The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) offers a wide range of opportunities for college hockey players. With over 460 teams across the United States and Canada, the ACHA provides a structured environment for collegiate-affiliated programs.
The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes quality in collegiate ice hockey. The ACHA emphasizes academic performance, institutional sanction, eligibility criteria, and standards of play and opportunities for national competition, and the ACHA promotes all aspects of collegiate hockey stressing the personal development of individual athletes as well as national recognition for member organizations.
The ACHA was established on April 20, 1991, and since then, it has grown significantly. The inaugural year of the ACHA was the 1991-1992 season. The goal of the organization was to create an impartial governing body to monitor national tournaments, player eligibility, and general oversight.
ACHA League Structure
The ACHA includes both Men's and Women's Divisions. The Men's side is made up of three Divisions: 1, 2, and 3. Division 3 was the last to be established in 1999. The Women's side has two divisions.
With over 460+ teams, the ACHA organization is quite large. Within this total number, there are several respective divisions for men's and women's hockey. Let's break these down with a quick visual...
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- Men’s Division 1
- Men’s Division 2
- Men’s Division 3
- Women’s Division 1
- Women’s Division 2
In 2017, the ACHA adopted a new hosting format for holding the annual National Championship Tournament for all Men's & Women's Divisions. city, in partnership with that city's National Hockey League (NHL) team. The inaugural year saw the 2017 ACHA National Championship Tournament Festival held in Columbus, Ohio, in partnership with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets.
Caliber of Play in ACHA Hockey
From our experience, ACHA hockey is often misunderstood when it comes to its skill level. Many people assume it's a big step down from NCAA hockey, but the truth is that it’s a bit more nuanced than this. The level of play across many ACHA D1 teams can be quite strong.
The level of play in the ACHA depends greatly on the specific team and the division. Top-tier teams in ACHA Division 1 play at a level that is quite comparable to lower-tier NCAA Division III teams. As you move down to the lower Division 1 teams into ACHA Division 2 and ACHA Division 3, the overall level of play can (and will) drop a bit. That being said, there are strong teams at each tier in their own right….but there are fewer ACHA powerhouse teams as you move down each level and tier.
As a whole though, the level of hockey throughout the organization continues to get stronger collectively. Due in part to this, we’re seeing more players go from ACHA to professional ice hockey, whether in lower-tier minor leagues in North America or overseas in Europe (more on this in a later chapter).
Despite most teams' non-varsity status, the caliber of ACHA play can be quite high, especially in Division 1. Many large universities that do not sponsor hockey at the NCAA varsity level have become powerhouses, such as Ohio University, Adrian College, and Lindenwood University.
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Here’s a simple comparison of skill and commitment across the divisions:
- D2 vs. D3: About a 50% skill difference and a 50% commitment advantage.
- D1 vs. D2: About a 90% difference based on skill.
For the 2019-20 season, automatic-bid qualifiers for the ACHA Division 2 National Championship included an eclectic group of schools such as the University of Mary, the University of Providence (not Providence College), Lindenwood, Sault College, UMass, Keene State, Liberty and Florida Gulf Coast.
ACHA Hockey Tryouts
Most ACHA teams hold some form of hockey tryouts on campus. This provides ample opportunity for competing hockey players to earn a shot. As we’ve mentioned several times throughout this guide, the level of competition to make a team can vary widely depending on the school. Keep this in mind.
If you’re interested in joining a particular ACHA team, we recommend looking online at the school’s hockey program for information about tryouts and practices to potentially join the club. Pair this with looking at the school both academically and financially.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Do I have the marks/grades to get accepted into the school?
- Can I afford this school’s tuition cost, housing, and additional costs for several years?
- Is my skill level on the ice in line with players who currently play here?
Answering the top two questions above is just as important as it is being a potential fit hockey-wise. For example, if you’ve barely played travel hockey during high school and you aren’t currently dedicating time each week on/off the ice to improve your craft even further, it’s probably not best to aim for an ACHA D1 program as your next move. Maybe not even D2.
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What’s it like playing ACHA hockey?
According to many players, it’s a great experience. Not only are you able to continue to receive a higher education (degree), but you're able to continue to play the game you love in a time in life where the “world is your oyster.”
Based on a number of conversations we’ve had with players at upper echelon D1 ACHA hockey programs all the way down to the lower levels, players generally enjoyed their college hockey experience. The two main priorities for ACHA players to balance are school and hockey. Mix in work for some as well and you have an almost too full schedule.
Much like how players in the NCAA are student-athletes...where the word “student” comes first, the same goes for ACHA hockey players. First and foremost, all players here are students first. Sure…you may technically be there to play hockey…but the reason the team exists at all is a byproduct of the school being in place.
The daily grind can be quite busy between attending classes, workload (homework, assignments), practices, team training, and then game schedules (both home and away), and so on. To help you grasp this further in terms of what players go through during a season here, we’ll break it down into 3 broad groupings: top-tier, mid-tier, lower-tier.
Tier Levels
- Top-Tier: These top ACHA programs are run much like a typical NCAA hockey team would. They’re quite regimented in their weekly schedules (practice, team workouts, video sessions), the hockey week load is full, and you come to the rink ready to train like a high level collegiate athlete every day.
- Mid-Tier: At this mid-tier which is a broad range, there are aspects to your hockey program that are dialed. Maybe you have a nice locker room, ample ice time, and team workouts, but hockey isn’t everything on campus.
- Lower-Tier: Here at the lowest tier of ACHA, there’s a bit more of a college “club hockey” feel to it in terms of how the team runs. Players at this level are still competitive but typically put way more focus on their full-time academic schedules, part-time jobs, and other campus activities which they take part in alongside playing puck.
Alternative Hockey Paths
As we’ve harped on throughout this guide, ACHA hockey can be a solid option for numerous players who aspire to continue playing after high school, travel, or junior hockey….but it's not the only route players can take if playing NCAA isn’t in the cards.
One alternative route is trying to make the jump right to semi-professional ice hockey in North America. Another viable option is playing puck across the pond. Due to the wide range of leagues and tiers throughout Europe, European Ice Hockey Leagues make for a great alternative option for players depending on both current level of play and previous playing experience.
Whether you’re a top-end player with junior/college experience or maybe you’ve had some time off playing competitively on paper but you have the itch and drive to keep playing...there’s potentially a tier for you to play. You likely just need help getting your foot in the door with the right people (in a realistic manner) so that teams take you seriously as a prospect.
Ultimately, your specific hockey path depends on your goals. For some of you, that’s focusing on hockey and school in unison (they’re equally important) for the coming years. For others, maybe hockey is your primary focus for the time being (or vice versa- education first).
Key Takeaways
- Research: Take the time to review ACHA schools to determine a potential fit or not based on preferences (both on the academics + athletics side, per section above)
- Self Analysis: Is your level of play in line with players on their roster?
- Team Fit: Do they accept walk-ons? If so, do they make it onto the roster? Do you believe you could make a roster spot there?
- Stand out + Play Well: Do your best to play well wherever you are playing today.