HIgh Point U to build an arena and start DI hockey

[NoDak]

HPU Announces 10-Year Growth Plan, $1 Billion Investment - High Point University

UAH will be kicked out of the WCHA in two years. Liberty, Georgia, Kennesaw St, Alabama, Louisville, and FGCU have been rumored to start teams too, so maybe another league in the South will be coming.

Click to read more...

 

[tarheelhockey]

This is pretty exciting for those of us in NC who have been waiting a long time for any form of NCAA hockey.

 

[tealhockey]

I'm more excited about potentially Alabama than anything. I need SEC hockey and I need it yesterday

 

[CrazyEddie20]

HPU Announces 10-Year Growth Plan, $1 Billion Investment - High Point University

UAH will be kicked out of the WCHA in two years. Liberty, Georgia, Kennesaw St, Alabama, Louisville, and FGCU have been rumored to start teams too, so maybe another league in the South will be coming.

Of all those schools, two (Liberty, Louisville) have arenas on campus that can host Division I hockey to its full potential.

Any Louisville hockey programs would be third and fourth fiddle behind Louisville basketball.

FGCU could lease Germain Arena, but they'd be a tenant. It'd be expensive. It's a nice arena, unlike Hunstville's aging dump named for a Nazi rocket scientist.

Alabama and Georgia have no building capable of hosting hockey that befit the profile of the athletic programs at those schools.

Finally, it's a long way from Louisville to FGCU. Travel expenses for FGCU would be significant. Not Alaska-Fairbanks significant, but they'd be enough to make the athletic administration think twice.

 

[NoDak]

Alabama biwigs had been touring other college arenas to get ideas. That was more than a year ago though.

Tennessee has nearby minor league arena that they can use. Vanderbilt is even possible, as a college sized arena is going up in Clarksville and maybe Vandy could use the Preds training facilities.

Lindenwood already has women’s NCAA hockey and the Blues have a nice training facility big enough for games.

Kentucky could also be possible.

UAH is building a new arena on campus, and that almost assuredly took Alabama to approve. The Tide earlier attempted to kill that program.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Alabama biwigs had been touring other college arenas to get ideas. That was more than a year ago though.

Tennessee has nearby minor league arena that they can use. Vanderbilt is even possible, as a college sized arena is going up in Clarksville and maybe Vandy could use the Preds training facilities.

Lindenwood already has women’s NCAA hockey and the Blues have a nice training facility big enough for games.

Kentucky could also be possible.

UAH is building a new arena on campus, and that almost assuredly took Alabama to approve. The Tide earlier attempted to kill that program.

Alabama trustees were touring facilities to get ideas for the potential new building in Huntsville.

If you've ever been to the James White Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, you'd know that it's barely acceptable for the SPHL and wouldn't be a suitable venue for Tennessee, who would undoubtedly create an instant following way bigger than that of the SPHL team.

Training facilities are not suitable for top level Division I hockey. Maybe for Atlantic Hockey teams, but not for top level, 18-scholarship playing with the big boys Division I hockey.

Kentucky would need a practice rink and they'd be scheduled around men's and women's basketball. Good luck with that.

You can have all the pie-in-the-sky ideas you want, but reality is reality. It costs upwards of $50 million to endow scholarships, salaries, put together equipment and facilities and start a Division I program, and that's at a bare minimum. None of those schools have indicated that level of funding is out there.

 

[JMCx4]

Alabama biwigs had been touring other college arenas to get ideas. That was more than a year ago though. ...

The UAH athletic dept. & Board seemed quite serious about pursuing the new arena before the announcement of the WCHA dissolution. So the lingering question in my mind is: Did that announcement encourage the UAH powers to proceed with greater haste, or have they given up on DI hockey?

... Lindenwood already has women’s NCAA hockey and the Blues have a nice training facility big enough for games. ...

