Sök och Spela College Hockey i USA

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Sök och Spela Junior College Hockey

Collegehockey har varit grunden för många enastående hockeyspelare. Hockeygymnasiet.se tror att det finns en möjlighet att bygga ännu mer kompetens inom collegehockey.

Play Junior College Hockey

College hockey has been a breeding ground for many outstanding hockey players and people. Hockeygymnasiet.se believes there is a possibility to build even more skills within college hockey.

Please note: As our source comes form American Colleges our information is written in english.

General information

About the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA)

The ACHA is a college athletics association like the NAIA and NCAA. The purpose of the Association is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes quality in collegiate ice hockey.

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. Dedicated to supporting and regulating intercollegiate hockey programs in the United States, the ACHA was an early supporter of the NAIA Hockey Coaches Association and its mission to return hockey as a NAIA championship sport.

Working together, the two associations established a new division, the NAIA Division. The ACHA governed this new division through the inaugural 2017-18 season. As a result of the ACHA’s support in of the NAIA Division’s initial season, the NAIA Hockey Coaches Association was able to take over governance at the beginning of the 2018-19 season and continue its journey to re-establishing hockey as a sponsored NAIA sport.

Difference of college levels to choose

So, you know you want to compete at the college level, but do you know what division level best fits your interest, talent and expectations? It’s important to consider all division levels available during your college search. Below is a breakdown of the different division levels from the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA

About the NCAA

The NCAA stands for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It is a membership-driven organization that governs intercollegiate athletics across three divisions (I, II, and III). Today, the NCAA consists of 1,098 colleges and universities and 102 athletic conferences.

NCAA Colleges with club hockey programs

Division 1: 57 teams in 7 conferences
Division 2: 200 teams in 12 conferences
Division 3: 140 teams in 10 conferences

About the NAIA

The NAIA stands for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

If you’re looking to compete at a smaller or private college, the NAIA might be a better option for you. A much smaller community than the NCAA—with a little over 250 schools—the NAIA is a great alternative that still allows athletes to compete at the next level for an athletic scholarship.

About the NJCAA

The NJCAA stands for the National Junior College Athletic Association.

Junior college (JUCO) are two-year institution that give student-athlete a look into college athletics are like before transferring to a four-year college. It’s very common for student-athletes to compete at the JUCO level as they work on their NCAA eligibility or are trying to save money. Junior colleges can—and do—offer scholarships depending on the school and how well funded the program is.

NCAA International Prospects

NCAA hockey offers student-athletes the chance to play high-level hockey and at the same time pursue higher education – an opportunity that in many ways is only available in the United States.

That’s a big reason that NCAA hockey is more popular among international players than ever before. Approximately 30% of all NCAA Division I men’s players are Canadian, while more than 100 – a record number – came from Europe in 2018-19.

NCAA hockey has no restrictions on the number of import players, though all international players must meet the same eligibility requirements as American players.

NCAA College Hockey Divisions

NCAA Division I
Division 1 programs recruit top talent, making it the most competitive division level in college sports, not just in the NCAA, but across all governing bodies. Perks of Division 1 programs include large budgets, full-ride scholarships, expensive facilities, and the opportunity to train and travel with other top tier athletes.

NCAA Division II
Division 2 programs are still highly competitive, but athletes are provided more balance in their lives, as training and competition aren’t as intense. Scholarships are also offered at this level, generally as a mix of full-ride and partial scholarships.

NCAA Division III
Student-athletes often overlook Division 3 programs at the start of the recruiting process because they don’t receive the same recognition as Division 1 and 2 programs. What athletes don’t realize is they can still expect high competition levels, but practice seasons are shorter, and there’s more of an academic focus. One main difference at the Division 3 level is athletes can’t earn an athletic scholarship. Instead, Division 3 institutions offer many other forms of financial aid, merit, need-based or academic scholarships.

NCAA College Age Limit

There is an age limit for NCAA Division I and II sports. The NCAA allows a one year grace period after high school graduation for DI and II schools. One year after your high school class graduates is when your eligibility will start to be affected in all sports except for hockey, skiing and tennis. The eligibility clock does not start for hockey players and skiers until after their 21st birthday. The NCAA gives you 5 years to compete in 4 seasons athletically, with the fifth year being a red-shirt year. A red-shirt year gives athletes the opportunity to sit out a year of competition (for reasons such as injury or competition for playing time) and still be allowed to compete in all four years athletically. The NAIA does not have an age restriction; however they do take away seasons of competition for any participation in sports at a comparable level of competition after September 1st of your high school graduation year. NCAA Division III schools do not follow the same eligibility guidelines as Division I and II. Each school and conference determines eligibility standards at the DIII level.

American Junior Hockey Leagues

USHL - The United States Hockey League
Tier I - 1st Level. The league consists of 16 active teams for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly amateur, allowing former players to compete in NCAA college hockey.
NAHL - the North American Hockey League
Tier II - 2nd Level. The league consists of 29 active teams for players between the ages of 16 and 21. This is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States
WSHL - the Western States Hockey League
Tier II - 2nd Level. The league consists of 6 active teams for players between the ages of 16 and 21.

EHL - the Eastern Hockey League
Tier III - 3rd Level. The league consists of 17 active teams for players between the ages of 16 and 21.
NA3HL - North American 3 Hockey League
Tier III - 3rd Level. The league consists of 34 active teams for players between the ages of 16 and 21.
USPHL - the United States Premier Hockey League
Tier III - 3rd Level. The league consists of 60 active teams for players between the ages of 16 and 21.