NCAA Division I Hockey: A Comprehensive Overview
The landscape of men's college hockey, primarily concentrated in the Northeast and upper Midwest, is governed by the NCAA. Since 1948, the NCAA has sponsored men’s college hockey. Over 150 four-year institutions and 6 junior colleges now offer men’s college hockey. Ice hockey stands out as one of the smallest men’s sports leagues within the NCAA. It is offered across multiple conferences at the Division 1 and 3 level, with only a single conference of seven schools, the Northeast-10 Conference, making up the Division 2 level. Outside of the NCAA, men’s college hockey is also played at NAIA institutions.
NCAA Divisions in Men's Hockey
Men’s college hockey has not been sponsored by the NAIA since the last National Ice Hockey Championship in 1984, there are currently nine NAIA institutions with hockey programs. In 2014, a group of coaches and athletic administrators came together to establish the NAIA Hockey Coaches Association and, with the help of the NAIA, began working toward their goal to reinstate ice hockey as a champion NAIA sport. As the sole governing body of the NAIA Division, the NAIA Hockey Coaches Association oversee operations and organizes a national championship, while promoting the growth of college hockey at NAIA institutions. The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a men’s and women’s collegiate hockey organization that governs five divisions with over 500 varsity and club level teams in 49 states. Working together, the two associations established a new division, the NAIA Division. The ACHA governed this new division through the inaugural 2017-18 season.
Division I
Each D1 hockey team competes in one of six conferences; Atlantic Hockey, Big 10, ECAC, Hockey East, NCHC and WCHA. Each week, the NCAA updates the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey rankings.
NCSA’s Power Rankings provide a more well-rounded view of Division 1 men’s ice hockey colleges.
Division II
The NCAA has not sponsored a Division 2 Men’s Ice Hockey Championship since 1999, due to a lack of sponsoring programs. As a result, there is only one collegiate athletic conference that sponsors NCAA’s Division II level hockey, the Northeast-10 Conference.
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Division III
Division 3 programs may not offer athletic scholarships, but student-athletes shouldn’t overlook this division. The NCAA offers the largest number of opportunities to play college hockey at the Division 3 level. NCSA’s Power Rankings provide a more comprehensive ranking system that factors in aspects outside of athletics.
NAIA and ACHA Involvement
In 2016, the NAIA Hockey Coaches Association teamed up with ACHA leadership to form the new NAIA Division that included all NAIA varsity hockey programs. This division was governed by the ACHA for the inaugural 2017-18 season. The NAIA Hockey Coaches Association announced in January 2018 that it would replace the ACHA as the sole governing body of the NAIA Division at the start of the 2018-19 season. The NAIA requires a sport to be sponsored by a minimum of 40 varsity institutions, complete in at least two National invitational and receive approval from the NAC before it can gain national championship status.
Club Hockey
The NCJAA hosted the last men’s ice hockey national championship in 2017. Club hockey programs are governed by the American Collegiate Hockey Association and are usually self-managed under the school’s rec sports department. ACHA programs typically attract student-athletes who want to continue competing at a lower level than the NCAA, late bloomers and athletes that NCAA coaches looked over. To make the team, student-athletes typically have to try out for a spot, though these programs are inclusive of different skill levels.
Choosing the Right College Fit
Selecting the right college fit require more than just finding the right athletic fit for a student-athlete. Athletes are looking for a school that checks all the boxes athletically, academically, socially and financially.
NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Rankings
USA Hockey Men's Poll
| RK | Team | REC | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICH Michigan | 15-3 | 1 |
| 2 | WISC Wisconsin | 10-2-2 | 2 |
| 3 | MSU Michigan State | 11-3 | 3 |
| 4 | UMD Minnesota Duluth | 12-4 | 5 |
| 5 | DEN Denver | 9-5-1 | 4 |
| 6 | UND North Dakota | 10-4 | 6 |
| 7 | WMU Western Michigan | 9-5 | 7 |
| 8 | QUIN Quinnipiac | 11-3-2 | 8 |
| 9 | PSU Penn State | 11-5 | 9 |
| 10 | DART Dartmouth | 8-0 | 10 |
| 11 | NE Northeastern | 9-4 | 12 |
| 12 | ME Maine | 8-5-1 | 11 |
| 13 | MNST Minnesota State | 10-2-4 | 14 |
| 14 | BC Boston College | 8-5-1 | 15 |
| 15 | CONN UConn | 7-5-3 | 13 |
| 16 | COR Cornell | 6-3 | 16 |
| 17 | PROV Providence | 7-6-2 | 17 |
| 18 | BU Boston University | 7-7-1 | 20 |
| 19 | M-OH Miami (OH) | 10-4 | NR |
| 20 | HARV Harvard | 5-3-1 | 18 |
Others receiving votes: Union, Colorado College, Massachusetts, Arizona State, St. Cloud State, Bowling Green, Bemidji State, Augustana University (SD), Ohio StateDropped from rankings: Massachusetts 19
Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile
USCHO Men's Poll
| RK | Team | REC | PREV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MSU Michigan State | 24-6 | 1 |
| 2 | MICH Michigan | 25-6-1 | 2 |
| 3 | UND North Dakota | 24-7-1 | 3 |
| 4 | WMU Western Michigan | 23-8-1 | 4 |
| 5 | PSU Penn State | 20-9-1 | 6 |
| 6 | PROV Providence | 21-8-2 | 7 |
| 7 | QUIN Quinnipiac | 25-6-3 | 5 |
| 8 | DEN Denver | 19-11-3 | 8 |
| 9 | UMD Minnesota Duluth | 20-12 | 9 |
| 10 | BC Boston College | 19-10-1 | 12 |
| 11 | COR Cornell | 18-8-1 | 11 |
| 12 | WISC Wisconsin | 19-11-2 | 13 |
| 13 | CONN UConn | 17-9-4 | 10 |
| 14 | DART Dartmouth | 18-7-3 | 14 |
| 15 | AUSD Augustana University (SD) | 20-10-4 | 18 |
| 16 | MTU Michigan Tech | 21-10-3 | 16 |
| 17 | STMN St. Thomas - Minnesota | 18-10-4 | 15 |
| 18 | MNST Minnesota State | 17-9-6 | 17 |
| 19 | MASS Massachusetts | 18-12 | 19 |
| 20 | ME Maine | 16-12-3 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Union, Bentley, Miami (OH), Bowling Green, St. Cloud State.
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