The LU men have established a very strong DII CLUB hockey program, and the new home in the 2,500-seat Centene Community Ice Center's USA Arena sure seems to be the keystone for building a DI program. The team & training facilities there will be first-class once finished; that's probably 2-3 months away, based on what I saw today as I snooped around.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

The LU men have established a very strong DII hockey program, and the new home in the 2,500-seat Centene Community Ice Center's USA Arena sure seems to be the keystone for building a DI program. The team & training facilities there will be first-class once finished; that's probably 2-3 months away, based on what I saw today as I snooped around.

That's a DII CLUB program. That's not real college hockey.

 

[JMCx4]

That's a DII CLUB program. That's not real college hockey.

Correct, my error. Still, if the money is lined up then LU is poised to add an NCAA DI men's program alongside the women. The talent base is strong in the St. Louis area, and they could become part of a good quality Midwest core of teams.

 

[NoDak]

Of all those schools, two (Liberty, Louisville) have arenas on campus that can host Division I hockey to its full potential.

Any Louisville hockey programs would be third and fourth fiddle behind Louisville basketball.

FGCU could lease Germain Arena, but they'd be a tenant. It'd be expensive. It's a nice arena, unlike Hunstville's aging dump named for a Nazi rocket scientist.

Alabama and Georgia have no building capable of hosting hockey that befit the profile of the athletic programs at those schools.

Finally, it's a long way from Louisville to FGCU. Travel expenses for FGCU would be significant. Not Alaska-Fairbanks significant, but they'd be enough to make the athletic administration think twice.

Well aware how much $’s it takes to properly endow a program.

The Minnesota State commission required Minn St-Moorhead to raise $30 million to endow M/W DI hockey. They missed the mark by only raising slightly more than $20 mill. They already had a new rink complex in Fargo that would have hosted them along with an existing USHL team

Penn St was gifted around $80 million for a rink and a couple programs. Don’t have the exact numbers but the Pegula Rink costs about $60 mill.

With the SEC programs getting major $’s from ESPN, and hockey being a televised sport, especially for SEC fanatics, SEC schools should take the plunge. Alabama itself plays club hockey in a Birmingham suburb and has raised the possibility of building its own rink for Tuscaloosa. Alabama has attracted many students from the north, doubling their enrollment in 20 years, and hockey would even make Tuscaloosa more enchanting for those potential students. Knoxville, Lexington and Athens would be huge for their own SEC teams.

High Point U already gets the vast majority of its students from the northeast and making hockey a varsity sport ensures that that NE invasion will continue. Right now they play club hockey in the Greensboro Ice House.

 

[CrazyEddie20]

Well aware how much $’s it takes to properly endow a program.

The Minnesota State commission required Minn St-Moorhead to raise $30 million to endow M/W DI hockey. They missed the mark by only raising slightly more than $20 mill. They already had a new rink complex in Fargo that would have hosted them along with an existing USHL team

Penn St was gifted around $80 million for a rink and a couple programs. Don’t have the exact numbers but the Pegula Rink costs about $60 mill.

With the SEC programs getting major $’s from ESPN, and hockey being a televised sport, especially for SEC fanatics, SEC schools should take the plunge. Alabama itself plays club hockey in a Birmingham suburb and has raised the possibility of building its own rink for Tuscaloosa. Alabama has attracted many students from the north, doubling their enrollment in 20 years, and hockey would even make Tuscaloosa more enchanting for those potential students. Knoxville, Lexington and Athens would be huge for their own SEC teams.

High Point U already gets the vast majority of its students from the northeast and making hockey a varsity sport ensures that that NE invasion will continue. Right now they play club hockey in the Greensboro Ice House.

The SEC's TV money goes to feed the beast that is the SEC - i.e., reinvestment in what already makes them truckloads of money. It doesn't go into expanding athletic programs with niche sports. Say what you will, but hockey, even in the northeast, is a niche sport. Any SEC program would draw fans, for sure, but it's hard to say that it would be profitable. And as far as drawing more students, a Division I hockey program might get students thinking about the school, but it's not going to be the deal closer for any student who isn't capable of actually being on the roster.

I'll bet a six-pack that High Point doesn't play a NCAA Division I game before the 2023-24 season.

