Ice Hockey Scholarships
College ice hockey scholarships are not as common as one would expect outside of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are very few national organizations which offer athletic scholarships for hockey and the majority of such programs are given out at more local levels around the United States and Canada. Students interested in finding ice hockey college scholarships outside of the NCAA should check in first and foremost with the colleges they are applying to as a general rule, but follow that up closely by looking for financial assistance which may be available from local or regional ice hockey associations. While not necessarily the most reliable source for ice hockey scholarships, there are certainly a good number which exist at this level and can be applied to by students who are locally considered exceptional athletes.
Apart from looking at local organizations which may offer ice hockey scholarships, students would also be well advised to expand the scope of their search to more general athletic scholarships. There are many different athletic scholarships available at the more broad level which athletes from across the sports spectrum will be applying to as well. This sort of scholarship, while not specific to those who play ice hockey, are available in a decent enough quantity that they should in all hopes help exceptional athletes bridge any gaps remaining in the funding they still need.
One of the few nationally available scholarships for hockey comes from the Ronald G. Repka Foundation Youth Hockey program. This program is very vague in its various requirements, and no posted due date is available on the website. However, the posted information does tell us that this ice hockey college scholarship is built up around individual players who believe that given their history of play are deserving of an award. As the foundation does seem to want to see a grade history for each student and emphasis their interest in students with strong academic histories, this is clearly an important factor as well. Students who are interested in receiving athletic scholarships for hockey through this program should contact the foundation directly.
Regional ice hockey scholarships are amongst the most common programs available. A group known as Minnesota Hockey provides five different $1,000 scholarships every year to students. Students interested in the program will need to be graduating from high school and registered to play ice hockey in the state of Minnesota on either a Junior Gold or girls’ team. Application deadline details are normally in April. In 2011 this deadline fell on the 10th of April, so students should keep their eyes peeled for more information a few months before that date.
Another regional scholarship for ice hockey comes from Little Caeser’s AAA hockey program. This particular program gives out (10) $2,500 ice hockey scholarships to students who win an award. In order to be eligible, students will need to be participants in the Little Caesar’s AAA hockey program or amateur team, be a graduating high school senior, have at least a 3.0 grade point average, and be currently accepted into a college of their choosing. All application materials will need to be turned in no later than April 15.
The Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association provides multiple college hockey scholarships every year varying in number depending on the organization’s ability to give charitably. Students will need to be in the top 20 of players at their high school and and be an active participant in the Senior Class Tournament in order to be considered for one of the various $1,000 awards given out. Application materials must be submitted no later than April 22.
A more local program, an ice hockey college scholarship is available through the Summit Hockey association. This organization maintains the Michael Henthorne Award which gives out a single $1,000 hockey scholarship every year. Students who want to apply for this scholarship will need to be actively participating in a Summit County, Colorado hockey league that shows strong interest in teamwork. Students should contact Anna Klaude for further information.