2016-2017 Division I Commitments

[Hux]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Sieve1, you seem to have questions about how the D1 schools select their athletes. If you have been following these forums for any length of time, you probably know what I am about to summarize here. If not, here’s some facts about D1 women’s hockey that pertain to your questions.

First, there are only 34 D1 schools offering women’s hockey (35 if you count Sacred Heart, but I’m going to leave them out of this analysis). That means there are only 612 total scholarships available (18 per school), although most schools will split some scholarships among several players in order to have a full roster. In an average year, approximately a quarter of those scholarships or roster spots become available for freshmen, somewhere between 150 and 180. There will probably be three or four times that number of quality players available. For that reason, many players recruit schools long before the schools can recruit them.

So how do the schools choose between the many candidates available for each of their roster openings? The first decider will be how good a student each candidate projects to be. A National Merit Scholar will be coveted by every college in the country, never mind just the 34 offering scholarships in women’s hockey. The reason is that every college and university in the US is trying to have a world class faculty and a world class student body, so they recruit people from all over the world, including athletes. Why? Because great students often go on to make a ton of money, and they sometimes use some of that money to fund things at their alma maters. For them, it only takes one Bill Gates (who was indeed a National Merit Scholar) to make this strategy pay off.

The second decider is probably how the candidate fits into the team or the locker room. These days, there is so little difference between the skill sets of top candidates, the coaches don’t have to put up with a prima donna (or her parents) who tries to tell them how to run the team.

The third decider is going to be the skill set. If a team is graduating a bunch of defense, or a couple of goalies, they are going to select candidates that can fill those gaps first. It doesn’t mean they don’t like the forwards that are interested in their program, it just means those forwards are going to be farther down on the wish list.

So there you go. Any errors in the statements above are mine, although I expect they will be quickly corrected by other members of the forum. Hope this helps.

Actually there are not 34 offering scholarships, since the Ivies (Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale), Union, RIT, and Holy Cross (really DIII) do not offer scholarships.

[OldDave]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Actually there are not 34 offering scholarships, since the Ivies (Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale), Union, RIT, and Holy Cross (really DIII) do not offer scholarships.

Agreed, which is why I also mentioned roster spots. The Ivies do offer scholarships, they just don't call them athletic scholarships, but that is a different discussion.

[Sieve1]

Sieve1, you seem to have questions about how the D1 schools select their athletes. If you have been following these forums for any length of time, you probably know what I am about to summarize here. If not, here’s some facts about D1 women’s hockey that pertain to your questions.

First, there are only 34 D1 schools offering women’s hockey (35 if you count Sacred Heart, but I’m going to leave them out of this analysis). That means there are only 612 total scholarships available (18 per school), although most schools will split some scholarships among several players in order to have a full roster. In an average year, approximately a quarter of those scholarships or roster spots become available for freshmen, somewhere between 150 and 180. There will probably be three or four times that number of quality players available. For that reason, many players recruit schools long before the schools can recruit them.

So how do the schools choose between the many candidates available for each of their roster openings? The first decider will be how good a student each candidate projects to be. A National Merit Scholar will be coveted by every college in the country, never mind just the 34 offering scholarships in women’s hockey. The reason is that every college and university in the US is trying to have a world class faculty and a world class student body, so they recruit people from all over the world, including athletes. Why? Because great students often go on to make a ton of money, and they sometimes use some of that money to fund things at their alma maters. For them, it only takes one Bill Gates (who was indeed a National Merit Scholar) to make this strategy pay off.

The second decider is probably how the candidate fits into the team or the locker room. These days, there is so little difference between the skill sets of top candidates, the coaches don’t have to put up with a prima donna (or her parents) who tries to tell them how to run the team.

The third decider is going to be the skill set. If a team is graduating a bunch of defense, or a couple of goalies, they are going to select candidates that can fill those gaps first. It doesn’t mean they don’t like the forwards that are interested in their program, it just means those forwards are going to be farther down on the wish list.

So there you go. Any errors in the statements above are mine, although I expect they will be quickly corrected by other members of the forum. Hope this helps.

Thank you, Old Dave, for your reply. It is indeed helpful. As you suspected, I am a rookie to the board with a young goalie (playing with the boys) so those roster spots you mentioned become even rarer. I appreciate the advice & guidance from you and all of the other contributors. Underlying message from your reply seems to be focus on those grades and more doors will open...good advice for life outside of hockey too!

[OldDave]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Thank you, Old Dave, for your reply. It is indeed helpful. As you suspected, I am a rookie to the board with a young goalie (playing with the boys) so those roster spots you mentioned become even rarer. I appreciate the advice & guidance from you and all of the other contributors. Underlying message from your reply seems to be focus on those grades and more doors will open...good advice for life outside of hockey too!

You are very welcome, and congratulations on having a goalie! I hope you continue to share your experiences with us. Even those of us who lack social skills share a passion for women's hockey.

[Hux]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Thank you, Old Dave, for your reply. It is indeed helpful. As you suspected, I am a rookie to the board with a young goalie (playing with the boys) so those roster spots you mentioned become even rarer. I appreciate the advice & guidance from you and all of the other contributors. Underlying message from your reply seems to be focus on those grades and more doors will open...good advice for life outside of hockey too!

Without a solid GPA/test scores the GAA and Save % don't mean much. Good grades don't guarantee the doors will open, but they do guarantee they won't be closed.

[Call It]

Without a solid GPA/test scores the GAA and Save % don't mean much. Good grades don't guarantee the doors will open, but they do guarantee they won't be closed.

This is so true

[Coach6611]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Via Twitter:

Boston University

Breanna Scarpaci...... D.......(SSM)..... Chesterfield MI

[CanadaDude]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Via Twitter:

Yale
Saroya Tinker ..............D ....................(Durham West PWHL) ..............................Clarington, ON

Robert Morris
Emma Low-A-Chee .............F ...................(Toronto Aero's PWHL) ..............................Etobicoke, ON

[mattj711]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Cornell F Kristen O'Neill can u18's / SC jr Sabres Oakville Ontario

Twitter Announcement.

Are you sure?

[Supernaut]

Are you sure?

Went back to check but its gone now??? Saw a few congratulatory tweets about a month ago.

[Supernaut]

Went back to check but its gone now??? Saw a few congratulatory tweets about a month ago.

I'll take that one back. Its gone.

[mattj711]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

I'll take that one back. Its gone.

Maybe your psychic? Per her tweet this morning:

To Cornell:

Kristen O'Neill, F, CAN U18's/Stoney Creek JR Sabres (Oakville, Ontario)

[Supernaut]

Maybe your psychic? Per her tweet this morning:

To Cornell:

Kristen O'Neill, F, CAN U18's/Stoney Creek JR Sabres (Oakville, Ontario)

Maybe! I spent a couple of hours questioning my sanity. Really nice player for Cornell. Congrats!

[ZedLeppelin]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Penn State gets another Minnetonka player. Katie McMillan has committed for the 2016-17 class at Penn State, she just announced on Twitter (@katiemcmillan11).

[CanadaDude]

Re: 2016-2017 Division I Commitments

Penn State gets another Minnetonka player. Katie McMillan has committed for the 2016-17 class at Penn State, she just announced on Twitter (@katiemcmillan11).

Another for Penn State as announced on Twitter. Caileah Forrest, D, Nepean Wildcats PWHL, Gloucester, ON