 

[mk80]

The UAH athletic dept. & Board seemed quite serious about pursuing the new arena before the announcement of the WCHA dissolution. So the lingering question in my mind is: Did that announcement encourage the UAH powers to proceed with greater haste, or have they given up on DI hockey?


The LU men have established a very strong DII CLUB hockey program, and the new home in the 2,500-seat Centene Community Ice Center's USA Arena sure seems to be the keystone for building a DI program. The team & training facilities there will be first-class once finished; that's probably 2-3 months away, based on what I saw today as I snooped around.

That's a DII CLUB program. That's not real college hockey.

Actually we have ACHA DI and ACHA DII on the men's side. The DI men's team is coached by Rick Zombo and has been for years, when the St. Louis Bandits used to be in town he would get many recruits from them, as of right now we have a transfer who played at UMass Lowell (NCAA), many players have gone on to play in the ECHL, and AHL. While yes ACHA is club hockey, it shouldn't be outright dismissed. Many DI ACHA teams like Lindenwood could compete with NCAA DIII teams, as you go lower down the levels you get more and more true club programs.

Now for everyone else I'll copy and paste a long post I had made on a thread in the Minor league forum:

I'm not entirely convinced that this arena in Clarksville will be home to minor league hockey. In my opinion it could more likely be home to a hockey program associated with Austin Peay State University as part of the NHL's recent College Hockey Feasibility studies. Illinois (Chicago Blackhawks), and Oakland (Detroit Red Wings) were the only two named schools and NHL partners in the study, and others were undisclosed according to this article Collegiate Consulting Completes Five NHL Funded Hockey Feasibility Studies — Collegiate Consulting

another article at the end mentions the possibility of 8-10 schools: Four NHL College Hockey Feasibility Studies Underway - The Mack Report

The Austin Peay Governors logo is clearly featured front and center on the concept art (see below), although I did read somewhere they could use the arena for basketball which could be their only involvement in the project. But it's not out of the question that they are one of the schools that partnered with an NHL franchise (Predators) to conduct a study. Now I'm not sure of Austin Peay's finances for adding hockey, or their Title IX considerations. However, I do know they've recently put a lot into football and specifically their football stadium, and you don't get your logo on the concept art for a project like this unless cash has exchanged hands so it's reasonable to assume they're putting a good sum in this arena project. They are members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) which is a Division I athletic conference, FCS level for football. The Predators have been stepping up to grow hockey in and around central Tennessee opening new rec rinks, and have seen tons of growth in youth hockey since their recent Stanley Cup Final appearance, so getting a close college program only an hour or so away from Nashville could be a huge step in that.

The landscape of college hockey is changing see the WCHA: 7 of 10 WCHA Teams Announce Plans to Leave

Those changes will occur in two seasons, giving time for this project to get underway and the wheels in motion for Austin Peay, and also for Lindenwood University outside of St. Louis who I suspect will be adding DI NCAA hockey on the men's side (they already have women's) in that time frame. They just opened a new 2500 seat arena in partnership with the St. Louis Blues, and some of the comments made at the grand opening ceremony seem to have the wheels in motion for that to happen.



Now my points on Austin Peay in Clarksville are all speculation, and should be taken as such. But with the shakeup in college hockey, Liberty and Lindenwood having ready arenas and now this development from High Point, I could see Liberty, Lindenwood, Alabama Huntsville, Austin Peay, and High Point coming together to form a conference. Travel wise it would be tough going from Lindenwood to Liberty or High Point. But for the most part travel isn't outrageous, Liberty and HP are somewhat close maybe a third school can fill in the gap over there, AP to Huntsville and Lindenwood is somewhat ok.

 

[JMCx4]

... Now for everyone else I'll copy and paste a long post I had made on a thread in the Minor league forum ...

A link to your related post coulda worked, too.

 

[mk80]

A link to your related post coulda worked, too.

Yes, but I didn't think of doing that.

 

[JMCx4]

Yes, but I didn't think of doing that.

You've taken TL;DR to a whole 'nother level.

 

[NoDak]

Forget to mention that High Point U isn’t investing tens of millions to be left an as independent. Their leadership knows that a regional league will be available in two to three years. Private schools don’t toss money into the wind.

