Arizona State hockey secures place in college hockey in joining NCHC
It took seven years, but Arizona State hockey finally got the green light from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
Since ASU hockey was elevated to Division I status in 2015, the Sun Devils have roamed around as an independent program, but wanted stability in a conference right away. The Sun Devils initially applied to join the NCHC in the summer of 2016, but were rejected as the league opted to stick with the same membership since its inception in 2013-14.
“The best thing that ever happened was that it didn’t happen,” ASU head coach Greg Powers said. “The NCHC, in their defense, was just getting started and they were getting their house in order. There was really no reason for them to expand at that time. For us, we needed to get our house in order.”
The years in between were fruitful for ASU as the Sun Devils became the fastest start-up program to qualify for the men's hockey championship tournament in 2019. Last season, ASU added the final element in its proposal for the conference with Mullett Arena.
Now a secure program with a stable home, it was a no-brainer for the NCHC to accept the Sun Devils. In fact, all eight members voted unanimously to bring in the Sun Devils starting in 2024.
“With the opening of Mullett Arena last fall, another box was ticked and the conversation between the NCHC and ASU became more serious as we jointly discussed membership opportunities,” NCHC commissioner Heather Weems said. “In the last couple of months, our university chancellors and athletic directors became more focused on this path forward. ... This also brings a strong national brand, robust alumni base and growing Southwest hockey market to the NCHC.”
ASU will pay the entrance fee of $500,000 over three years to the conference. The Sun Devils were estimated to have made $3 million in ticket revenue.
Home games were once few and far between during the Oceanside days and forced the Sun Devils to travel the country as an independent team.
The nomadic life was prominently on display in 2021 when the pandemic limited teams to a conference-only schedule. ASU worked out a temporary agreement with the Big Ten and played all 26 games on the road.
But with a new home, ASU’s mileage becomes shorter.
ASU hosted a slew of home games and a tournament last season and will see even more traffic inside the arena next season with 26 home games.
The NCHC includes eight other teams spread across Mountain and Central time zones. The Sun Devils will join Colorado College, the University of Denver, Miami University, the University of Minnesota Duluth, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University and Western Michigan University.
ASU has played several of the member schools, including North Dakota last season when ASU won 3-2 against the then sixth-ranked program in Las Vegas.
In the 2024-25, the conference will continue to use a 24-game NCHC schedule for each of the nine teams, but a new three-year rotation and scheduling model will be implemented.
The new schedule model and rotation will consist of three, three-team pods based on geography with teams guaranteed to play home and away series against the other two teams in their pod every season.
The NCHC's postseason format is still being evaluated and will be finalized and announced in the coming months. Regardless of what it will look like, vying to qualify in a tournament for the NCAA Tournament as opposed to relying on rankings was a big factor in joining a conference.
“The experience that they get in playing in a conference tournament and never being out of it. ... That’s what we’re most excited for is that our student athletes are going to experience it,” Powers said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State hockey secures place with NCHC bid
