Why You Should Be Focused On Your Development - Understanding Division 3 NESCAC Women's College Hockey By the Numbers

​**Data has been obtained from USCHO.com rosters.**

Recently we published a blog post about Division 1 Women's College Hockey by the numbers; today, we take a deeper dive into the Division 3 NESCAC league and how those numbers shake out for Connecticut girls hockey players.

Total # of NESCAC Teams	9
Total # of Players	226
Average Number of Players Per Team	25

94.2% of the league is made up of players from the United States, 3.5% are from Canada, and 2.2% are from Europe.

​And here's the breakdown by state. The percentage column represents the percentage of players from that state that make up the 226 total NESCAC players.

State	Number of Players​	Percentage
Massachusetts	64	28.3%
Connecticut	24	10.6%
Minnesota	18	8%
New York	15	6.6%
New Hampshire	14	6.2%

We've only listed states with greater than 10 players at the NESCAC level. Following New Hampshire is California and New Jersey with 9 each; Illinois and Pennsylvania with 8 each; Rhode Island with 6; and Alaska with 5. 25 states did not have any players playing at the NESCAC level in the 2019-20 season.

Breaking it Down by Commitments Per Year

We see there were 226 players in total who played in the NESCAC league this past season and that 24 hailed from Connecticut.

We now break down the class years of the 226 players to determine the average class size per team:

Class Year	Number of Players	Average/ Team
​Freshmen	64	7
Sophomores	58	6
Juniors	58	6
Seniors	46	5

The NESCAC average class size is about 6 per team, and Connecticut numbers are about the same, see below:

Class Year	Number of Players
Freshmen	7
Sophomores	8
Juniors	6
Seniors	3

In our earlier blog post, we concluded that, statistically in Connecticut, the top seven players advance to the Division 1 level each year. Based on the above chart, approximately six Connecticut residents are accepted to Division 3 NESCAC schools annually. 

Accordingly, on an annual basis, this would suggest that only 13 of an estimated 100 players at the U14 Tier I level are destined to attend a Division 1 or Division 3 NESCAC school. 

As we concluded in our other study, there is another critical consideration in these numbers, commitments by year by positions. The below chart outlines the variation of residents from Connecticut at the NESCAC level by class year by position.

Class Year	Forwards	Defense	Goalies
Freshmen	4	3	-
Sophomores	6	-	1
Juniors	6	-	-
Seniors	1	2	-

*23 players are listed above, the 1 player not listed is listed on roster as F/D.

These numbers posted above illustrates that the average of six does not mean an even distribution of positions. In some classes, some positions have no representation at all. For example, there is only one active goalie in the four class years. 

​When talking about admission to NESCAC institutions, there is one more very critical consideration for prospective student-athletes: academic record.

These colleges are some of the most selective in the country, their acceptance rates according to U.S World & News are as follows:

School	Acceptance Rate
Amherst College	13%
Bowdoin College	10%
Colby College	13%
Connecticut College	38%
Hamilton College	21%
Middlebury College	17%
Trinity College	34%
Wesleyan University	17%
Williams College	13%

Best Estimate of Average Connecticut Class Size Each Year

In addition to the data we've provided about Division 1 and NESCAC players, it should be noted that every year Connecticut places a handful of student-athletes to schools outside of our studies.

This includes prominent programs such as SUNY Plattsburgh, Elmira College, and Hobart & William Smith College. 8 Connecticut residents played for those three schools last season, which gives us an average of 2 players per class year.

There are other Division 3 schools which recruit Connecticut players but annual numbers are too sporadic historically to include in this report. 

In conclusion, our estimations for placements per year are as follows:

Category	Estimated Players Placed
Division 1	7
NESCAC Division 3	6
Other Division 3	2

Total

15

There you have it, an estimated 15 Connecticut residents advance to college hockey every year.

​These values, although historical and theoretical, tell an important story that all aspiring college hockey players and their families need to understand. This message cannot be underestimated: Early and consistent development at the youth hockey level is critical for eventual placement on an NCAA Division 1 or 3 team. With many youth program options available, those programs that emphasize skills development will be key to career success and cracking that top 15.