Coming off its second straight National Championship and seventh in a decade, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference is taking on a bold, new look. The NCHC will now be referred to as the 'National' on second reference going forward.
 
As part of the streamlined nickname and brand refresh, the National unveiled a sleek, secondary logo and wordmark on Monday that reflects elements of the primary NCHC logo while also embracing the future. In addition, the NCHC's postseason tournament trophy, which was previously unnamed, has been named the National Cup.
 
Other elements of the National brand refresh include:

• A new hashtag (#TheNational) to be used on the NCHC's social media channels
• An update to the NCHC's website, NCHChockey.com, which reflects the new secondary logo and hashtag

 
"This is an exciting next chapter for the NCHC. The addition of the National logo is a natural extension of the strong brand we've built since 2013," NCHC Commissioner Heather Weems said. "The design complements our primary mark while giving us a fresh identity that reflects our national reach, championship tradition and future growth. It's a symbol that represents both our history and the continued evolution of the NCHC."
 
WHY THE NATIONAL?

• We are the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
• The NCHC membership covers a national footprint, spanning four continental U.S. time zones and seven states.
• The Conference is home to seven of the last nine NCAA Men's Hockey National Champions, including each of the last two. Four different NCHC teams have won a National Championship since 2016.
• The NCHC has produced more than 110 National Hockey League (NHL) alumni since the conference began play in 2013, including 65 NHL players in 2024-25.
• NCHC games have been regularly broadcast on national television since its inaugural 2013-14 campaign.

 
SECONDARY LOGO
To accompany its new nickname, the Conference developed a secondary logo and wordmark, which represents the National's bold identity but keeps a familiar look to the primary NCHC logo. The National worked with Adrenalin Sports Marketing in Denver to develop the new marks. Adrenalin also designed the primary NCHC logo back in 2013.
 
"NCHC leadership approached Adrenalin with a clear vision and an open mind for developing a new secondary logo." said Dan Price, brand marketing director at Adrenalin. "Through concentrated discussions and collective reviews with NCHC leadership, we created a mark that honors both the conference's storied past and promising future. The final design seamlessly integrates the iconic shield and hockey sticks with a cleverly positioned '10' representing the member teams—delivering the perfect extension of their established brand identity."
 
Elements of the secondary National logo include:

• Colors – The same red, white and blue color scheme is used as in the primary NCHC logo. National logos are also available in school-specific colors.
• Shield – The outline of the secondary logo is the same shape as the shield in the primary logo.
• Font – The same Colossalis font was used for 'NATIONAL' as was used for 'NCHC' in the primary logo.
• Hockey Sticks – Extending from the middle of both 'A's in 'NATIONAL' are a pair of hockey sticks in the empty space that lean toward the middle of the wordmark. The sticks resemble the hockey stick used in the primary NCHC logo.
• The Number 10 – The hockey sticks point to the 'IO' in 'NATIONAL' with the 'IO' a hidden number 10. The 10 represents the number of members the National will have beginning in 2026-27 when the University of St. Thomas officially joins. In the full color version of the National logo, the 10 is in a different color than the rest of the wordmark.
• Star – The single star above the 10 replaces the eight stars in the primary NCHC logo. The single star shows a unified look as one conference with 10 teams that will continue to lead the way in college hockey.

 
TOURNAMENT TROPHY NAME
While the NCHC has awarded the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup (Penrose Cup) to its regular-season champion since 2014, the Conference's tournament trophy has never had a name. That is until the 2026 NCHC Tournament. With the National moving its postseason tournament, the Frozen Faceoff, entirely to campus sites across the country this coming season, the Conference has also decided to name its postseason tournament trophy the National Cup.
 
The NCHC began its search for a tournament trophy name in July, when the Conference asked fans to submit suggestions through an online form. From there, the NCHC sifted through the more than 125 submissions and whittled the list down. The membership then voted and selected a final name – the National Cup. The National Cup will be awarded for the first time under its new name on March 21, 2026 at the site of the highest remaining seed in the Frozen Faceoff championship game. The tournament trophy itself will remain the same as has been awarded in years past at the Frozen Faceoff.
 
WEBSITE
Along with the brand refresh, the National also gave its website, NCHChockey.com, a refresh, which relaunched last week. New elements representing the National were added to NCHChockey.com on Monday, as well.
 
New elements on NCHChockey.com include:

• NCHC.tv video thumbnails that are more easily seen and accessible
• 'Around the League' section highlighting the most recent news of each NCHC team
• NCHC stat leaders will display under the standings on the home page
• The secondary National logo is now displayed in the middle of the home page
• The hashtag #TheNational is displayed over the social media section

 
In addition, a page with more information about the National and the logo assets is now available at NCHChockey.com/theNational.
 
Limited 'National' apparel is now available on the NCHC's fan shop with more to be added.
 
The NCHC will hold virtual Media Days Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with Commissioner Weems State of the Conference address starting events on Tuesday.
 
About the National Collegiate Hockey Conference:
The NCHC is currently a nine-member NCAA Division I men's hockey conference, which will begin its 13th season of competition in 2025-26. Its members are: Arizona State University, Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University. Beginning on July 1, 2026, the National will become a 10-member conference with the addition of the University of St. Thomas. Since the NCHC began play in 2013-14, 41 NCHC teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament, including 16 Frozen Four berths. Seven of the last nine national champions (2016-19, 2022, 2024-2025) call the National home, with Western Michigan the reigning National Champions. For more information, visit the NCHC website at www.nchchockey.com and follow the conference on social media @theNCHC on Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook.