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.