Central Collegiate Hockey Association

About

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a hockey-only NCAA Division I conference and one of six Division I men's ice hockey conferences in the country. It is regarded as one of the top player development leagues in the world for the NHL, with more than 30% of NHL players today coming from U.S. college hockey ranks. The CCHA first existed for 43 years from 1971 to 2013, founded originally with Bowling Green, Ohio, Ohio State, and Saint Louis as charter members. The conference rose to national prominence in 1981 when Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Michigan Tech defected from the WCHA, bringing major programs under the CCHA banner. Seven CCHA teams have won the NCAA National Championship: Bowling Green (1984), Michigan State (1986), Lake Superior State (1988, 1992, 1994), and Michigan (1996 and 1998). The original CCHA dissolved after the 2012–13 season when the Big Ten launched its own hockey conference, pulling away Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, with Notre Dame departing for Hockey East and Miami joining the newly formed NCHC. On February 18, 2020, seven schools announced they would revive the CCHA for the 2021–22 season, citing a desire for a more compact geographic footprint and stronger regional alignment. St. Thomas joined as an eighth member that same year, and Augustana University joined as the ninth in 2023. The conference's nine members include four in Michigan (Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, and Northern Michigan), three in Minnesota (Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and St. Thomas), one in Ohio (Bowling Green), and one in South Dakota (Augustana). Minnesota State has been the dominant force in the revived era, winning the regular-season title four of the first five seasons. The CCHA is led by Commissioner Don Lucia, one of the most successful coaches in college hockey history, who won two national championships at Minnesota in 2002 and 2003.