Why do Canadian hockey players choose NCAA Division I women’s hockey programs? A qualitative investigation

ABSTRACT

The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I women’s hockey programs that exist throughout the US are of interest to many Canadian women hockey players looking to continue participating at a high level of competition. There are currently 311 Canadian women players on NCAA Division I school rosters in women’s collegiate hockey; this trend can be considered a talent drain from Canada’s hockey system. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore Canadian women hockey players’ decisions for selecting an NCAA Division I hockey program in the US. Data were collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with former and current NCAA Division I Canadian women hockey players. The themes that emerged identified that the Canadian athletes found three features to be important when selecting NCAA institutions: Resources, Competitive Level, and Past Player Achievements. These themes would indicate the reputation is factor in the decision-making process for Canadian female players.

KEYWORDS:

• Reputation
• women’s hockey
• Collegiate sports
• decision-making
• athlete motivation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.