D3 schools CHL rule change

[MilkUniversity]

The NAHL is the Jr League with (by far) the most D1/D3 cross-over recruits. Data suggests that the D3 teams with more NAHL kids do better, and that the D1 teams with more NAHL kids fare worse.

Makes sense. Feel like the dynamic gets a bit confusing too with junior leagues in Canada getting factored in. Know I've seen a number of recruits come that way through the LEC and other conferences that end up performing really well, but probably a wider range of quality for players that opted for D3/didn't make the cut for D1 or CHL.

 

[Sk8save!]

Makes sense. Feel like the dynamic gets a bit confusing too with junior leagues in Canada getting factored in. Know I've seen a number of recruits come that way through the LEC and other conferences that end up performing really well, but probably a wider range of quality for players that opted for D3/didn't make the cut for D1 or CHL.

Tough to convince a kid and coaches in the USHL to play D3 hockey. The NAHL is going to be the feeder league for most D3 programs.

 

[elbojpb]

Tough to convince a kid and coaches in the USHL to play D3 hockey. The NAHL is going to be the feeder league for most D3 programs.

I checked the 2026 NZ commitment list for the CHL, and it appears as though there will be more CHL kids coming to D1 this season than last!? My assumption was wrong that last year would be the big bump. This means -- over 2 seasons -- some 550 D1 roster spots being taken by CHL kids that would have likely gone to the NAHL, NCDC, BCHL, et al. With the reduction in roster spots for those schools that opted in, My prediction is that some of the lower tier (Jr B/C) leagues are going to find it tough sledding in this new economy.

 

[Lord_Zubin]

The NAHL also made a huge rule change a few weeks ago. If you play any sort of game (including exhibition games) for any american junior league other than the USHL, NAHL and NA3HL after 9/1 youre no longer allow to play in the NAHL for the rest of that season. There is some good and bad to this. It now forces NAHL coaches to keep a more consistent 25-30 man roster (some teams would have 50-60 different guys play for them in one season) so it'll be better for those players developments. The bad news is now there's much less opportunity for guys trying to get their way into the league. If you're having a breakout year in the EHL or NCDC, you no longer have the opportunity for a midseason promotion your stuck in your league until a new season starts. Not sure how this rules affects the Canadian junior leagues as the statement didn't mention them at all.

 

[HeeHee]

With the addition of the CHL kids this past season, my assumption would be that the NAHL recruit numbers would be the litmus test on how well both the D1 and D3 leagues would fare going forward.

From my rudimentary analysis, my predication is that the NCHA and NESCAC will once again dominate the D3 landscape while the Big 10 will finally begin to supplant the NCHC as the dominant D1 league. It was uncanny this season how 7 of 8 D1 quarter-finalists were from the Western leagues

I won't speculate on what effect the revenue sharing $$ has had on these data. Read the CHN article.

League	# Of Commits
NESCAC	19
NCHA	11
Little East	6
CNE	5
SUNYAC	5
MIAC	4
UCHC	4
WIAC	4
NEHC	1
Atlantic Hockey	47
Independent	37
Hockey East	25
CCHA	23
ECAC	21
NCHC	13
Big 10	2

Still a ways to go in this cycle yet. SNC doesn't even have a publicly announced commitment as of me typing this.

 

[elbojpb]

I took a cursory look at the Big Ten recruits for next season. Not a single NAHL recruit on any of the 7 teams, including ND which is the bottom of the Big 10 barrel. That should bode well for the quality of D3 recruiting.

Also, nearly 250 transfers in the D1 portal as of this PM. The D1 coaches must be going berzerk.

 

[elbojpb]

Now that the D1 dust is settling, and the influx of 500+ CHL commits to D1 over these two seasons, NZ reports 12 NAHL commits to D3 schools in just the past week (none to either Hamilton or Hobart). The quality of (at least the top tier) D3 should improve markedly over the next few seasons.

 

[bakdraft21]

Yes I would imagine your correct, also I have only seen 1 recruit for Oswego so far, we need about 8-10,maaybe they are waiting longer to finally commit???

 

[elbojpb]

Of the 109 College Commits drafted this week, this is the breakdown by Conference

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news ... but (IMO) this does bode well -at all- for D1 hockey. The "House" Settlement, NIL and the CHL decision are quickly rendering half of the D1 leagues irrelevant in the grand scope of things. Hopefully D3 can stay untarnished by the greed.

League	Draftees
Hockey East	34
Big 10	32
NCHC	31
ECAC	8
CCHA	3
Independent	1
AHA	0

 

[JSicedog]

Of the 109 College Commits drafted this week, this is the breakdown by Conference

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news ... but (IMO) this does bode well -at all- for D1 hockey. The "House" Settlement, NIL and the CHL decision are quickly rendering half of the D1 leagues irrelevant in the grand scope of things. Hopefully D3 can stay untarnished by the greed.

League	Draftees
Hockey East	34
Big 10	32
NCHC	31
ECAC	8
CCHA	3
Independent	1
AHA	0

This is in line with how it normally is. HE, Big 10, NCHC have always dominated. ECAC always has 5-10 on any given year. The new CCHA and Atlantic are generally older conferences therefore don’t see much draft attention.

 

[elbojpb]

There have been a flurry of late D3 NAHL commits likely caused by the glut of CHL kids taking D1 spots historically garnered by the NAHL.

