Roster Analysis - D3 & ACHA Final Four

We broke down the final four rosters for both NCAA Division III and ACHA Division I to compare what leagues are players developing in before entering college. How big is the difference between the best of the best of ACHA D1 vs NCAA D3? Find out below.

NCAA Division III

When taking a closer look at the final four teams in the country it is clear that the top Division 3 schools are looking at the NAHL and NCDC both of which are qualified as Tier 2 Junior leagues. The NCDC in recent years has seen its Division 1 commitments drastically decrease but has quickly emerged as the leader in NCAA D3 commitments. In the NAHL, there has been a drop as well with roughly only 60 percent of rostered players finding their way onto NCAA D1 rosters, leaving the NCAA D3 schools with plenty of NAHL talent to pull from. 

The Canadian leagues are well represented here with no shock the OJHL and CCHL being the most represented as the final four were primarily eastern schools. Teams have not been shy about looking into the NCAA transfer portal for unhappy NCAA D1 players. Adrian leads all of the final in this category with 7 former NCAA D1 players on their roster. With Adrian being one of the lone Division 3 schools in Michigan, it is no shock players return home to play for a long-time powerhouse. 

Tier 3 junior (EHL, Premier and NA3HL) was not well represented in the final four. With the exception of UNE who typically takes the top players in the EHL, (on average one a year) the Tier 3 leagues are not recruited by these schools. More alarming for the Tier 3 leagues trying to place their players into schools is the fact that many schools chase the recruiting habits of the top programs.

If you are a player trying to find their way into a college program from a tier 3 league, it is vital that you play for a program with a track record or you are getting help in the college placement process. 

ACHA D1

ACHA "Club" hockey has grown drastically in the last 20 years. Most programs in the top 25 have paid coaching staffs, fan bases, school support, alumni support and are scene as the top program on campus. Looking at the roster make-up of the final 4 one quickly see there are many talented players from NCAA Division 1 feeder leagues that are opting for this route. It has also become evident that these programs recruit right out of Junior hockey with only 5 players total in the final 4 coming from 18uAAA programs. Those 5 18uAAA players came from high end midget programs that are often found in the top 30 nationally. 

ACHA D1 hockey has progressively gotten older, looking at the National Champion Minot State you can see 85 percent of their roster came from the NAHL, MJHL and SJHL. Minot is the top team on campus, if you take a look at Adrian College who is the second team on campus many eyebrows should be raised as they had 5 OJHL and 4 NAHL players on their roster. The USPHL Premier and EHL make up around 20 percent of Adrian's club team. 

The important thing to understand is when looking at the numbers of the top teams in the ACHA, is to know that every team has its sweet spots where they bring in their kids. Understanding the recruiting landscape of what each team needs and where they are looking for players is a major part of the recruiting process.

Our advisors break down rosters daily and help guide players to the programs that are best suited for them.

If you are a player looking for college placement, get your off season going in the right direction by setting up a meeting with one of our advisors by contacting us directly at www.tri-stateathletic.com

Get your word out to thousands of monthly readers on the TSA Scouting Journal ! Contact us today at Info@Tri-StateAthletic.com with “Ad Info” in the subject !