St. Louis sees another NCAA Division I hockey program. Maryville University skates into a new era, battling top programs starting 2026.
NCAA hockey will see some major growth from the Midwest in the coming years, with a new edition from the St. Louis area.
Maryville University, an NCAA Division 2 school with an ACHA Division 1, 2, and 3 team, will be stepping above the club level and entering the NCAA realm beginning in the 2027-28 season.
The Saints also feature women’s hockey at ACHA Division 1 and 2.
They’ll play NCAA opponents in 2026-27, expecting at least 20 games of NCAA Division 1 competition before they fully enter.
The program already plays out of the Maryville University Ice Hockey Center for club competition, a beautiful, newer two-rink facility, both NHL-regulation sized. There are funds already raised to help upgrade the facility to compete with other NCAA D1 arenas.
Maryville’s ACHA D1 has already made the statement with their roster alone; they are already scratching the surface talent of an NCAA D1 program, having played independent LIU to an empty net goal 3-1 loss back on October 31st, 2025.
A rivalry is already in the making as well, geographically, with NCAA D1 independent Lindenwood’s Centene Community Ice Center just a 17-mile drive away from Maryville’s arena.
Centene is also where Maryville’s ACHA D1 team will be competing for the ACHA Nationals starting March 12th.
Overall, with such a geographical shift to the East when it comes to college hockey, it is refreshing to see a new team from the Midwest, hopefully slowly developing its way into a conference one day.