The four-team tournament features Hockey East co-champion Boston College, WCHA tournament champion Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan.
"We are very much looking forward to exposing the growing Vegas hockey market to NCAA Division I hockey," said head coach Greg Powers. "Being the only Division I program in the Southwest, it is important for us to try and gain as much exposure in this region as possible. Top that with being able to play two games against other great programs in the brand new T-Mobile Arena, this tournament will certainly be one of our season's highlights."
The tournament ultimately replaces the annual Desert Hockey Classic this season, which ASU has hosted each of the past two seasons. This is the second NCAA Division I tournament the Devils will participate in outside of the Desert Hockey Classic, as they competed in the Kendall Classic in Anchorage in 2015.
"Las Vegas is quickly transforming from a purely entertainment mecca to one of the world's destination locations for sports as well," said Brooks Downing, president of bd Global (www.bdglobalsports.com). "We are excited to partner with T-Mobile Arena to bring the best teams in college hockey to Las Vegas each year as the new era of hockey in the Valley begins this fall."
It will be the first two games for the Devils in 2018, as it will fall between the two-game road trip versus Colorado College on Dec. 16-17 and the home series against UMass-Lowell on Jan. 12-13.
Dan Quinn, General Manager of T-Mobile Arena, said, "We are thrilled to host the Ice Vegas Invitational next January in what will be the first Division 1 college hockey games played in T-Mobile Arena. Having the opportunity to be the home of the NHL's new Vegas Golden Knights starting this fall, along with being the site for this collegiate hockey tournament, makes T-Mobile Arena the premier destination for sports fans worldwide. We look forward to a successful tournament."
The four teams in the field represent some of the best in college hockey with a combined nine national championships and 38 Frozen Four appearances. Boston College leads the pack with five national titles and a record 25 berths in the Frozen Four.
The Ice Vegas Invitational seeks to capture the excitement for hockey in Las Vegas as the new Vegas Golden Knights take the NHL ice for the first time next season. More than 9,000 local fans recently attended a hockey "open house" at T-Mobile Arena and the franchise has sold nearly 14,000 season tickets.
The Ice Vegas Invitational joins a number college basketball events in Vegas that bd Global runs in partnership with MGM Resorts International. bdG currently manages the MGM Grand Main Event men's tournament and Play4Kay Shootout women's tournament, and set an arena attendance record when UNLV battled Duke in the first college basketball game at T-Mobile Arena last December.
Ticket and hotel information for fans will be released at a later date and will be available at www.icevegasinvitational.com and on Twitter at @IceVegasInv.