ACHA November Newsletter
ACHA MEMBERSHIP NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2019
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Happy Hockey Season ACHA Members! This is the ACHA’s 29th season and we enter 2019-20 with a membership of over 450 teams! As I humbly enter my second year in this role, I am more excited than ever to work with our staff and membership to continue to enhance our student-athletes experience as well as assessing what is working well and what we can do to improve. I feel that the talent level of the ACHA is as good as it’s ever been. We are seeing growth at the youth and amateur levels which is developing more and more better players than a decade ago. Since NCAA Division I hockey has been pretty stagnant over that time period with the exception of Penn State and Arizona State (hopefully Illinois soon!), the ACHA has been benefiting from the abundance of talent coming out of 18U, Prep/High School and Junior hockey levels. This was evident last spring with the skill level of all 5 ACHA Divisions on the ice at our National Tournament. I also believe our talent level is as good as ever because our coaches are so committed to their teams and player development. Combine all of this with our growth in traditional and non- traditional hockey markets, and it’s no wonder why the ACHA has become such a great option for prospects to consider! I look forward to sharing some behind the scenes news, updates and reminders in these newsletters throughout the season. I appreciate your time and more importantly, all of your efforts and commitment to your players and the ACHA. See you in the rinks! ~ Craig Barnett
M2 SELECT TEAM FINISHES STUDENT HOCKEY CHALLENGE STRONG
The M2 Select Team traveled to Barnaul, Russia in October to represent the USA in the Student Hockey Challenge. The 22-member squad selected by an appointed Coaching staff consisting of Head Coach Fred Carpenito (Northeastern University), and Assistant Coaches Sean Levin (Rider University) and Tyler Kangas (University of Cincinnati) represented 14 ACHA member schools.All 3 games were close affairs as the team finished with 1-2 record including a 3-2 loss in regulation vs. host team Dynamo-Altai (sell -out crowd of 6,000 plus. In their second game, ACHA lost 4-3 in overtime vs. UK Praha and in the final game, ACHA beat PGAFKSIT in a shootout following a 4-4 tie at end of regulation
HOCKEY OPERATION UPDATES
REGISTRATION – As of late October, Hockey Operations has processed over 420 teams through the new Registration portal. Mo Stroemel (Director of Hockey Operations) has sent out several e-mails regarding the process which is also included in the User Guide on the ACHA website –
COACHES ITEMS – As a follow up for those teams that have submitted their rosters through the USAH/ACHA portal and it has not been uploaded, the most likely reason is that you do not have an approved coach list ed on the roster. Part of the process for the ACHA to be 100% compliant with the new Safe Sport Law, Coaches are n o longer put through the system until their Background screenings, Safe Sport Training and CEP Levels have been verified on the front end of the portal. (Coaches that do not have a CEP level have been granted a one-time only Level 1 by USAH). If your roster has a t least one certified coach listed, your roster should be uploaded to Pointstreak without any problems. www.achahockey.
GAME REPORTING REMINDER – Please do NOT enter any scoresheets if both teams’ rosters have not been properly uploaded into Pointstreak. If a team is showing a roster without a coach, it has NOT been properly uploaded. If you score a game that has a team that was not properly uploaded, the game will be deleted, and you will have to re-do it from entering the game in the schedule once the team’s roster is uploaded. Thank you for your cooperation.
TEAM ROSTER SUBMISSIONS – Deadline for submissions with an approved coach is OCTOBER 31. QUESTIONS??? – Please direct all questions to your respective Divisional Commissioners (contact info on ACHA website).
2020 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Preparation is well under way for the 2020 National Tournament returning to the Dallas area on March 19-29, 2020. Meetings with our hosts’ Dallas Stars and City of Frisco are on- going with a site visit scheduled in November. We are working with other prospective partners including a couple of Dallas area universities and their Sports Management programs to develop internship opportunities. We are also working with USA Hockey as their 2020 National High School Championships are taken place in the Dallas area late March. It is our goal to host ACHA educational seminars in Frisco for those prospective student-athletes and families to attend while taken in some of our playoff action during their championship event.
2020 M2 & M3 REGIONAL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
M2 REGIONALS:
West: Feb. 27 – 29, Boise, ID
Central: Feb. 28 – March 1, Allendale, MI
North East: Feb. 28 – March 1, Keene, NH
South East: Feb. 28 – March 1, Lawrenceville, NJ
M3 REGIONALS:
North: March 6 – 7, Grand Rapids, MI
Pacific: March 6 – 7, Milwaukee, WI
South: March 7 – 8, Wesley Chapel, FL
Atlantic: March 7 – 8, TBD
MARKETING THE ACHA TO PROSPECTIVE STUDENT-ATHLETES
Presenting to prospective student-athletes and their families on the Ladder of Development and the many paths to college hockey is always a welcomed opportunity for the ACHA. As the ACHA membership continues to grow in both traditional and non-traditional college hockey markets, there are a lot of opportunities to educate future college players on the benefits of the ACHA and the “Who, What and Where” we are.Over the past two months, ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett presented to all 26 NAHL junior teams at their September showcase, High School players from all over Illinois at the AHAI College fair, and over 87 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U Tier I and II teams at the NAPHL showcase event in Blaine, MN
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November 2019 ACHA FULL Newsletter