The WCHA didn’t toss UAH out in two years to be mean (although UAA And UAF cost them considerable travel expenses), as they knew some schemes, I.e., new schools, that were about to enter the fray.

 

[mk80]

Forget to mention that High Point U isn’t investing tens of millions to be left an as independent. Their leadership knows that a regional league will be available in two to three years. Private schools don’t toss money into the wind.

The WCHA didn’t toss UAH out in two years to be mean (although UAA And UAF cost them considerable travel expenses), as they knew some schemes, I.e., new schools, that were about to enter the fray.

Essentially the WCHA cut off their longest and more importantly for them costliest trips.

Overall I firmly believe there is about to be some growth in NCAA DI hockey in the lower 48 states. But not sure how the Alaska schools will do without a conference and still be far on an island without the similar level of pull that Arizona State has for getting into another conference.

 

[PCSPounder]

Essentially the WCHA cut off their longest and more importantly for them costliest trips.

Overall I firmly believe there is about to be some growth in NCAA DI hockey in the lower 48 states. But not sure how the Alaska schools will do without a conference and still be far on an island without the similar level of pull that Arizona State has for getting into another conference.

Funny thing... the rumors I’ve heard about Oregon seeking D-1 hockey virtually always came from outside Oregon.

Until this week.

Perhaps that’s not a complete surprise. Emphasis in Eugene has been on the Hayward Field rebuild. That will be done in May in time for the PAC-12 championships. So hockey may well be the next project.

A detail within the rumor is what got me. Without naming names, “a Western school” is said to be trying to get enough schools together to form a conference. That sounds like ASU to me. With Oregon, the Alaskas, and two more schools, that’s a minimum, correct? Not that I want to base a whole discussion on rumors... just something to keep in the back of your minds.

 

[JMCx4]

... A detail within the rumor is what got me. Without naming names, “a Western school” is said to be trying to get enough schools together to form a conference. That sounds like ASU to me. With Oregon, the Alaskas, and two more schools, that’s a minimum, correct? Not that I want to base a whole discussion on rumors... just something to keep in the back of your minds.

With THIS crowd? No worries about rumors expanding beyond reasonable limits.................Add 4 teams in Mexico & 6 more in Western Canada, and you'll have a Super-Hockey Conference to rival anything B1G can EVER muster!!!

 

[PCSPounder]

With THIS crowd? No worries about rumors expanding beyond reasonable limits.................Add 4 teams in Mexico & 6 more in Western Canada, and you'll have a Super-Hockey Conference to rival anything B1G can EVER muster!!!

Jokes about my “set the example hopeless romanticism” aside, of all the schools that keep coming up as a credible option...

Simon Fraser. They’re already NCAA D-2 (and it seems no other Canadian school decided to make that jump). Of course, their level of athletic investment involves finally deciding to install stands on their campus football field in the last 12 months, so I’m not going to make the leap to say they’re imminently part of any west coast hockey conference effort.

 

[mk80]

Funny thing... the rumors I’ve heard about Oregon seeking D-1 hockey virtually always came from outside Oregon.

Until this week.

Perhaps that’s not a complete surprise. Emphasis in Eugene has been on the Hayward Field rebuild. That will be done in May in time for the PAC-12 championships. So hockey may well be the next project.

A detail within the rumor is what got me. Without naming names, “a Western school” is said to be trying to get enough schools together to form a conference. That sounds like ASU to me. With Oregon, the Alaskas, and two more schools, that’s a minimum, correct? Not that I want to base a whole discussion on rumors... just something to keep in the back of your minds.

I remember reading about the PAC 12 having an interest in hockey when ASU joined the NCAA for hockey. I wouldn't think it's something that's not on their radar for some time in the future. The question for the Alaska schools is how soon would that happen and could they join a PAC-12 Conference or survive independently long enough for that to even form.

 

[NoDak]

I remember reading about the PAC 12 having an interest in hockey when ASU joined the NCAA for hockey. I wouldn't think it's something that's not on their radar for some time in the future. The question for the Alaska schools is how soon would that happen and could they join a PAC-12 Conference or survive independently long enough for that to even form.

