Florida's College Hockey Boom

0:00For the NHO, it's March 6th, and here's what's going on. Florida's college hockey scene is heating up under the sunshine, state skies. Eight public and private universities, now field men's ice hockey clubs and American Collegiate Hockey Association Division III, while Florida Gulf. Coast University competes in Division II. There's also an East Florida Collegiate Hockey Conference with four teams playing alongside them. These programs started gaining traction in the mid-2000s after early efforts in the 1990s. Teams are racking up real success, too. Multiple Florida squads qualify for national tournaments each year, and the FGCU Eagles have won Division II titles in 2012. Two. 2016, 2018, and 2019. Recruiting is booming as a result, with schools like University of South Florida seeing 75 players at tri-outs and University of Tampa. Traveraging 70, top talent from across the country and even some NCAA Division I players

1:00are heading south for the warm weather and winds. Local growth is fueling this rise, thanks to pro teams sparking youth and high school leagues like the Lightning High School Hockey League. That means more homegrown players filling rosters at places like University of Florida. Still, challenges persist in this football-dominated state, where student-led clubs struggle with marketing and visibility on campus. People can be tough, too, with some teams driving over an hour for practices and games. But upgrades like the new Florida Hospital Center ice near U.S.F. are helping, boosting crowds to 400 or 500 for big matches and giving, players top-notch facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, canceling strong seasons for teams like U.S.F. and Tampa headed to Nationals in 2020. It delayed restart, but clubs are rebounding, eyeing new leagues like the collegiate hockey federation and dreaming of more pros breaking through. From Florida programs, the Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor, LinkedIn the

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