From the NAHL commits database, these are the likely "winners" of the late signing sweepstakes, and if my theory is correct, we may see a change at or near the top of some conferences:

9 - Gustavus
9 - UWRF
8 - Endicott
8 - MSOE
7 - Cortland
7 - Dubuque
6 - Amherst
6 - Norwich
6 - SJU
6 - UWEC
5 - Bethel
5 - Colby
5 - Trine
5 - Utica

* A few of these are 27-28 commits.

 

[Sk8save!]

There have been a flurry of late D3 NAHL commits likely caused by the glut of CHL kids taking D1 spots historically garnered by the NAHL.

From the NAHL commits database, these are the likely "winners" of the late signing sweepstakes, and if my theory is correct, we may see a change at or near the top of some conferences:

9 - Gustavus
9 - UWRF
8 - Endicott
8 - MSOE
7 - Cortland
7 - Dubuque
6 - Amherst
6 - Norwich
6 - SJU
6 - UWEC
5 - Bethel
5 - Colby
5 - Trine
5 - Utica

* A few of these are 27-28 commits.

NAHL is going to be a direct feeder program for D3 programs. Some schools are having a lot of success. Unless you are playing in the CHL, USHL, maybe the BCHL and OJHL, the majority of D1 players are coming out of those leagues. Younger players in the NAHL will commit to D1 schools early and move on to those leagues. Limited D1 roster spots and portal movements are going to make it harder to secure D1 offers. The flip side is a lot of very good players will be available to D3 programs. Quality educations, competitive hockey, good facilities makes D3 a great option.

 

[HeeHee]

NAHL is going to be a direct feeder program for D3 programs. Some schools are having a lot of success. Unless you are playing in the CHL, USHL, maybe the BCHL and OJHL, the majority of D1 players are coming out of those leagues. Younger players in the NAHL will commit to D1 schools early and move on to those leagues. Limited D1 roster spots and portal movements are going to make it harder to secure D1 offers. The flip side is a lot of very good players will be available to D3 programs. Quality educations, competitive hockey, good facilities makes D3 a great option.

Yeah I don't know about the OJ

 

[bakdraft21]

Yeah I don't know about the OJ

we have had a few TOP scorers from the OJHL that didnt seem to pan out at Oswego....some did....

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

we have had a few TOP scorers from the OJHL that didnt seem to pan out at Oswego....some did....

Oswego always seem to mine the Ontario league pretty hard. And you're right, it seems to be very hit or miss on who pans out. Some guys have had a lot of points in that league and never really materialized.

 

[elbojpb]

It won’t be that way for long. The USHL will be the new NAHL in terms of recruitment.

I can find only 1 USHL player headed to D3 this upcoming season, but if you are indeed correct, that's a seismic shift in status quo, and I fear the survival of some of the lower tier jr leagues.

 

[MilkUniversity]

Wonder how much more the NIL component is going to affect recruiting too. Obviously nobody is pulling in a boatload of cash, but even a number of D3 players are savvy enough to build out their personal brand and make a bit on the side to help pay their way through school. Any prestigious college/program (esp one that's tied in close to the community) could be a tie breaker for some players if the boosters and sponsors are there.

Plattsburgh, St Norbert, and SUNY schools come to mind first. Looking around there's at least a couple players at each half-decent program with some sort of deal already. Not groundbreaking but just a thought.

 

[JSicedog]

Wonder how much more the NIL component is going to affect recruiting too. Obviously nobody is pulling in a boatload of cash, but even a number of D3 players are savvy enough to build out their personal brand and make a bit on the side to help pay their way through school. Any prestigious college/program (esp one that's tied in close to the community) could be a tie breaker for some players if the boosters and sponsors are there.

Plattsburgh, St Norbert, and SUNY schools come to mind first. Looking around there's at least a couple players at each half-decent program with some sort of deal already. Not groundbreaking but just a thought.

Not close to enough to help pay their way through school. Nobody is really making anything at the d3 level.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

Not close to enough to help pay their way through school. Nobody is really making anything at the d3 level.

Sure. But a little extra cash is a little extra cash.

I was a certified NYS high school soccer ref when I was in college. Reffed junior high, JV, varsity, boys and girls. Though each game paid well, you could only do one game a day, and it's not like I reffed every day. The assignments had to be spread out.

Granted, inflation skews my numbers, but I probably made less than $1,000 a year (well, just one semester, when soccer was played in the Fall). Yet, I distinctly remember doing all kinds of cool things (like attend the USGP in Watkins Glen and the Canadian GP in Montreal) simply because I had some extra cash on hand, beyond normal fun like partying and beyond whatever my parents occasionally gave me for "fun" money.

To a poor college student (remember when you were one?), an extra $1,000 or so is nice to have. So, why not make that a deciding factor?

 

[JSicedog]

Sure. But a little extra cash is a little extra cash.

I was a certified NYS high school soccer ref when I was in college. Reffed junior high, JV, varsity, boys and girls. Though each game paid well, you could only do one game a day, and it's not like I reffed every day. The assignments had to be spread out.

Granted, inflation skews my numbers, but I probably made less than $1,000 a year (well, just one semester, when soccer was played in the Fall). Yet, I distinctly remember doing all kinds of cool things (like attend the USGP in Watkins Glen and the Canadian GP in Montreal) simply because I had some extra cash on hand, beyond normal fun like partying and beyond whatever my parents occasionally gave me for "fun" money.

To a poor college student (remember when you were one?), an extra $1,000 or so is nice to have. So, why not make that a deciding factor?

I don’t think its a deciding factor is my point. Its not much more than bar money.