College Hockey Resource Page

College Hockey Resource Page
 
This will be an organic page that will be updated frequently with links to articles, websites and other resources that can help you gain a better understanding about college hockey and the opportunities that are out there at all levels – the Collegiate Hockey Federation (CHF), American College Hockey Association (ACHA) and NCAA Division I, II and III.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that there is something for everyone who loves the sport, has played it at a reasonably high level into the teenage years and who wants to continue playing beyond high school.
 
The CHF just concluded its first season of play at the non-varsity level and features a more regionalized approach to “club” hockey for a group of teams that previously played at the ACHA Division II and III levels and found that they had similar budgets, resources and obstacles to overcome. It falls under the umbrella of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The CHF planned on holding its national championship tournament outside of Philadelphia this spring before it had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
 
The ACHA is the largest and oldest organization of non-varsity college hockey programs in the country and is an governed by USA Hockey. Founded in 1991, the ACHA features Division I, II and III levels for men and Division I and II for women. For the men, Division I is comprised of about 70 teams, while there are 200 or so D2 programs and about 130 D3 teams. On the women’s side there are 25 Division I and about 50 Division II programs.
 
The top ACHA D1 programs often treat hockey like it’s a varsity sport, recruiting top AAA players and junior players who choose not to go the NCAA route and practicing up to four times per week. The level of play has improved steadily and is very high among the top-ranked programs, with several players having moved on to play professionally in North America and Europe.
 
On both the men’s women’s side of things there are programs for players who want a full varsity-type experience and hockey to be a top priority as well as for players who want to play in a serious program that is a supplement to their academic careers and those who just want a more recreational hockey experience to stay active and remain involved with the sport.
 
The ACHA hosts a large national championship tournament for all levels each spring. This year’s event was scheduled to be held in Dallas March 19-29 before it had to be cancelled in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
 
At the NCAA level, there are a total of about 150 men’s varsity programs across all three divisions, with 60 of those competing at the Division I level and 84 classified as Division III. Only one conference, the Northeast 10 in New England, is classified as Division II, and there is no Division II national championship. The Division II schools play primarily a D3 schedule with the exception of their league games, and the level of play is equivalent to mid-to-lower NCAA Division III hockey. When you compare hockey to men’s basketball, which has 350 Division I teams, you can see that playing NCAA hockey at any level is quite an accomplishment.
 
The primary difference tween Division I and Division III programs is their overall budgets, and Division I schools offer athletic scholarships while D3 programs do not. Division II programs are permitted to offer athletic aid, and eligible student-athletes and receive academic scholarships and need-based aid at all three levels of competition.
 
It is a common misconception that all Division I NCAA hockey players receive full athletic scholarships. This is simply not the case. By rule, NCAA D1 hockey programs can award 18 full scholarships. Hockey is an equivalency sport, so that scholarship money can be spread out among as many as 30 players. So a quick bit of math shows that a D1 program can offer 27 players a 2/3 scholarship to reach that limit of 18. According to ScholarshipStats.com, the average Division I men’s hockey program awards 22 full and partial scholarships, with the low number being 16 and the high being 25. There are between 27 and 30 players on most Division I rosters, while at the Division II and III levels teams generally carry between 30 and 35 players.
 
Every program is different and has different formulas when handing out scholarship money. Some might offer four or five full rides and divide the rest of the money, and some might offer 10. Student-athletes also can receive partial scholarships for a year or two and full rides for a year or two. It’s up to the individual program, but no more than 30 players can receive athletic money in a given year. Scholarships are renewed yearly and can be reduced or taken away altogether during a student-athlete’s career.
 
Division I conferences also can place restrictions on the number of athletic scholarships their member programs can award. For example, Atlantic Hockey teams are permitted to offer 14 full scholarships, while the Ivy League programs, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Union College do not offer athletic-based aid. Academic scholarship opportunities are plentiful at all levels, and the odds of getting academic aid are much higher than the odds of getting athletic assistance. The individual institution’s admissions and financial-aid offices usually determine which applicants qualify for academic aid.
 
Keep checking back and we will keep updating the links here:
 
Non-Varsity College Hockey Organizations
 
NCAA Varsity College Hockey Information & Resources
 
Prospective D1/D2 student-athletes must go here and receive clearance from the NCAA Clearinghouse!
 
 
 
 
D1, D2, D3 Rankings, Stats, Standings, Polls, Etc.
 
 
 
 
 
 
COLLEGE PLACEMENT INFO
 
 
 
SCOUTING SERVICES