Post #83 – 5/26/23 – Transfer Season
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Transfer Season
For players graduating in the Spring of 2024 and 2025, they’ll be faced with two choices: graduate and move on from playing college hockey, or decide to finish out their eligibility as a graduate student.
D-I and D-III College Hockey will begin its 3rd year this fall dealing with graduate players & transfers this fall. In September, the NCAA legislated new transfer rules that players and coaches now have to follow.
The cliff-notes version is players now have a 60-day window to declare their intentions to transfer in writing to their existing school and enter the transfer portal. That 60-day window begins on the day after of the D-I NCAA Tournament Selection Show. This years transfer period window was March 6th and ended May 4th. Players who have had cuts to their financial aid or if their scholarships have been reduced/cancelled, or where their program has a head coaching change after the window has closed, may enter the portal after the 60-day window and be eligible immediately provided they meet all other transfer criteria.
Since the COVID 5th year was granted, the number of 5th year players available created a new market for coaches to recruit from and thus the number of transfers has exploded compared to what the number normally is. To my best efforts, I counted 80 D-I 5th year graduate players on rosters in 2021-2022 season while there were 95 in 2022-2023.
The most comprehensive list of D-I transfers heading into next season I can find – is HERE. This list is updated by The Rink Live, a hockey media company which covers Minnesota and North Dakota. Programs still have 2 more seasons to manage the 5th year of COVID eligibility before it goes away–thankfully.
Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,
-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.
-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.
-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.
-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.
-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.
NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.
Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.
Grant Kimball is founder and contributing writer at Women’s College Hockey.org and beginning his 4th season as an Assistant Coach with the Yale University women’s hockey program. Grant has developed an experienced perspective in the world of women’s ice hockey, having coached and recruited players from across the globe during his 25+ year amateur and NCAA coaching career. He has coached at 6 NCAA DIII and DI programs in the NCHA (D3), the CHA, WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and the Ivy League (DI). Beyond coaching, Grant served as a site representative for the 2019 NCAA quarterfinal of the D-I NCAA Tournament. He also currently serves as an Officer with the American Hockey Coaches Association as Vice President of Membership and sits on the AHCA’s Women’s Hockey Executive Committee.
