Let’s Leave the NCHC the Way It Is
It’s no mystery, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference has been a powerhouse since the first season in 2013-14. Moreover, the NCHC has claimed five of the past six NCAA Division I hockey titles. Since its inception, the NCHC has developed its identity as a stand-alone hockey conference. That could all change in the future.
When I see people proposing that the NCHC fall under the Summit Conference, I am concerned. Why do we want to rock the boat? There are a few things in the air that could affect how this all plays out. Last November, the Division I Transformation Committee began meeting to hash out various issues affecting college sports. Here’s what they’re doing.
According to Sports Illustrated:
Several athletic administrators and college sports insiders discussed the Transfer Committee’s concepts under the condition of anonymity. They include (1) eliminating scholarship caps on sports that offer only partial scholarships; (2) abolishing the limitation on the number of coaches per team; (3) expanding direct payments from schools to athletes; (4) reconfiguring the recruiting calendar; and (5) implementing closed periods in the NCAA transfer portal. At least the first three items will be left in the decision-making hands of individual conferences if the concepts are approved.
These discussions have spilled over into the college hockey world. College hockey is one sport where the small schools have a chance at beating the big schools. Some of the bigger schools in college hockey are Power Five Schools. The Power Five consist of schools from (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) plus Notre Dame.
If some of these proposals are adopted, the smaller schools in college hockey aren’t going to be able to compete financially with the bigger schools. Especially, if college hockey teams are allowed to have unlimited scholarship funds and coaching staff. It’s basic math, the smaller less fortunate schools will have a hard time competing with the larger schools financially. Would the NCHC decide to adopt the new rules or would they fight the deregulation and adopt our own league rules? If the NCHC decided to fight deregulation, does the league open itself up to litigation? Who knows?
This past Monday, former St. Cloud State athletic director Heather Weems was officially introduced as the next commissioner of the NCHC in St. Paul, Minnesota. During her first press conference, she was asked about the NCHC falling under the Summit Conference.
"Obviously, the Summit makes some sense because we have three institutions who are in the Summit (UND, Denver, Omaha), but we also have institutions who are part of the MAC as the multi-sport league (Western Michigan, Miami). It probably factors in for us who are in the NSIC (Minnesota Duluth, St. Cloud State) or Colorado College differently. But I think we have to be willing to have that conversation. We have to talk transparently about what's in the best interest of the league."
Notice, that Weems didn’t dismiss the question. Some of the things she said in her interview concern me. I’ve talked to others who share the same concerns.
"If some sort of Summit affiliation makes sense as we gain more knowledge about how the NCAA kind of rolls into place, then certainly we can be ready to move in that direction," she said. "But if what's in the best interest in our league and our membership right now is to remain as we are, then certainly, we'll navigate that as well."
Weems continued.
"I think the best thing I can say is that I'm open as we see where the NCAA moves and what happens with multi-sport conferences and single-sport conferences," Weems said. "The reality is that it's a conversation we need to have as a league, and we need to understand what implications it has for everyone.”
Not a Possitive Development
Think about this for a moment. If the NCHC becomes the Summit League hockey conference, some things are going to change. Not all of them are good. This doesn’t appear to be a positive development. At least, not from my seat.
First, do you remember those two newly formed hockey teams? If the NCHC fell under the Summit League, one or both could end up in the Summit League. Hey, don’t dismiss it just yet, it could happen. St. Thomas is already a member of the Summit League in other sports.
Newcomer Augustana is interested in moving its athletic department to Division I. They’ve already applied and been denied membership by the Summit League. They could revisit membership in the Summit League in the future, especially if the conference loses another team or two. There are rumblings that Western Illinois University could leave the Summit League for the Ohio Valley Conference.
Never say never.
They’ve already joined the CCHA hockey conference. Augustana begins play in 2023. Auggie will have a nice, new, shiny arena and a lot of funding from Sanford Health to go with it. Funding isn’t going to be an issue. Sanford Health has it’s name allover the Summit League.
Augustana’s hockey games will be on Midco Sports. Let’s not forget that Midco’s corporate headquarters are in Sioux Falls, SD. The Summit League office is also in Sioux Falls, SD. The Summit League basketball championship is played in Sioux Falls, SD. It’s not outside the realm of possibilities that Augustana could end up in the Summit, especially if the league loses another team or two.
Do you see where this could go? Augustana would be a geographical fit for the Summit League in all sports.
5BWest from LetsGoDU had some of the same concerns that I do.
A potential merger of the Summit League with the singularly focused and massively successful NCHC may be problematic for some current Summit League members who offer sports in other conferences. College Hockey News postulates Miami and Western Michigan could use this merger as an opportunity to flee to the CCHA while St. Thomas and Augustana could be their replacements. This move would also allow NCHC members St. Cloud and Minnesota Duluth to transition from DII to DI status with an invitation from the Summit League.
Imagine a hockey conference that was once a powerhouse adding a new comer or two newcomers to their conference. This could potentially bring down the conference’s overall Pairwise Ranking. Causing the league to start losing at-large bids.
This could cause other unintended collateral damage. What if the two MAC schools decide to bolt or were forced out? I don’t want to find out what could happen if the NCHC falls under the Summit League. Let’s leave the NCHC the way it is. Things are going well right now.