NCAA Hockey Expansion Thread

[Barclay Donaldson]

"If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse." -- Walt Disney

"Gegen Dummheit gibt es keine Pillen" - William Shatner

 

[JMCx4]

"Gegen Dummheit gibt es keine Pillen" - William Shatner

He also said: "Sie wissen das vielleicht nicht über mich, aber bei mir wurde vor Jahren eine Schlafstörung diagnostiziert."

 

[mk80]

Seamore Sports weighed in on this topic ... Opinion: Men’s College Hockey needs more conferences-Here’s Why

Opinion: Seamore Sports blog could use a serious facelift

 

[JMCx4]

Opinion: Seamore Sports blog could use a serious facelift

I'm sure @MDtoGF would appreciate any specific feedback you may have for improvements. College hockey coverage - in any form - is a precious commodity.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

The title of that article should be "Opinion: Men's College Hockey needs more teams." The title and the idea behind it are based entirely on the hypothetical belief that college hockey will add 5-6 new members within a year or two, most of which aren't even in the realm of possibility.

More pie-in-the-sky masturbatory expansionist fantasy that ignores the underlying fact of adding a Division I hockey program: It costs a lot of money.

 

[S E P H]

The title of that article should be "Opinion: Men's College Hockey needs more teams." The title and the idea behind it are based entirely on the hypothetical belief that college hockey will add 5-6 new members within a year or two, most of which aren't even in the realm of possibility.

Even me being an optimistic thinks that is out of the realm of real life. I am more of a believer about how "certain programmes" do not have DI teams like Rutgers, Oakland, Ohio, Illinois, Wyoming, Navy, schools in snowy states, etc. than that hockey should be created across 200-ish or so universities across America.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Even me being an optimistic thinks that is out of the realm of real life. I am more of a believer about how "certain programmes" do not have DI teams like Rutgers, Oakland, Ohio, Illinois, Wyoming, Navy, schools in snowy states, etc. than that hockey should be created across 200-ish or so universities across America.

Rutgers doesn't have the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Oakland doesn't have the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Ohio has the money to fund a world class ACHA D1 club team with a small, but functional on campus arena, but because of Title IX does not have the ability to add NCAA D1 hockey.

Illinois supposedly is getting close to having the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Wyoming and college hockey have never even been thought about together in the same sentence.

Navy was mentioned as a place interested in adding NCAA D1 hockey. They have a tiny on campus arena and were linked without sources in the past.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Rutgers doesn't have the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Oakland doesn't have the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Ohio has the money to fund a world class ACHA D1 club team with a small, but functional on campus arena, but because of Title IX does not have the ability to add NCAA D1 hockey.

Illinois supposedly is getting close to having the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Wyoming and college hockey have never even been thought about together in the same sentence.

Navy was mentioned as a place interested in adding NCAA D1 hockey. They have a tiny on campus arena and were linked without sources in the past.

My favorite Rutgers hockey tidbit: 15 years ago, one of their assistant coaches was an emergency backup for Trenton in the ECHL. Afterward, in his bio on the Rutgers hockey website, it literally read, "[Club Clown Coach] was signed by the Trenton Titans in 2004, and though he never appeared in a game, he looked impressive in warm-ups."

Oakland talked about adding hockey 15 years ago. It didn't happen then, and I haven't heard anything since.

Wyoming, Illinois, and Ohio face both money problems and Title IX programs, as they are football schools and have to balance out the massive number of men's athletic opportunities that football creates.

If Navy wanted to have real college hockey, they would by now.

 

[JMCx4]

... If Navy wanted to have real college hockey, they would by now.

There's something inherently unsettling in the notion of the Navy playing sports on frozen water.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

My favorite Rutgers hockey tidbit: 15 years ago, one of their assistant coaches was an emergency backup for Trenton in the ECHL. Afterward, in his bio on the Rutgers hockey website, it literally read, "[Club Clown Coach] was signed by the Trenton Titans in 2004, and though he never appeared in a game, he looked impressive in warm-ups."

Oakland talked about adding hockey 15 years ago. It didn't happen then, and I haven't heard anything since.

Wyoming, Illinois, and Ohio face both money problems and Title IX programs, as they are football schools and have to balance out the massive number of men's athletic opportunities that football creates.

If Navy wanted to have real college hockey, they would by now.

Oakland is only linked now because they had one of the 5 feasibility studies, Illinois was the only other publicly released school.

