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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can anyone comment on how it's going if your kid opted for ACHA hockey in college?  It seems like a good option for a kid who plays AAA (or even AA) in high school and doesn't want to move away from home or take anytime off to play juniors. Is it really that different from NCAA D3 hockey?  [/quote]

Depends on team and level.  The top 15 in ACHA D1 is very comparable and even AAA players would have trouble making some of those teams out of high school.  Programs like Ohio, Adrian, Minot State, Liberty, and UNLV are full of older Canadians and former NCAA players. They are also run like varsity programs. Schools like Liberty and Adrian also have teams at lower club levels.  Nearby, Delaware has a well supported program but aren't competitive with the top of ACHA D1 right now, but they too have D2 and D3 (CHF) options.  Same with WVU, which has 3 club teams.  Mason is low level ACHA D1 and would struggle against the top ACHA D2 programs, but I think school is committed to program.  Some teams are free but some teams can cost like $3000.

While some programs are nowhere near NCAA D3 competition-wise, they still pack the house and are fun teams.  In the the low-level CHF,  Georgia and South Carolina are good examples and lots of local players on both.   Kentucky and NC State are also fun ACHA D2 programs with great fan bases. VA Tech seems to be getting some momentum at ACHA D2 but they practice/play an hour+ from campus.  These teams may give a better college hockey experience.  At the same time, some teams barely practice and aren't serious at all.  But I've also known some good players to get cut when the school has a single team (see Penn State).  With ACHA/CHF, you need to do your research for sure.  Reach out to coaches for schools your son is interested in and check out their social media.  With Covid, there are a lot of NAHL, NCDC, and Junior A players at club these days. One of the best players I've seen from Gonzaga (former Providence commit) is playing CHF at Tampa.  So good players everywhere.

Good links to start researching:

https://www.achahockey.org/ (Check out rankings, schedule, results etc.)
https://twitter.com/campusclubpuck
https://twitter.com/hockeyhousepod (ACHA focused podcast) 
https://www.eliteprospects.com (look up a school and you can see where kids are from)        [/quote]

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