History
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) began as a men’s collegiate hockey organization and was established on April 20, 1991. Fifteen charter members met during the Chicago Showcase in Skokie, IL at the North Shore Hilton. These member teams had been playing college hockey for many years but wished to legitimize its play by standardizing some of its procedures and governance. The members that created the organization included representatives from Iowa State University, Penn State University, Stanford University, Ohio University, University of California-Berkley, North Dakota State University, University of West Virginia, Navy, University of Arizona, DePaul University, and UCLA. The inaugural year of the ACHA was the 1991-1992 season. The goal of the organization was to create an impartial governing body to monitor national tournaments, player eligibility, and provide general oversight.
From those humble beginnings, the ACHA now currently boasts five divisions (Men’s Divisions 1, 2, and 3; Women’s Divisions 1 and 2) with over 446 teams from across the nation representing 49 different states (all but Hawaii) and, since 1999, all ACHA teams maintain membership with USA Hockey and the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA).
The current function of the ACHA is to support quality, unity, and regulation of intercollegiate hockey programs in the United States. In order to accomplish this, the ACHA has developed Organizational By-Laws and a Policies and Procedures Manual to provide the policy foundation for the organization as it seeks to fulfill its purpose. These documents are reviewed yearly at the ACHA’s annual meeting in Naples, Florida.
The ACHA’s policies address team and player eligibility, rules of play, ranking procedures, national tournament procedures, and other administrative and operational initiatives.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association is a chartered non-profit corporation. It is classified as a 501(c)(3) organization with the Internal Revenue Service.
Purpose & Mission
- Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Association is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated programs which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes quality in collegiate ice hockey. The activities of the Association shall be limited at all times to those specified in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- Mission Statement
The ACHA’s primary mission is to support the growth of collegiate hockey programs nationwide. The ACHA identifies standards, with serve to unite and regulate teams at the collegiate level. The ACHA shall emphasize academic performance, institutional sanction, eligibility criteria, standards of play, and opportunities for national competition.
The ACHA promotes all aspects of collegiate hockey stressing the personal development of individual athletes as well as national recognition for member organizations.
Past ACHA Division 1 Champions
1989-1990 - Penn State University
1990-1991 - North Dakota State University
1991-1992 - Iowa State University
1992-1993 - North Dakota State University
1993-1994 - North Dakota State University
1994-1995 - Ohio University
1995-1996 - Ohio University
1996-1997 - Ohio University
1997-1998 - Penn State University
1998-1999 - Vacated (Iowa State University)
1999-2000 - Penn State University
2000-2001 - Penn State University
2002-2003 - Penn State University
2003-2004 - Penn State University
2004-2005 - University of Illinois
2005-2006 - University of Rhode Island
2006-2007 - Oakland University
2007-2008 - University of Illinois
2008-2009 - Lindenwood University
2009-2010 - Lindenwood University
2010-2011 - Davenport University
2011-2012 - Davenport University
2012-2013 - Minot State University
2013-2014 - Arizona State University
2014-2015 - University of Central Oklahoma
2015-2016 - Lindenwood University
