(04-10-2023 01:52 PM)nodak651 Wrote:  

(04-10-2023 01:44 PM)OhioBoilermaker Wrote:  

(04-10-2023 09:08 AM)ccd494 Wrote:  I think the interesting piece could be, as mentioned, if this gets St. Thomas an invite. I would imagine that there would be some sort of language that would not require it, but would permit it if St. Thomas gets their arena built and post some decent results. I can't see NoDak and Denver wanting to bring in a 10 win program playing in a D-3 rink.

I'm skeptical that St. Thomas even wants it, tbh. If Mankato leaves, then UST is unquestionably the best-resourced of the remaining CCHA schools. They should be in contention to win the CCHA and qualify for the tournament regularly. If they move to the NCHC/Summit, they'll be a bottom feeder for the foreseeable future. From the "exposure" perspective, MVC/CCHA is far preferable to Summit/NCHC, so bringing hockey in-house might cause them to look elsewhere with greater urgency.

I don't see it, and the same argument could be made for St. Thomas Basketball with an easier path to the NCAA tournament in the Summit League. The difference is that if they join the NCHC schools for hockey, they won't have to win their conference to make the tournament, and they will have a legit shot to be a hockey power and will be able to attract top NHL draft picks. Their ceiling is much lower in the CCHA. I don't think there's any reason to think they will be a bottom feeder if they join NCHC schools.

"From the "exposure" perspective, MVC/CCHA is far preferable to Summit/NCHC" completely dissagree

I agree with this. St. Thomas could be the Twin Cities' NCHC team. And the Twin Cities is still where American hockey revolves around. Plus, it's got to be a major alumni hub for North Dakota, St. Cloud State, and Duluth. If they are well resourced and have a nice arena, the ceiling is really, really high. Minnesota State has done impressive things in the CCHA, but the ceiling is lower if you are spending your league schedule playing Lake Superior and Ferris State.