NCAA · Men's Ice Hockey
Men's Ice Hockey programs
150 programs across 3 divisions, each with its coaching staff, roster, budget and the school behind it.
150
Programs
60 D1 · 7 D2 · 83 D3
4,329
Roster spots
last season
32,253
High-school players
2024-25
1 in 7
Odds of any NCAA spot · 13%
1 in 20 (5.1%) for Division I
26
D-I roster cap
51 of 60 programs over it last season
$3M
Median D-I budget
$102,081 per player
2 in Alaska, Hawaii or abroad not shown
Division IDivision IIDivision III
When coaches may contact you
The first date a coach in each division may email or call a recruit, by high-school graduation year — the general NCAA rule for men's ice hockey. You may write to any coach at any time.
| Grad year | Division I | Division II | Division III |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | January 1, 2024 | June 15, 2025 | Any time |
| 2028 | January 1, 2025 | June 15, 2026 | Any time |
| 2029 | January 1, 2026 | June 15, 2027 | Any time |
| 2030 | January 1, 2027 | June 15, 2028 | Any time |
The full guide: eligibility, what to send, and how the roster cap changes the math.
Division by division
| Division | Programs | Spots | Median budget | Per player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division I | 60 | 1,650 | $3M | $102k |
| Division II | 7 | 208 | $305k | $9k |
| Division III | 83 | 2,471 | $306k | $10k |
Division I roster cap 26 from 2025-26: last season 51 programs carried more, 6 were exactly at it and 1 had room. Players already on a roster may stay, so the squeeze lands on the next classes. How the caps work.
Odds: 13% of high-school players hold an NCAA roster spot (1 in 7); 1 in 20 (5.1%) in Division I, about 1 in 21 (4.8%) once rosters are at the cap. Transfers and international players hold some of those spots. The honest version · every sport.
Biggest team budgets · Division I
| # | School | Team budget | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Notre Dame Big Ten Conference | $7M | 29 | 991 | |
| 2 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Big Ten Conference | $7M | 26 | 997 | |
| 3 | Michigan State University Big Ten Conference | $6.6M | 26 | 1000 | |
| 4 | Boston College Hockey East Association (Men's) | $6.3M | 27 | 957 | |
| 5 | Arizona State University National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $6.2M | 29 | 998 | |
| 6 | University of North Dakota National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $5.9M | 27 | 981 | |
| 7 | University of Denver National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $5.9M | 25 | 964 | |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Big Ten Conference | $5.5M | 26 | 978 | |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University Big Ten Conference | $5.2M | 27 | 1000 | |
| 10 | Providence College Hockey East Association (Men's) | $5M | 28 | 974 |
Best Academic Progress Rates · Division I
| # | School | APR | Roster | Budget | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brown University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 1000 | 31 | $1.4M | |
| 2 | Clarkson University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 1000 | 26 | $2.8M | |
| 3 | Colgate University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 1000 | 27 | $3.1M | |
| 4 | Princeton University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 1000 | 27 | $1.5M | |
| 5 | University of Massachusetts Lowell Hockey East Association (Men's) | 1000 | 32 | $3.9M | |
| 6 | University of Nebraska at Omaha National Collegiate Hockey Conference | 1000 | 28 | $4.8M | |
| 7 | Yale University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 1000 | 29 | $1.4M | |
| 8 | Harvard University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 1000 | 31 | $1.9M | |
| 9 | Pennsylvania State University Big Ten Conference | 1000 | 27 | $5.2M | |
| 10 | Michigan State University Big Ten Conference | 1000 | 26 | $6.6M |
Most room on the roster · Division I
| # | School | Room under the cap | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Denver National Collegiate Hockey Conference | 1 | 964 | |
| 2 | Clarkson University ECAC Hockey (Men's) | 0 | 1000 | |
| 3 | Colorado College National Collegiate Hockey Conference | 0 | 986 | |
| 4 | Michigan State University Big Ten Conference | 0 | 1000 | |
| 5 | Rochester Institute of Technology Atlantic Hockey America (Men's) | 0 | 991 | |
| 6 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Big Ten Conference | 0 | 997 | |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Big Ten Conference | 0 | 978 | |
| 8 | Bemidji State University Central Collegiate Hockey Assn | 1 over | 995 | |
| 9 | Boston College Hockey East Association (Men's) | 1 over | 957 | |
| 10 | Boston University Hockey East Association (Men's) | 1 over | 957 |
Lowest net price · Division I
| # | School | Net price | Roster | APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Alaska Fairbanks Independent | $9,985 | 31 | 963 | |
| 2 | Miami University (Ohio) National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $12,407 | — | — | |
| 3 | Ferris State University Central Collegiate Hockey Assn | $13,154 | 30 | 979 | |
| 4 | University of Nebraska at Omaha National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $13,284 | 28 | 1000 | |
| 5 | University of Alaska Anchorage Independent | $13,931 | 29 | 957 | |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Big Ten Conference | $14,216 | 26 | 978 | |
| 7 | Lake Superior State University Central Collegiate Hockey Assn | $14,345 | 29 | 962 | |
| 8 | St. Cloud State University National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $14,648 | 27 | 984 | |
| 9 | Bemidji State University Central Collegiate Hockey Assn | $16,349 | 27 | 995 | |
| 10 | Arizona State University National Collegiate Hockey Conference | $16,401 | 29 | 998 |
Every men's ice hockey coach's email, filters for roster room, budget, admission rate, majors and cost — and one reviewed email per school from your own Gmail.Start your board