The final NCAA Division I commitment numbers are in and the 15U-16U-18U AAA (commonly referred to as "Midgets") has taken the title, edging out the North American Hockey League which led the country the past two years. The post-Covid shuffle definitely showed up in 2021-22 as the number of commitments jumped back up to 553 after a total of 405 last year.  In 2019-20 there were 546.  While these numbers don't translate into players actually matriculating to Division I rosters, they do count legitimate verbal commitments made by the schools and players and listed on the College Hockey ..read more

As the 2021-22 recruiting season winds down, below is an update of the NCAA Division I commitment numbers to date.  It's not a surprise that the "midget" AAA level leads the way as the majority of players who age into the verbal commitment process (per NCAA rules) are playing at that level. The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has maintained a close second-place effort again this season while the United States Hockey League (UHSL), which has fewer teams than the NAHL so a higher per-team commitment rate, is a solid third.  It should also be pointed out that many of the 15/16/18U ..read more

The table breaks down all 2021-22 NCAA Division I players by state, Canadian Province and country.  There are six states and four provinces in the Top 10 ..read more

Please note we have adjusted the number for freshmen down by one to 375. We discovered a transfer player who had already played a season of Division I hockey but was still being listed as a freshman by his school.  He is a freshman according to eligibility, but he is by no means an incoming freshman ..read more

It's never a surprise when Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, Massachusetts and New York are the top five in the production of NCAA Division I freshmen.  But data is data and we'll never know if it changes or shifts unless we do the research each year. This data is related to the place of birth for all freshmen, so we realize some players -- like Alaska's Connor Mylymock for example -- are listed with their place of birth but actually grew up and played elsewhere.  Mylymock is the lone Mississippi-born freshman this year but grew up in Saskatchewan. We fully understand that, but wit ..read more

This data is pretty simple -- here are the top 20 teams/programs for direct advancement of freshmen from the 2020-21 season to 2021-22 NCAA Division I rosters. Of note is longtime Junior head coach Scott Langer, who last year pumped 10 players into Division I from Aberdeen of the North American Hockey League, is now with the Fargo Force, who ranked No. 2 last year with 14.   With USHL, and to some extent the better NAHL teams, there is an ebb and flow to these numbers each season.  One would expect Fargo and Sioux City, for example, to drop off in 2021-22 as they'll likely have ..read more

Hot off the presses -- it's that time of year again!  When the NCAA Division I ice hockey season gets underway it's quickly followed by an avalanche of misinformation about where players played last year, where they are from as part of the broader question of "What is the best path to college hockey?"   This information is extremely relevant to the thousands of players who are currently trudging that path toward the NCAA arena with an enormous amount of time, effort and -- let's face it -- money.  Each year the battle for NCAA roster spots at all levels gets tighter and tig ..read more

It is not surprising the 15U/16U/18U levels have opened up a wide lead in the NCAA Division I commitment race for the 2021-22 season.  While this process is a marathon, not a sprint, the numbers area still heavily skewed toward the "midget" level more than usual at this time of year. One big reason for this is because of the NCAA rules that were implement a couple years ago regarding when a player can be contacted and when a player can make a commitment.  These rules have pushed the top-end 16-year-olds to a starting line for commitments (August 1 prior to Junior year of high school ..read more

With the hockey world seemingly committed to a close-to-normal season in 2021-22, it will be interesting for data geeks and scouts alike to see how different teams and different levels handle the glut of talent produced by a year off. Where to start ... at the top.  The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility across the board -- all sports, all levels.  At the Division I level this means a number of players will be playing a fifth season in 2021-22, which in turn means there will be fewer-than-normal roster spots for incoming freshmen. For the sake of this discussion, let's assume ..read more

Two years ago the NCAA Division I college hockey programs got together and created new guidelines for recruiting, in addition to addressing the then-increasing issue of players verbally committing at younger and younger ages. With the new rules in place, verbal commitments cannot be made until Aug. 1 preceding the student-athlete's Junior year in high school.  Nothing changed regarding the signing of National Letters of Intent (NIL) the November of the student-athlete's Senior year in high school (or after player graduates if he is playing Juniors). From a data standpoint that creates a ..read more