Re: Serious Ideas to Improve College Hockey
1. Make major junior players who have played less than 20 MJ games eligible for college hockey. 95% percent of MJ players play for stipends far below the value of the financial aid college players get. Opening up the game would give more players and coaches more player development options, and I think it would improve access to talent.
I think a lot of Presidents would have a problem with the amateurism aspect, though I'm not sure I necessarily disagree with the idea. You may be opening a can of worms across other sports.
2. Move the start of the college season back to Nov. 1. The season is too long right now. Get rid of the bye weeks and keep the same number of games.
I think this is very likely to happen. Division II is cutting seasons, both date and game wise, across the board, and it wouldn't shock me to see Division I do something similar.
3. Allow players to choose visors instead of full face masks. This would reduce stickwork and “cage courage” and allow a greater emphasis on skills.
I think this will meet with heavy resistance due to liability concerns.
And I thought this was a topic for May, not September.
4. Reduce the number of conference games by four, thus opening up more inter-league play, which will help create less insualr schedules and a more representative NCAA tourney selection.
Perhaps the CHA would still be around...
5. While we’re on the subject of the NCAA tourney, I’d get rid of PWR and adopt KRACH as the team selection numerical reference. It’s just a better mousetrap.
I think this would simply be a matter of convincing the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Selection Committee that it would be a good idea. Members are printed in the championship handbooks, which are freely available at ncaa.org.
6. I would like to see one of the national college hockey web sites become an aggregator of internet video feeds of games around the country into a single “dashboard” – allowing fans to pay a season, monthly or daily fee to watch many college games in one place. The schools would get a cut of the money for providing the feed, and the national site could keep the rest of the money to support their operations.
It would also require B2, Penn Atlantic, etc. to all play nice with each other. Easier said than done.
8. Harmonize instant replay and clock standards (e.g. displaying tenths of seconds) at all D-I schools. This might be a little expensive, but it’s not good to have differing standards.
The NCAA did this with basketball regarding tenths on all clocks and game clocks visible on all shot clocks across the divisions. A matter for the Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules Committee (membership available at ncaa.org).
9. Speaking of harmonizing, I would push for a deal where the NHL would contribute up-and-coming young officials to college hockey as part of their officiating development programs, as I believe they already do with Major Junior Hockey.
Certainly something that could be done on a league-by-league basis, as five of the six conferences hire their own officials.
10. Increase roster size to 30 players, and push the NCAA to get back to 20 scholarships per team as it was prior to the cut to 18. Teams need more depth due to the nature of the game and the length of the season.
The NCAA does not cap roster sizes outside of NCAA Tournament play. Now, active players available for each individual game is a different story, and you can already dress 23-24 (a fifth line, essentially) for exhibitions.
What changes would you like to see? (serious ideas preferred...)
More teams is always better. If Division I shrinks too much more the championship as we know it could be lost altogether. Bylaw 18.2.3 requires 40 teams as a minimum for a divisional championship. Then the question would be whether or not to just axe the championship at the divisional level or neuter Division III ice hockey completely by merging into a national collegiate championship.
Consider that if all the Non-D1 schools returned to their native divisions, we have 36 full Division I schools playing ice hockey, and let that marinate for a minute.
I'm sure I have more, but duty calls.
