NCAA Div III

[bigplay41]

Just a question for those who might follow division iii NCAA. What is the talent level like? Just browsing at a few rosters i noticed a lot of players come from Junior leagues in Canada like the MJHL, AJHL, BCHL, and Ontario Leagues. I believe the biggest difference between Div 1 and Div 3 is that most players are not on full ride scholarships tho? Any other major differences?

[Oilers Chick]

Originally Posted by bigplay41

Just a question for those who might follow division iii NCAA. What is the talent level like? Just browsing at a few rosters i noticed a lot of players come from Junior leagues in Canada like the MJHL, AJHL, BCHL, and Ontario Leagues. I believe the biggest difference between Div 1 and Div 3 is that most players are not on full ride scholarships tho? Any other major differences?

Yes, the overall talent level. DIII, while they have some players that could probably play on lower level D-I teams (such as some of those in Atlantic Hockey), doesn't attract nor has the elite level that DI has.

FYI, most DI teams do not offer full rides and the ones that do have a limited number of them that they offer each year. Some DI teams such as those in the Ivies and the service academies are not allowed to offer scholarships, therefore don't.

[bigplay41]

Originally Posted by Oilers Chick

Yes, the overall talent level. DIII, while they have some players that could probably play on lower level D-I teams (such as some of those in Atlantic Hockey), doesn't attract nor has the elite level that DI has.

FYI, most DI teams do not offer full rides and the ones that do have a limited number of them that they offer each year. Some DI teams such as those in the Ivies and the service academies are not allowed to offer scholarships, therefore don't.

Thanks for the reply. I was just curious because I saw Adrian College beat Alabama Huntsville this year and was wondering if the top div 3 teams would fare well vs some lower tier teams

[Dakota Sioux]

My daughter is going to play for D111 Concordia of Moorhead. She had an looks from UND and other D1 schools but doesn't care for the coach at UND. Concordia is the school she chose over others because it is a top of the line academic school.Plus she loves the coach. Afterall hockey won't pay the bills once college is over.

[Slowe]

Scholarships mean better talent. Most schools also have much better facilities like larger stadiums and more resources in general. Better players will gravitate here, period.

Division 1 teams can offer up to 18 scholarships. Schools have the option of splitting them, such as two half scholarships. Most (all?) teams don't typically go into details of how they break them down. Some leagues may differ though. For example, teams in the Atlantic hockey league are smaller and go for more cost control by limiting it to 12 scholarships. The NCAA also created a limit. D3 schools that play up at D1 can't offer scholarships, like RIT. Schools doing so prior to the rule are grandfathered.

The best players go for D1, but a small number of lower D1 schools may lose to top D3 teams. They don't play that often though so not much to compare. Huntsville is a rare exception. As the only southern school, when their last league disbanded in 2009, no one wanted them in a new league. With no clear path to the tournament, they struggled to get quality recruits. A previous school administrator even dropped the team for a bit until they were saved. When they scrambled to come back, that resulted in scheduling club teams and D3 teams to fill out a schedule. They have now been accepted into the WCHA for next year which should help quite a few problems. Obviously an unusual case. Most D1 teams will beat D3.