- Aug 13, 2018
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So much for the belief that expanding the player pool with CHL players would keep the small schools in the game.
Costs are exploding and many schools are under serious financial strain.
FAR more important than a small college's sports programs stability or the institution's future solvency ... Does this hockey team demotion make my collection of AIC hockey merch more or less valuable?![]()
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CHL-introduction will most definitely help these lower-tier schools, but it will take time.So much for the belief that expanding the player pool with CHL players would keep the small schools in the game.
Seems that it was not the hockey team's fault, but great mismanagement of people at the top in the suits.
Moving the hockey team down from NCAA DI to fit the rest of the athletic department's DII membership in the NE-10 was part of a wide range of cuts attempting to stabilize the university's finances
CHL-introduction will most definitely help these lower-tier schools, but it will take time.
Seems that it was not the hockey team's fault, but great mismanagement of people at the top in the suits.
Bummer. From an on-ice standpoint, 3 NCAA tourney appearances in the last 5 years or so is a pretty darn good return and they’ve had, living up to their name, some pretty interesting international players come through their doors.
Do you know if the CHL scholarship packages can be applied to US universities? That could potentially help lower budget schools.I don't think anyone remotely suspected the hockey team did anything to get moved from DI.
But, if anyone thinks that AIC is alone, think again. University enrolment is down, and this is hurting the smaller, lower-ranked private colleges. Many have closed or been absorbed, and this trend will continue. Some have massive endowments and loyal alumni that will spare them (e.g., Middlebury College), but small private universities with small endowments are getting crushed and the first thing to go will be athletic scholarships.
AIC has an endowment of ~$30Million, which sounds like a lot until you compare to Middlebury's $1.5Billion endowment. A small university like AIC is a money-losing proposition.
I expect Lindenwood will reconsider its DI hockey program shortly.
Do you know if the CHL scholarship packages can be applied to US universities? That could potentially help lower budget schools.
Yes, they can be used for any post-secondary education, including trades training.
The amounts set aside by the CHL scholarship program are based on Canadian University Tuition, which is not in the same vicinity price-wise as US Tuition, especially with the exchange rate at 40%.
Disregarding the major deficit issues that SFU is currently working through, that would give them (SFU) a competitive advantage and make a legit program there more feasible, no? If they were to focus on locking down regional talent from the WHL, that would potentially give them a unique ability to recruit a competitive roster at a low cost, relative to other D1 hockey programs, no? Scholarship athletes would then also be cheaper for hockey than other sports within their own athletic department which wouldn't be able to take advantage of the CHL scholarship funding program. If SFU chooses to remain in the NCAA, I think this makes the argument to add hockey there pretty compelling, especially given the fact that they just dropped football and a bunch of men's scholarship opportunities.
1) Running an NCAA team out of SFU would cost a fortune. They are on a geographic island without an NCAA program within 2500km (1500 miles), so they would have to fly everywhere. They have no arena, and thus no revenue sources, and you can rest assured that SFU is not looking to allocate $2M to fund a varsity hockey program. It's the pipe dream of all pipe dreams.
2) SFU does not offer full scholarships in other sports, so that's a moot point.
3) They are not in the NCAA. They have a club team that plays exhibition games against NCAA competition. That's not the same thing.
Their entire athletic department is already NCAA D2, and I'm aware they have a club program that is already traveling to NCAA programs for exhibition games, and I'm aware they are able to do what they are without funding from the university to pay for it. If they would have the potential to recruit a legitimate roster at a relatively low cost, and if the current operations of the club program are already self-funded (they are), then the incremental cost of elevating the program would be significantly less than 2 million. As a D1 program, they would also get paid more than they currently do for non conference away pay games, and they would have the ability to create a decent home schedule because other programs will want to play there for recruiting purposes. Home games vs legitimate programs, games with rosters consisting of legitimate NHL talent and known names from the WHL, along with a high quality of play would help to drive interest/attendance, and revenue to offset increased costs.
The value that the university would get for any incremental dollar that they spend on a legit D1 hockey program would dwarf that of that of the millions they are currently flushing down the drain for every single one of their existing programs. The exception with hockey is that it would actually be a program capable of generating fan support and some amount of revenue to offset costs, and it would also be the only program capable of generating an ROI in the form of marketing for the university - it's the only program capable of attracting significant attention and awareness for the university. Hockey would have a payoff in that it could actually serve as the "front porch" of the university, whereas all of their other NCAA programs are essentially invisible.
Just to clarify, based on your comment I wasn't sure whether you knew their other sports were in the NCAA which is partially why I mentioned it. They are likely in the process of restructuring their athletic department, so the other part of why I mentioned that was because they could conceivably decide to leave the NCAA. That's why I said something about if they choose to remain in the NCAA, in my first post.OK - but there is no DII in NCAA Hockey, and the nearest DIII league (Minnesota) is as far as the nearest DI league (UND).
There's no question they would attract a strong roster, as would any Canadian university who sought an NCAA DI program. Roster strength is not the issue. Money is.
The only possible way it would work is with a massive investment from a private donor. You still don't have a good home arena, any training facilities, etc.
Canadians don't care about college sports, so your set of assumptions about the incremental value of a DI program are not supported by any evidence. In matters in the US, but not in Canada.
Sounds like they’re Down In A Hole
So much for the belief that expanding the player pool with CHL players would keep the small schools in the game.
Costs are exploding and many schools are under serious financial strain.
They got good deals on season tickets?Rumor? ... Lindenwood University will take AIC's place in the AHA for 2025-26 ...![]()
Dunno, I'm a single-game ticket buyer by tradition.They got good deals on season tickets?
Given your location, I assume you have a source connected to the school in some way?Rumor? ... Lindenwood University will take AIC's place in the AHA for 2025-26 ...![]()
AIC's Lang Organizes 'College Hockey Transfer Showcase'
by Anthony Teavalgia/CHN Reporter ...
When American International head coach Eric Lang was told his program would be moving back to Division II at the end of the 2024-25 season, one thing immediately came to mind:
“We will go above and beyond and make sure that we further your college hockey career,” Lang said he told the players. “Those guys took a leap of faith to come to AIC, took a leap of faith to come play for me and they were devastated by this news; I feel a huge obligation to fulfill that promise.”
Out of that, came a novel idea: The first Men’s College Hockey Transfer Showcase was born.
The showcase will take place at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in Simsbury on April 5-6. The showcase will be open to players who have entered the transfer portal across all college hockey divisions, club programs included. ...
Read more at: AIC's Lang Organizes 'College Hockey Transfer Showcase' | CHN