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Craig Barnett named new ACHA director

12/10/2018, 12:00pm CST
By By Dale Decker

Barnett directs league which governs nearly 500 men’s and women’s college hockey teams throughout the U.S.


Utah State faced rival BYU recently in ACHA action.


Craig Barnett

The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) recently named Craig Barnett as their new Executive Director. In this important role, Barnett will direct the league, which governs nearly 500 men’s and women’s college hockey teams at hundreds of colleges throughout the U.S. 

A native of Oakville, Ont., Barnett played college hockey at Plattsburgh State then in the New York Rangers organization. Barnett has coached or directed programs at colleges and high schools, including the University of Findlay, Lake Forest Academy, Becker College, Mercyhurst University, the American Lacrosse Conference, the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association  and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League. In addition, Barnett has been the NAHL’s Director of Compliance and Education since 2012. 

I asked Barnett a few questions about the ACHA and college hockey at-large.  

Craig, what is your first main task as the new Director of the ACHA? 

CB: One of my biggest goals is to attend events and showcases to meet with prospective student-athletes and their families and present ACHA opportunities to them. We don’t want to just tell them to consider ACHA hockey, we want to explain the league and what it offers. We need to talk about our schools and where we are located across the U.S.

What can you tell us about the ACHA brand?

CB: Our league has three men’s and two women’s divisions  at different competitive levels  in 48 states, including traditional regions  like the east and mid-west and also in non-traditional areas where a student may want to attend college. We have teams in states like Florida, Texas, California and Washington. Most people don’t realize the scope of the ACHA. The league has teams at the top academic colleges in the U.S. We need to share this message of opportunity and promote the ACHA brand.

Why has the ACHA grown so much in recent years?

CB: There are many reasons, including opportunity, players, coaches and fans. There is a lot of opportunity for players in our league as the NCAA has only 60 Division I programs. Our game has grown so much, and I often say that there are a lot of good NCAA D-I players on NCAA D-III and ACHA rosters, so it’s supply and demand. Many players are good enough to play at a top collegiate level and we offer them that chance with  five years of eligibility instead of four.

There are more players going through development and enjoying hockey more than ever. Combine these players with advances in coaching, training and technology, including video analysis and communication. We have better coaches than ever. We have a global recruiting market and we are seeing prospective student-athletes from around the world that want to play hockey in the ACHA. Many of our players move on to play or coach at different levels after their time in the league. The ACHA offers players the chance to wear  their school colors and play in front of fans…we have become the destination for the majority of college hockey players in the U.S.

How is the league run? 

CB: The majority of our association is made up of passionate hockey people that volunteer to be involved. This is special and we can’t forget about what makes this all work for our student-athletes and their college experience.

Why is there a mystery about the league? 

CB: I’m not sure what people know or don’t know, so our focus is to tell our story. There are 13,000 players in the ACHA. Some of our teams play at a very high level and are well funded with great arenas, locker rooms and equipment. These travel in charter buses and/or planes and play in front of large crowds. Other teams are funded by the student-athletes themselves but get a chance to represent their school and play a more regional schedule. There are teams between these examples that receive partial funding and play a more competitive schedule.

We also host a National Championship Tournament for five divisions (Men’s 1, 2, 3, Women’s 1 and 2) which brings 72 schools to one location in March. This is an experience the players never forget. The ACHA is staffed to run a first-class event and we crown five Divisional National Champions. We also offer opportunities to play on ACHA All-Star teams that travel the globe and compete in international tournaments such as the World University Games, Student Hockey League Challenge and the World Cup of College Hockey. The league provides governance and guidance for our conferences and teams as well as registration and has a partnership with USA Hockey. These are the type of stories we will continue to tell and educate people on what the ACHA is and how they can continue playing competitive hockey while in college.

What is the future of college hockey?

CB: The ACHA is going to play a big role. It’s tough for the NCAA to grow and we have fewer barriers. Players, fans and their schools benefit from ACHA teams and there is demand for hockey at the colleges. Our teams sell game tickets for about $10 and apparel with concessions just like football and basketball. Our league is positioned to fill the growing demand for college hockey on campuses throughout the U. S.

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Tag(s): News  College