The NCHC would be interested in Arizona St when they get their 5000 seat arena. St Thomas or Minn St-Mankato would be the other. St Thomas rumors are that an on campus arena would be built if the NCAA approves DI. St Thomas has more students and endowment than Providence and NCHC wants an MSP team again.

Backfilling for the new CCHA would be done. Eau Claire is building a new nice arena and UWEC Is paying for part of this. UWEC would have to move to DII to go DI in hockey, but’s they have already announced three sports that the DII GLIAC needs more of.

Minot St, a power in DI club but terrible in most DII, would be a natural, as well as UMary (Bismarck) and Augustana, which wants DI but was may not have a Summit spot after St Thomas hears its DI ruling. Sioux Falls leads the USHL in attendance and Augustana would use the same facilities.

 

[NoDak]

Clarksville got its downtown arena approved and will start construction. It is to be run by the Predators and Austin Peay’s campus is only blocks away. Some taxpayers tried to block the arena, but it failed.

Clarksville getting downtown arena

The other Southern school to watch is Florida Gulf Coast. It had proposed DI hockey when it first moved up but would have been an independent. Their local arena for minors is near campus and hosts a DI tournament every year and the college coaches clan meets in the Fort Myers area every offseason.

FGCU has not been afraid of hockey in the past and would be likely to jump on an opportunity.

 

[mk80]

Backfilling for the new CCHA would be done. Eau Claire is building a new nice arena and UWEC Is paying for part of this. UWEC would have to move to DII to go DI in hockey, but’s they have already announced three sports that the DII GLIAC needs more of.

Minot St, a power in DI club but terrible in most DII, would be a natural, as well as UMary (Bismarck) and Augustana, which wants DI but was may not have a Summit spot after St Thomas hears its DI ruling. Sioux Falls leads the USHL in attendance and Augustana would use the same facilities.

ASU can pretty much pick where they want to go and would be highly valued in the NCHC, but the PAC-12 has expressed an interest in sponsoring hockey in the past, so if that ever happens (far down the road at this point) I expect that to be ASU's final landing spot. But I do think the NCHC will be where they go eventually.

As for the WCHA/(new) CCHA:

I've been keeping an eye on St. Thomas, I haven't heard or seen anything on Eau Claire, UMary, Minot St. and Augustana. I do know that Lindenwood University in St. Charles is looking into the scholarship funding for adding D1 Mens. They have D1 Womens, and the facilities are ready to go. They are a very likely candidate as well to make the jump.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

For the wildly strange and then realistic schools mentioned:

1. Eau Claire won't leave D3 and the WIAC. Their newly approved arena will be a world class facility, but it does not mean at all that they want to go D1. They were a big reason why the WIAC started sponsoring hockey, they won't leave. They'll simply join the ranks of the laundry list of other NCAA D3 teams in having D1-calibre facilities.
   
2. I don't think Augustana has ever been mentioned for NCAA hockey, not sure where one even gets the idea. They've never even expressed interest in hockey in any form or ever been linked. Geographically they work, but that's not even the basis for a suggestion.
   
3. Minot State and UMary fit in geographically, but neither are in any position to go NCAA D1. There is a big difference between being a very good club team and being capable of rolling out a NCAA D1 program.
   
4. FGCU also has a good club team and a nearby D1 caliber facility that houses the ECHL Everblades, but the school has been hit with financial problems and won't be able to fund a NCAA program any time soon.
   
5. St. Thomas is getting kicked out of the MIAC and recently submitted an application to go directly NCAA D1 and join the Summit League, which requires a waiver and is a lengthy process. But, they have the money and professed interest in going NCAA D1 so they're actually a possibility.
   
6. Like mk80 mentioned, Lindenwood has the facility, a women's NCAA team, and they've been behind the scenes trying to get the funding. They're also a up there as possibly joining the NCAA ranks. Perhaps mk80 can speak to this, but I thought they were held back by Title IX issues and were looking to add other women's sports to stay compliant as part of any possible jump.