With only the weekend and Monday and Tuesday remaining for any 'late' entrants to the portal, it is really quite remarkable how consistent the numbers of players entering the portal are, comparing last year to this:
After the 2022-23 season, there were 151 total who entered the portal; 79 with one year eligibility, 37 with two years, 30 with three years, and 5 with four years.
This year (so far), 154 total but with two who "withdrew", so 152 total entrants; 79 with one year eligibility, 41 with two years, 28 with three years, and 4 with four years.
(Of the 2022-23s, 22 ended up "retiring", and 33 went to "other" than a D1 program; ending up at a D3, or Canada or other.)
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With more than half of the transfers being "one year eligible", it seems QUITE likely to me that with COVID years being pretty much now completed (ie those with a COVID year are committed to their school or the portal, essentially none available for 2024-25 portal use, etc), the number of "one year eligible" players will be greatly reduced in next year's portal. For someone to be a "grad transfer", they need to graduate with eligibility remaining. Players who went through the 'free' COVID year of 2020-21 fit that bill because of the COVID year; without the COVID year, someone would have had to 'redshirt' a year, or have had a medical hardship year to have a year remaining after graduation. And those are pretty rare in women's hockey (certainly much more rare than football, for example). Most of the COVID era grad transfers were transferring to use their 'extra' COVID year; no COVID year, no grad transfer; that is, they much more likely do their four years, graduate, and are done with college hockey. (And then as a knock-on effect, the less disruption because of COVID grad transfers, the less likely an undergrad is to transfer as a reaction?)
We could see half as many in the portal next year and going forward as have entered each of these last two years.
