TSU Cancels 2026-27 Campaign

Tennessee State University will not be playing NCAA Division I men's hockey in 2026-27. The university announced that the Tigers, who were originally scheduled to begin play in 2024-25, will be sidelined for yet another season, with the university still facing significant financial challenges. Tennessee State also opted out of the 2025-26 campaign.

TSU, which had originally announced in 2023 that it was adding the sport, would have been the first HBCU to feature a hockey program. Denver goaltender Johnny Hicks, a former TSU commit, led the Pioneers to a national title this spring, earning Most Outstanding Player honors of the NCAA Frozen Four in the process.

Tennessee State to Add Men's Club Hockey in 2024

According to multiple published reports from earlier this week, Tennessee State University is establishing a men's club ice hockey program that is expected to begin play with the 2024-25 season. The announcement was made in conjunction with the 2023 National Hockey League Entry Draft that was held Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, the home of both Tennessee State and the NHL's Nashville Predators.

TSU would be the first historically black college or university (HBCU) to offer men's ice hockey at the collegiate level. The university's ultimate goal is to apparently move up to NCAA Division I in the near future, possibly by the 2026-27 campaign, while also eventually adding an NCAA Division I women's team. 

TSU first explored adding ice hockey two years ago, by conducting a feasibility study along with the NHL. Should the Tigers ultimately make the move to NCAA Division I, they would be the first men's hockey program team at that level in the south since the University of Alabama-Huntsville suspended operations in 2021.