 

[Slowe]

The NAHL tweeted on 4/15 that David Brezeale had committed to the D1 program of Lindenwood. While the school has yet to announce it, like 4 to 5 kids tweeted they’d be playing D1 with them.

Now David tweeted that he’s going to Maine instead. Just an upgrade in team choice or a possible indicator that Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all?

 

[CrazyEddie20]

The NAHL tweeted on 4/15 that David Brezeale had committed to the D1 program of Lindenwood. While the school has yet to announce it, like 4 to 5 kids tweeted they’d be playing D1 with them.

Now David tweeted that he’s going to Maine instead. Just an upgrade in team choice or a possible indicator that Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all?

Not a good sign for Lindenwood.

 

[JMCx4]

Not a good sign for Lindenwood.

You're breakin'' @mk80's heart.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

You're breakin'' @mk80's heart.

I'm not - Lindenwood is.

Granted, so far it's only one recruit, but if those other kids decommit, then it's pretty obvious that the Division I dream is in trouble.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

The NAHL tweeted on 4/15 that David Brezeale had committed to the D1 program of Lindenwood. While the school has yet to announce it, like 4 to 5 kids tweeted they’d be playing D1 with them.

Now David tweeted that he’s going to Maine instead. Just an upgrade in team choice or a possible indicator that Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all?

The NAHL so far is listing 8 kids on their college commitment page going to Lindenwood University, who are listed as a NCAA D1 Independent program.

The fact that it's mid-July and there is still no announcement, there is no smoke from the AD or the coaching staff, and no other Lindenwood commits are calling Lindenwood a D1 program would be indicators Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

The NAHL so far is listing 8 kids on their college commitment page going to Lindenwood University, who are listed as a NCAA D1 Independent program.

The fact that it's mid-July and there is still no announcement, there is no smoke from the AD or the coaching staff, and no other Lindenwood commits are calling Lindenwood a D1 program would be indicators Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all.

You mean it's more than just the rubber stamp Rick Zombo thinks it is???

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

You mean it's more than just the rubber stamp Rick Zombo thinks it is???

Unless it is one of those magic American rubber stamps I have heard about, I find it highly unlikely Lindenwood finds themselves with a fully fledged NCAA D1 team in the fall.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Unless it is one of those magic American rubber stamps I have heard about, I find it highly unlikely Lindenwood finds themselves with a fully fledged NCAA D1 team in the fall.

I'd be shocked if four of those eight players showed up at Lindenwood in the fall at this point. Between the transfer market being flooded and teams shutting down, they're better off deferring another year if they want to play real college hockey - which they won't be playing at Lindenwood any time soon.

 

[JMCx4]

Unless it is one of those magic American rubber stamps I have heard about, I find it highly unlikely Lindenwood finds themselves with a fully fledged NCAA D1 team in the fall.

I never read any claims that LU would go DI in Fall 2021; it was Fall 2022. They are on the 2021-22 ASU home schedule as an "exhibition series" in January, which I thought indicated the Lions remaining an ACHA program for the coming season.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

I never read any claims that LU would go DI in Fall 2021; it was Fall 2022. They are on the 2021-22 ASU home schedule as an "exhibition series" in January, which I thought indicated the Lions remaining an ACHA program for the coming season.

It is tough for a league like the NAHL to claim commits are playing NCAA D1 hockey when the team isn't really NCAA. That was more of what I was getting at.

 

[JMCx4]

It is tough for a league like the NAHL to claim commits are playing NCAA D1 hockey when the team isn't really NCAA. That was more of what I was getting at.

I suspect that whole premature "D1" rhetoric was fomented by LU recruiters, and the NAHL jumped on the wagon with both feet. Both parties have had the cart before the horse for so long that they're applying saddle soap to the buckboard.

 

[mk80]

The NAHL tweeted on 4/15 that David Brezeale had committed to the D1 program of Lindenwood. While the school has yet to announce it, like 4 to 5 kids tweeted they’d be playing D1 with them.

Now David tweeted that he’s going to Maine instead. Just an upgrade in team choice or a possible indicator that Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all?

Indeed he had committed to Lindenwood. A tough loss for sure, because he had a career year with the Mudbugs and capped it off with a Championship. Although I do have some pride in the fact the LU is in the mix for some HEA level talent.

That being said, just a week ago, as noted in the tweet below former Minnesota Duluth commit Devlin McCabe announced he was coming to LU.

I'm not - Lindenwood is.

Granted, so far it's only one recruit, but if those other kids decommit, then it's pretty obvious that the Division I dream is in trouble.

