This is an interesting take from the Duluth newspaper:

Friday’s announcement was at least three years in the making, if not more, as some schools had already begun discussing the idea of breaking away from the WCHA when Minnesota State made a run at joining the NCHC in the summer of 2016. A coach, who is no longer in the WCHA, floated the idea of a rebirth of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association back then, though when pressed about the seriousness of the discussions, he admitted it was nothing more than schools spitballing. Asked about our three-year-old conversation over the weekend and how that all finally came to fruition, he said, “I’m surprised it took this long.”