NCAA Division II/III Rosters Will Be Different For Next Couple Seasons

Besides the obvious medical and health issues the Pandemic has certainly caused some odd things to happen around the world.  There are supply chain problems, spikes in home improvement projects, a company like Zoom becomes so popular the word Zoom is now a verb and a noun, etc.

Because this is a hockey site, the most interesting Pandemic-related item involving college-bound hockey is how the glut of college players is affecting Division II/III rosters, which in turn will affect Junior hockey again -- likely for the next two years at least.

Here's how the dominos fall:

• NCAA has allowed a blanket year of extra eligibility for all players in all sports, so there are going to be fifth-year seniors at all levels taking up roster spots.
• At the Division I level, blue chip recruits are still enrolling as freshmen and they will displace older players simply due to their talent level.  This has led to an extremely high number of Division I players transferring to Division II/III, which in turn takes up more Division II/III roster spots.
• Many 19-year-olds, who would have otherwise enrolled in Division II/III schools last year, put off their matriculation so they could keep playing vs. enrolling and having the year off. These players will be freshmen in 2021-22 along with the normal 20-year-old players who usually enroll as freshmen.
• The blanket year of extra eligibility may continue to get utilized for the next few years by student-athletes in all sports and all levels.

These dominos have caused NCAA coaches to really dig in and plan their next couple of seasons from a roster standpoint to maximize their competitiveness, while also guarding against having a potentially empty cupboard in a particular class in the future.

Many freshmen are currently realizing they are one of 30+ student-athletes on campus who all feel like they will be playing college hockey this year. 

If you are a 19- or 20-year-old Junior player this season you at least have the benefit of being able to look at rosters and speak with coaches about how much of a backlog of players each team has. Now more than ever it's time for players to do their homework and communicate effectively with any potential college programs.  As a player you will soon find out how adept your own Junior coaching staff is at college placement.