more limited group of teams that will try to sign him as a UFA, but there should be some interest. OSU's captain makes an impact every time he hits the ice. He scored twice so far in the tournament.
Sean Romeo, G, UFA: After sitting out as a transfer from Maine, Romeo has had a spectacular year between the pipes for the Buckeyes with a .925 save percentage, 2.09 goals-against average and 20-9-5 record. He made 53 saves in the two regional games while allowing just three goals.
Other NHL-affiliated players: Dakota Joshua (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs
The Bulldogs look to get back to the national championship game after falling just short against Denver last year. They have good depth and are particularly strong on the blue line. UMD moved on by outlasting Minnesota State-Mankato and then beating Air Force -- who surprised by winning against St. Cloud State in the opener -- on Saturday.
Scott Perunovich, D, 2018 NHL draft-eligible: After going undrafted last year, Perunovich should be an earlier pick on Day 2 of the 2018 NHL draft. He has kind of come out of nowhere, though he had a decent season in the USHL last year. Perunovich is leading UMD from the blue line and is the top-scoring freshman blueliner in the country, with 35 points in 38 games.
Joey Anderson, RW, New Jersey Devils: UMD had five players on this year's U.S. World Juniors team, with Anderson serving as the captain. His scoring has dipped this season, which is a little puzzling. That said, he does a lot of little things well and can be relied on in all situations due to his speed and on-ice work ethic.
Riley Tufte, LW, Dallas Stars: After a freshman season that underwhelmed, the 2016 first-rounder has shown signs of improvement this year. He still has a ways to go, but the Stars will be giving this 6-foot-6, 220-pound winger every opportunity to develop. He started playing some of his best hockey late in the season last year, putting up three points in four tournament games, including a goal in the final.
Other NHL-affiliated players: Mikey Anderson (Los Angeles Kings), Nick Swaney (Minnesota Wild), Avery Peterson (Minnesota Wild), Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets)