Year-To-Date NCAA Division I Commitment Information

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 sprint that begins August 1 and runs through half the month in which the blue chip players -- the ones the coaches think are "sure things" at age 15 -- make their verbal commitments.  For example, this past month saw 66 verbal commitments almost all of which are for the 2023-34 season.

It has also created more awareness that the U.S. National team Development Program and the United States Hockey League are recruiting and selecting players that are already committed to Division I teams prior to their USNTDP or USHL involvement.  Their ability to garner a NCAA Division I commitment is related to being able to play in the USNTDP and USHL, but the commitments are from their previous development.

This isn't to paint the USNTDP or USHL, or any other league, in a bad light.  Not by any stretch.  But as discussed in the Junior Hockey Hub the program from which a player makes his/her commitment is critical information for parents and players who are charting their path.   Right now if you look at College Hockey Inc., you'll notice a number of USNTDP-17 team members with commitments.  The reality is none of those players, at this point, have played in a game for that program.  They are entering that program, mostly from 15U AAA teams, with their verbal commitment already made.  The scouting and discussions have already taken place.

The way we track the data locks in from where the player is playing, or has played the prior year, when the commitment was made.  This data helps really drill down into the standard path for Division I.  Not the ONLY path, but the standard path.

Right now, for obvious reasons explained above, the 15/16/18U AAA path is far out in front. As the season progresses the NAHL, USHL, High School and other segments will start to make their commitments.  The numbers will be very different by the end of the year, of course, but knowing the timeline and how/where these commitments are made is important to knowing your path.

Below is the current NCAA Division I commitment data for July 1-August 31, 2021.