NCAA Hockey: What To Know About Tennessee State, Expansion, Spengler Cup And More

LAS VEGAS – The NCAA hockey committee held its annual state of the union press conference today and as always, a number of interesting news items came out of the proceedings. 

Let's go notebook style here to round up everything that was brought up – and a few things I found out on my own after – in Vegas.

Bad news first, I was told by a source that Tennessee State is not likely to start its hockey program next season. 

The Tigers already delayed their debut one year and had NHL backing, but the university itself is going through some major financial strife right now. 

This news is unfortunate on a number of fronts: first of all, the problem isn't with the hockey folks – it's with the institution itself. 

Secondly, TSU would have been the first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) with a Div. I hockey team. Thirdly, the school is in Nashville and would have given a great NHL market a local NCAA team to cheer for.

Having said that, growing NCAA hockey was very much on the minds of the committee, with Harvard's Tim Troville saying that he'd like to see at least 75 schools offer Div. I hockey in the future. This year there were 63 programs and though Mercyhurst is dropping men's hockey, Maryville will be adding to the ranks next season with a transition year before going to a full Div. I schedule in 2027-28.

Where would these new teams come from? That's the fun part to speculate on, but some spots are more realistic than others. 

First of all, a school has to be interested. 

Sean Hogan of College Hockey Inc. noted that he talked to the University of Arizona once he found out Tucson was getting a new rink. 

"It was a hard 'no.' " he said. "Doesn't mean we didn't try to do it. That's one thing we're out there doing, beating the bushes trying to create more teams. We're doing it for men's and women's hockey."

One source I spoke to after noted that schools that don't have big-time football programs make the most sense (because of scholarships, NIL money and the like). Gonzaga, the basketball powerhouse in Washington state could be a target, for example. Other names like Marquette (in Milwaukee) and Dayton (Ohio) would qualify, too.

Troville talked about the impact hosting a Frozen Four can have on a market, noting that UNLV has club hockey. Another untapped area is the South, where Tampa has been a great tourney host. 

"Florida now has become an NHL juggernaut in hockey," Troville said. "Can we get some college hockey programs there? I do think we could have some influence by bringing this tournament to some of those areas. Thinking about the Pacific Northwest, what can we do up there to bring this tournament to those types of cities?"

Gonzaga is in the Pacific Northwest...just sayin'. 

Troville also noted that some recent NHL additions are interested in getting college hockey in their buildings. To me, Seattle is an obvious target, but Utah qualifies, as well. Ride that Mammoth wave, I say...

In a sign of the changing times, there was a big dinner in Vegas the other night.

The NCAA hosted reps from the USHL, USA Hockey, the NHL and – for the first time ever – major junior reps came to check out the Frozen Four in an official capacity. 

CHL president Dan MacKenzie, WHL commissioner Dan Near and OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford all came out (QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini was invited but unable to attend), and from the sounds of it, everyone had a wonderful time. While the NCAA and CHL are technically competitors now, it feels like a lot of stakeholders recognize the benefits of the new landscape.

Finally, Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf gave the origin story of how the NCAA got into the Spengler Cup this year (and recently signed a deal to do it for the next two seasons, too). 

The idea was years in the making and eventually got close enough that he and some other college reps went to Davos, Switzerland, to check out the tournament. They loved it, but had to convince the organizers that college kids could hang with the pro teams that otherwise make up the field. When the Spengler folks couldn't make it for the Beanpot tournament in Boston, Metcalf suggested they come out to a Hockey East game between Boston College and Providence College. 

"This was the Boston College team with Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard and those guys," Metcalf said. "The (Spengler) guy called me the next day and said, 'No, you guys will be just fine.' "

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