Getting to Know AAU College Hockey

06/22/2023


The Collegiate Hockey Federation and Amateur Athletic Union joined forces in 2023 to create AAU College Hockey

Original article posted on neutralzone.net, by Brian Murphy
The 2023 AAU College Hockey National Championships took place in Pennsylvania last year and was a huge success for the sport and for the AAU Hockey program

Get to Know Non-NCAA (Club) College Hockey
To read the full article by Brian Murphy, click here
 
Before the internet and cell phones, I heard rumors about ACHA (Club) hockey at Colleges. Arizona State played Arizona in front of nine thousand people every game. They all gave scholarships. DI Club teams were much better than DIII NCAA teams. Graduate students played Club Hockey. Former CHLers played Club hockey. Any employees of a University could play on the team, former NHLers who were now professors, and janitors who played DI in the ECAC all played for the Club team. To this day I am not sure what was true and what was not but very often where there is smoke there is some fire.
No one would confirm or deny these stories but my best guess is most of them stemmed from the fact that some schools had very, very good teams. It may have been a bit of the Wild West but that was part of the appeal. Then I started seeing more ACHA Coaches at the NCAA Coach’s Convention in Naples when I was at Tufts. It made me think then and now about what actually goes on in “CIub” College Hockey. I have become more curious about ACHA/CHF/AAU Hockey.
This is a large and somewhat complicated topic. First off, it is now called ACHA or CHF/AAU hockey, and not Club (teams do not like the Club label.) There are two leagues and two Nationals Championships with over 500 non-NCAA hockey teams.
I spoke with over a dozen coaches, players, and managers at non-NCAA college programs. Selfishly I wanted to know more. Liberty is on ESPN+, NHL analysts are wearing non-NCAA sweaters on set plus Georgia and Arizona are building new barns. There is some flash and flair to this level as well as a very clear passion for hockey. Below is a summary of the different divisions of non-NCAA Hockey, along with our conclusions from the research
 
CHF/AAU College Hockey
CHF/AAU Hockey is the other option for non-NCAA hockey. They boast over 125 DII and DIII members and counting. Last season Binghampton won the DII National Title in Pennsylvania. Liberty, High Point, Christopher Newport, South Carolina, Tampa, Alabama, Auburn, Florida Atlantic, Deleware, Penn St Harrisburg, Kutztown, Fairfield, Babson, Anna Maria, Brown, and Mass Maritime highlight some of the more successful programs. A full list is in the link above.
 
A significant change is coming to college hockey next season as CHF/AAU is now in the DI hockey structure. Amateur Athletic Union Hockey will combine with the CHF to provide another DI option (men and women) for non-varsity programs beyond the ACHA. Georgia is committed to AAU Hockey for the 23/24 season. Current DII and DIII members have and may move up.

To read more of this article, visit neutralzone.net. 

To read the CHF/AAU Press release, click here. 

To read the recap of the 2023 AAU College Hockey National Championships in West Chest, Pennsylvania, click here. 
 


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