The college recruiting process is an exciting time for student-athletes with the dream of competing at the collegiate level. College coaches will begin contacting prospective hockey recruits, student-athletes will visit college campuses for unofficial and official visits and, if the student-athlete is successful in the recruiting process, they will receive an offer for a roster spot and possibly an athletic scholarship.
All NCAA sponsored sports abide by recruiting rules and a calendar that the NCAA releases every year. These rules determine when and how college coaches and student-athletes can communicate to maintain a healthy and fair recruiting process for all parties involved. While these rules are meant to benefit student-athletes, the recruiting process can still be confusing and overwhelming. This section is designed to help student-athletes and their families better understand the NCAA ice hockey recruiting rules and calendar and stay up-to-date on any changes that the NCAA makes to the recruiting process.
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How to use the NCAA women’s hockey recruiting rules and calendar
The NCAA is constantly updating the recruiting rules and calendar to better the recruiting process for student-athletes and college coaches. Below is a look at what hockey recruits and their families need to know about the NCAA women’s hockey recruiting process.
- Early recruiting: Just because college coaches can’t contact hockey recruits until after their sophomore year, doesn’t mean early recruiting isn’t happening. College coaches attend tournaments, college camps and combines to evaluate talent as young as 8th grade. Recruits’ high school and club coaches may also receive a call or email from college coaches to let them know they have their eye on the athlete.
- Communication and verbal offers: Starting June 15 after the recruit’s sophomore year, Division 1 college coaches can begin to contact recruits and make verbal offers.
- Official and unofficial visits: Unofficial and official college visits are permitted starting August 1 of the recruit’s sophomore year. During these visits, recruits can engage with college coaches, talk about recruiting and explore campus.
- Accepting Scholarships: If a recruit is accepting a scholarship offer from an NCAA institution, they will be asked to sign a financial aid agreement to officially accept their offer.
When can hockey coaches start communicating with you?
Over the years, the NCAA has made necessary changes to the recruiting rules and calendar to create an equal and positive recruiting experience for all recruits. The NCAA addressed the growth of early recruiting across multiple sports by announcing changes to the recruiting rules.
- D1 college coaches are prohibited from communicating with recruits until June 15 after the recruit’s sophomore year. Even if a recruit initiates contact prior to this date, the coach cannot engage in conversation.
- College coaches are permitted to make verbal offers starting August 1 prior to a recruit’s junior year.
- D2 coaches are permitted to contact recruits at any time.
Previously, college coaches have found loopholes in the NCAA recruiting rules that allowed them to communicate with hockey recruits and extend verbal offers through the athlete’s club or high school coach. Now, college coaches can contact club or high school coaches to ask for general feedback on a recruit but are prohibited from discussing financial offers, recruiting statements, etc., until after June 15 of the recruit’s sophomore year.
The NCAA hopes that these changes will allow recruits more time to develop as athletes and as students and enjoy the recruiting experience.
Student-athletes shouldn’t wait until this date to start the recruiting process, though. Recruits should start the recruiting process by creating a strong NCSA Recruiting Profile and highlight video and researching college hockey programs to build a list of target schools.
NCAA Division 1 women’s hockey recruiting rules
The NCAA D1 hockey recruiting rules and calendar are known to be the most restrictive across all the NCAA divisions.
- Any time:
- Recruits can receive non-recruiting materials at any time. This includes questionnaires, camp brochures, nonathletic institutional publications and official NCAA educational materials.
- June 15 of sophomore year:
- College coaches and recruits may begin communicating via phone and digitally, including through emails, text messages and direct messages.
- August 1 before junior year:
- Recruits can begin scheduling unofficial and official visits. During these visits, they can meet with college coaches on campus to discuss recruiting.
- College coaches can begin making verbal scholarship offers.
- Off-campus contact is permitted at the recruit’s school or home.
NCAA Division 2 women’s hockey recruiting rules
Currently, there are no NCAA D2 women’s hockey programs.
NCAA Division 3 women’s hockey recruiting rules
NCAA D3 schools adhere to the most relaxed recruiting rules of the three NCAA divisions. These rules apply to all Division 3 sports.
- Any time:
- Recruiting materials can be sent to athletes at any time.
- All contact between college coaches and recruits is permitted at any time.
- Recruits can go on an unlimited number of unofficial visits at any time.
- After sophomore year:
- Off-campus communication between an athlete and coaches can begin following the athlete’s sophomore year.
- January 1 of junior year:
- Recruits can schedule official visits to explore campus and meet with the college coach to discuss recruiting.
ACHA women’s hockey recruiting rules
The ACHA is made up primarily of club hockey programs at the collegiate level. While the ACHA does not follow the same recruiting rules as the NCAA, the association does have its own eligibility requirements that student-athletes must meet. Recruits can review these requirements and the ACHA rules on the ACHA website.
2024–25 NCAA women’s hockey recruiting calendar
Dead periods: During dead periods, coaches are prohibited from contacting recruits or their parents. Digital communication between recruits and coaches is still permitted.
Division 1
- November 11-14, 2024 (Monday through Thursday of the initial week for the fall signing of the financial aid agreement)
- March 20-24 (noon), 2025 (the day prior to the NCAA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey Championship to noon on the day after the match)
Quiet period: During a quiet period, athletes can talk to college coaches in-person on their college campus. However, the coach can’t watch recruits compete in-person, visit their school, talk to them at their home or anywhere outside of the college campus.
Division 1
- Monday prior to the American Hockey Coaches Association Convention through May 31.
Contact period: All dates that are not mentioned as a dead period should be treated like a contact period, in which all communications between families and coaches are fair game.