College Hockey at the Spengler Cup

Photo by Cameron Boon

Held annually in Davos, Switzerland, since 1923, the Spengler Cup invitational traditionally features men’s club and national teams from Europe and North America. It is hosted by the Swiss professional team HC Davos each year from December 26-31 at Eisstadion Davos.

In 2025, for the first time in the Spengler Cup’s 102-year history, a team of select college hockey players represented NCAA Division I hockey at the prestigious tournament. Officially named the U.S. Collegiate Selects, the team was comprised of active NCAA Division I players of any nationality representing all six Division I conferences.

The U.S. Collegiate Selects were a rousing success in their Spengler Cup debut, winning Group Cattini and earning a bye into the semifinal round with a 2-2 record before falling 6-3 to host HC Davos, a roster that boasted more than 1,800 games of NHL experience.

“It’s been awesome to represent our schools and college hockey,” U.S. Collegiate Selects defenseman Jake Livanavage told the Grand Forks Herald. “You want college hockey to be as good as it can be. Coming here and showing a bunch of Europeans how good college hockey is…it’s been awesome.”

Livanavage added. “It’s hard to put into words. It’s an experience I won’t forget.”

In April 2026, it was announced that the U.S. Collegiate Selects had a accepted a two-year invitation to return to the Spengler Cup in 2026 and 2027.

“We are once again looking forward to exciting and refreshing hockey,” said Spengler Cup Organizing Committee President Marc Gianola. “The ‘college boys’ bring new energy and a positive spirit to our traditional tournament.”

Follow the U.S. Collegiate Selects on X, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.

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