All of the information in this response is intended to be as accurate as
possible, but should first be verified through the NCAA if you are using
this for determining eligibility or potential eligibility issues.
 
The NCAA hockey scholarship limit is 18 full scholarship "equivalencies" at
Division I and 15 at Division II.  Equivalencies allow schools to spread
their scholarship limits over more student-athletes by granting partial
scholarships to a greater number of student-athletes without exceeding the
dollar value of the NCAA limits.  Some conferences also have lower self
imposed limits (IVY - 0 / MAAC - 11) or greater opportunities (special
situations at Air Force and Army allow all students to receive full tuition,
room & board plus monthly income).
 
The NCAA Division I age rule causes a prospective student-athlete to lose a
year of hockey eligibility for each year, or partial year of competitive
hockey which occurs on or after their 21st birthday.  For this reason you
will occasionally see players quit non-college teams the day before their
21st birthday.
 
The NCAA Division I rule also allows for four years of competition in the
first five years of college.  In my opinion this allows for a gray area on
the birth date.  If a student-athlete walk-on does not make an NCAA Division
I team, continues in the school and plays competitive hockey after his 21st
birthday, I don't believe that he would lose a year of eligibility.  He
would however use up one of his five years in which to play four.  I presume
that a player could, instead of quitting a competitive team before turning
21, simply enroll as a full time student at any college or junior college to
avoid losing a year of eligibility.  Again, this is my opinion and not based
on an NCAA ruling, but it does appear to fit within the two separate rules
(5 years to play 4 and overage players).
 
I don't know how the NCAA handles the student-athlete that participates in a
competitive college hockey program through the ACHA (American Collegiate
Hockey Association) such as a Penn State, and then transfers to, and
competes at, an NCAA Division I program.  After one ACHA year that
student-athlete may have four years of NCAA eligibility or the NCAA may
count the ACHA year and only allow three additional years of competition.  I
am also unsure of how the NCAA handles the eligibility of players at a
program that moves from the ACHA to the NCAA such as Findlay.  Are their
ACHA years counted in their four years of competition or just in their five
years in which to play four?
 
During the course of publishing our College Hockey Guide we do review all
NCAA Division I rosters since  we include both year of birth and last team
for all players.  We recognize the trend toward older players and now even
see occasional college hockey players that have experience on USA Hockey
Senior Teams.
 
Our 1999 College Hockey Guide already includes an analysis of all NCAA
Division I players by state, province and country.  We are currently working
on our updated analysis of all NCAA Division I players by year of birth
and by last level of play (hs / junior / prep school / junior college /
midget etc.)  I will be happy to email all three of these studies to
interested members of this list as soon as they are complete.  If you are
interested please send an email to [log in to unmask] with NCAA Analysis
as the Subject.
 
On a personal note, I find it strange that NCAA Division I Football and
Basketball seem to be able to produce highly competitive products with a
preponderance of 18 year old freshmen while NCAA Division I Hockey allows
for the extra two years of junior competition and 20 year old freshmen at
the expense of the true student-athlete that has just graduated from high
school.
 
The percentage of European players in NCAA hockey appears to be on the
increase but it also appears to be offset by a decrease in the percentage of
Canadian players.  The percentage of US citizens is actually increasing over
the last few years.  European student-athletes should have the same rights
as Canadians in the NCAA system.  As long as we are willing to allow
Canadian players the benefit of our US tax dollars as they get their
education in our public universities then we should treat European players
the same.  I don't know the real cost of lost scholarships for US
student-athletes by including Canadian and European student-athletes in the
US scholarship equation, but I am reminded of a quote from the late Senator
from Illinois - Everett McKinley Dirkson who said, " A million dollars here,
a million dollars there and pretty soon you are talking about real money".
 
 
Tom Keegan
College Hockey Guide
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www.collegehockey.org
www.collegehockeyguide.com
 
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