ECAC Launches New Club Hockey Division, Welcomes North American Collegiate Hockey League as Premier Affiliate
DANBURY, Conn. – Dan Coonan, CEO of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), today announced the launch of the ECAC's new Club Hockey Division, a bold and strategic initiative aimed at supporting the growth and legitimacy of collegiate club hockey across North America. At the forefront of this launch is the ECAC's newest affiliate: the North American Collegiate Hockey League (NACHU-a rebranded and revitalized organization uniting top-tier collegiate club hockey programs from Canada to Florida.
"The creation of the ECAC Club Hockey Division marks a significant evolution in our mission to support student-athletes at every level," said Coonan. "By welcoming the NACHL into the ECAC family, we are strengthening a platform that has long deserved institutional recognition and operational excellence. We are proud to stand behind an organization that is committed to delivering a true collegiate experience for club hockey student-athletes."
The NACHL emerges from a highly successful foundation formerly branded as AAU College Hockey and operated by the Collegiate Hockey Federation. Amid a rapidly changing landscape in collegiate hockey–where governance shifts, organizational realignments, and sustainability challenges are taking center stage–the ECAC's support provides structure and stability at a critical time. The ECAC's backing ensures continued access to national tournaments, competitive scheduling, and a future-facing media and branding strategy for more than120 teams.
"Recent disruptions in the collegiate hockey community have underscored the need for a more professionalized, student-centered, and unified approach to club hockey," noted Mark Purowitz, Board Chairman of NACHL. "The NACHL and its member conferences, including College Hockey South, the Empire Conference, the New England Division, and the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference, have demonstrated remarkable resilience and vision. We are thankful in affiliating with the ECAC to help us amplify our mission."
The transition has already begun, with the ECAC preparing to host the inaugural NACHL Summit at its headquarters this July. The new Club Hockey Division will provide organizational infrastructure, compliance guidance, branding support, and leadership development to ensure club hockey thrives within an academic model. The league will maintain its national championship event in Jacksonville Florida (March 2026), as well as its All-Star Challenge and the formation of a U.S. National Club Team in early 2027.
The ECAC, celebrating over 90 years of intercollegiate athletic tradition, now brings that legacy to the club hockey arena–championing access, recognition, and opportunity for thousands of student-athletes across North America.
ABOUT THE ECAC
The ECAC is an eighty-six year old intercollegiate athletics organization with roughly 200 member schools for traditional sports across all three NCAA Divisions - I, II and III - that exists to enhance the experience of student-athletes participating in NCAA sports, and provide great value for universities, by sponsoring championships, leagues, bowl games, tournaments and other competitions throughout the country. The ECAC also hosts a comprehensive esports program, with over 300 schools, 4,000 teams and 10,000-plus participants in twenty-four different games titles.
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