Division I Men’s Teams and Conferences
Why College Hockey?
Thanks to College Hockey for the Information
The Incredible Journey
For more than 100 years, college hockey has been a development ground for outstanding hockey players and people. Today college hockey players make a bigger impact in the NHL and on the international stage than ever before . More than 30% of the NHL comes from the U.S. college ranks and NCAA stars are front and center during the Olympics and World Championships.
NCAA Division I men’s hockey is made up 64 member schools across six conferences: Atlantic Hockey, Big Ten, the CCHA, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East and the NCHC. The member teams range as far west as Alaska and as far south as Arizona.
NCAA Division I women’s hockey features 44 programs across five conferences: CHA, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, NEWHA and the WCHA. There are a number of reasons to consider the college hockey path:
- NHL Opportunities: From Cale Makar to Johnny Gaudreau, college hockey consistently produces NHL stars and its presence in the league continues to grow.
- Player Development: With its style of play, emphasis on practice and opportunity for strength and conditioning, college hockey provides an unparalleled environment for player development.
- Education: Some of the finest institutions in the world offer college hockey, providing young players exposure to elite educational programs while pursuing their hockey careers. Division I women’s hockey players boast a 98-percent graduation rate – tied for the best among women’s sports — while men’s hockey players have a 92-percent graduation rate, among the best of all Division I men’s sports.
- Student Life: The off-ice experience of life on campus, surrounded by fellow students in a supportive environment, is unmatched and often considered the best time of a person’s life.
- Special Events: Holiday tournaments, conference championships, outdoor games, the Beanpot and the NCAA Frozen Four provide college hockey players the opportunity to play in intense, high-profile special events.
- History: With traditions unique to each school and a history that traces back to the 1800s, today’s college hockey players carry on a proud legacy.
College Hockey, Inc. believes there is no better place to build your skills than college hockey. That said we know young hockey players face difficult choices, and we hope this site helps answer questions you may have about such subjects as:
- Recruiting: The college recruiting process can be exciting, nerve-wracking and – sometimes – confusing. We provide some background.
- NCAA Eligibility: To play college hockey it’s important to succeed both athletically and academically. Find out what it takes to maintain your academic eligibility.
- FAQ: We offer answers to many other common questions about recruiting, major junior, advisors and more.
Every Friday and Saturday night during the college hockey season, teams play in college arenas full of hyped-up fellow students, friends, family members and fans. Thousands of fans sing their school fight song after every goal. School spirit creates an atmosphere not experienced anywhere else in the world.
Those are memories college hockey players carry into their NHL careers, international competitions, and beyond. And all terrific reasons to play college hockey.
NCAA Hockey Recruiting
Recruiting is an exciting – but often confusing – process for student-athletes considering a college hockey career. College hockey doesn’t have a draft, giving elite prospective players control over where they want to play.
NCAA College Hockey vs. CHL Major Junior
High school students may not have recruiting conversations with college coaches prior to Jan. 1 of their sophomore (grade 10) year. After that point, students may hear from college coaches or reach out to them on their own. Schools may make verbal offers to prospects beginning Aug. 1 prior to their junior (grade 11) year.
Many prospective college hockey players wonder what they can do to get noticed by college recruiters. College hockey coaches spend a tremendous amount of time and energy scouting and recruiting potential student-athletes. If you play for a competitive midget minor, midget major, junior, or high school team, and are an elite player, there is a good a chance that the college coaches know about you.
Top 10 Recruiting Tips | Recruiting Tips on YouTube
We highly recommend that American players try out for the USA Hockey select festivals or district development camps that are held every summer. We also recommend you make a list of the schools you are interested in and visit their respective web sites (find links here). Most college hockey teams have a “recruiting questionnaire” on their team web site and it would be beneficial to fill out a questionnaire for each school that interests you. Create a hockey resume that can help introduce you to coaches.
Click here for more Frequently Asked Questions about the recruiting process.
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Division I Independents
Alaska Anchorage
Alaska
Lindenwood
Long Island University
Stonehill