The NAHL so far is listing 8 kids on their college commitment page going to Lindenwood University, who are listed as a NCAA D1 Independent program.

The fact that it's mid-July and there is still no announcement, there is no smoke from the AD or the coaching staff, and no other Lindenwood commits are calling Lindenwood a D1 program would be indicators Lindenwood might not be going D1 after all.

All together Lindenwood still has 15 recruits for next season minus Breazeale (who at the time of this post 9:45pm CST 7/13/21 has yet to be removed from the page). The page is also missing McCabe that I posted above, essentially drop a defenseman for a forward. Lindenwood Univ. at eliteprospects.com.

Now there is one or 2 listed that are destined for the ACHA D2 team. To address the bolded point most have specifically stated NCAA D1 in their announcements. I'll spare everyone, me going through and linking individual tweets, many but not all can be found on Twitter by searching #SamePrideNewHunt.

Obviously if we witness a mass exodus of these players from the program, I agree that would certainly be a signal of trouble. As it stands for now, I think it's a scenario of one player just switching his commitment out, while another switched in from UMD. To be honest I had personally expected an announcement officially from the university sometime in June, but instead they announced Beach Volleyball starting in 22-23.

In other news as @JMCx4 astutely noted LU is on the ASU schedule for a road trip there in January. A look at Air Force's schedule sees them visiting Lindenwood in October 2021-22 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule - Air Force Academy Athletics

I have a strong feeling there Could be another NCAA schedule with LU showing up soon too.

 

[mk80]

Apologies for the double post but wanted to break this up from the LU talk. On the broader expansion subject... according to this UAH blog, Atlantic Hockey has voted not to expand. AHA is currently at 10 teams by my count with RMU's program leaving.



UAH, LIU, and my speculation based on other CHN articles from a few months ago Navy were the ones in consideration. For UAH specifically this is a major blow to reinstating their program, possibly although I hate to see fans lose a team, this could be the final nail in the coffin for them.

LIU still has their scheduling agreement with Atlantic Hockey, and are well located on the east coast so playing independently shouldn't hurt them.

 

[S E P H]

Rutgers doesn't have the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Oakland doesn't have the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Ohio has the money to fund a world class ACHA D1 club team with a small, but functional on campus arena, but because of Title IX does not have the ability to add NCAA D1 hockey.

Illinois supposedly is getting close to having the money to build the necessary infrastructure and fund a NCAA D1 team.

Wyoming and college hockey have never even been thought about together in the same sentence.

Navy was mentioned as a place interested in adding NCAA D1 hockey. They have a tiny on campus arena and were linked without sources in the past.

My favorite Rutgers hockey tidbit: 15 years ago, one of their assistant coaches was an emergency backup for Trenton in the ECHL. Afterward, in his bio on the Rutgers hockey website, it literally read, "[Club Clown Coach] was signed by the Trenton Titans in 2004, and though he never appeared in a game, he looked impressive in warm-ups."

Oakland talked about adding hockey 15 years ago. It didn't happen then, and I haven't heard anything since.

Wyoming, Illinois, and Ohio face both money problems and Title IX programs, as they are football schools and have to balance out the massive number of men's athletic opportunities that football creates.

If Navy wanted to have real college hockey, they would by now.

I was being fictitious gentlemen, but you lot are bit funny. Not trying to ruff some feathers here, but it seems that every single university that rumours of getting a hockey team, you lot always post the negatives about how it won't work (such as LIU as one example). Is there any schools out there that you blokes think D1 hockey could work, which currently do not have a team?

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

I was being fictitious gentlemen, but you lot are bit funny. Not trying to ruff some feathers here, but it seems that every single university that rumours of getting a hockey team, you lot always post the negatives about how it won't work (such as LIU as one example). Is there any schools out there that you blokes think D1 hockey could work, which currently do not have a team?

LIU put together a team at the last minute and did have a lot of negatives in their first season. They lost to an ACHA team. Regardless of who it is, that shouldn't happen. That isn't a positive thing. They played out of what is at the very most a nice rec rink. They didn't have a conference despite being near several.

Where could NCAA D1 hockey work? An absolutely ridiculous question. Whatever school puts in the proper amount of resources into starting a program, they could be successful. Doesn't matter if it is Navy, Illinois, Donbass Penitentiary, or William Howard Taft Junior High School. If it's done correctly, any school you can imagine will be successful. If it is done incorrectly, any school you can imagine will be unsuccessful. You could point to any school and say "hockey could work there." It is just a matter of how many "ifs" you add afterwards.