American International College is leaving NCAA Division 1 hockey and returning to NCAA D-2 for the 2025-2026 season.
Sources within AIC have said the school is making this move for “budgetary (reasons), and the changing landscape of the NCAA,”.
For those of us in the business, we know this is a direct reaction to the recent NCAA rule change to limit Division One rosters to twenty six players and allowing for Division One programs to provide twenty six full ride scholarships.
Currently AIC has thirty forwards and defense, along with three goaltenders on the roster. This is in direct relation to the rule changes I spoke about in my last two An Advisers Life Podcasts. Episodes can be found here An Advisers Life, and here The Junior Hockey News – YouTube
When combining the new roster limits, scholarship expansion and the additional competition for those roster spots in NCAA hockey, the Division One level will see an immediate decrease in the number of Division One players. Between one hundred and forty and two hundred roster spots at the Division One level will be lost.
The move by AIC is merely a response to the new rules and only adds to the bottleneck that players will face begining next season.
If you are confused by the new rules, and how this may impact your NCAA aspirations, feel free to email me and set a time for a no cost or obligation consultation.
Joseph Kolodziej – Adviser
