After decades in Division I, the Yellow Jackets pivot back to Division II following a transition year comprising a brand new 30 man roster.
It isn't the first rodeo for American International College (AIC) at the Division II level. The Yellow Jackets are one of, if not the only program to have competed in all three levels of NCAA Hockey. AIC spent time as part of the ECAC 2 from 1964-84 and the ECAC 3 from 1984-97. They suited up in Division I from 1998-2025, making three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Recent alumni include Michal Stínil of the Wichita Thunder and the Greenville Swamp Rabbits' Blake Bennett. Brian Kramer won a 2025 NCAA Championship for Western Michigan as a graduate student following his transfer from AIC. Dave Forbes is currently the only former Yellow Jacket to make in the NHL. He played 362 NHL games with the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals between 1973-79.
On November 13, 2024, AIC unveiled their "Pathway to Progress," which announced sweeping changes to their institution. Most significant for this piece was the relegation of the Yellow Jackets' hockey team to Division II following a transition year in 2025-26.
Their new 30 man recruiting class has been revealed via the team's Instagram but has not been synthesized on AIC's athletics website. The group is comprised primarily of players graduating from the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL), Eastern Hockey League (EHL) plus a few Division III transfers in the mix as well.
The Providence Bruins face off against the Springfield Thunderbirds in game 1, round 1 of playoff action at the AMP on April 23, 2025. Kris Craig/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.It appears that the Yellow Jackets moved rinks. AIC played their Division I games since 2016 at MassMutual Center, home of the AHL's Springfield Thunderbirds. Yet, on their schedule release graphic, Olympia Ice Center in Western Springfield was pictured. The facility is nearly seven miles away from campus It also serves as the home of Division III Western New England University, who plays AIC on October 23, 2026. This shared building will no doubt help grow the Division II and Division III games and may save both institutions money. Adding another wrinkle to the equation, defenseman Sam Logan transferred from Western New England to AIC for the 2026-27 campaign.
Between a rink change, the shift to Division II and the departure of former Head Coach Eric Lang to RPI, the Yellow Jackets have gone through seismic shifts within their program since 2024. Still, this new era in the Northeast-10 could prove fruitful in the for AIC given the explosion of college hockey via the trickle down effect. Time will tell how much talent streams into Springfield going forward powered by the partial scholarship model.
