June 6, 2024
Salt Lake City, Utah
University of Utah Hockey is thrilled to announce their Men’s Division 2 team will be joining the Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League for the 2024-25 season.
MWCHL Commissioner Yosh Ryujin said, “On behalf of the Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League, we are happy to announce the acceptance of the University of Utah M2 program into the league, beginning with the 2024-2025 season. With the rich history the Utah Hockey program provides, we are excited to have the team onboard, and look forward to our future relationship.”
The MWCHL was founded in 2013 and is a perennial contender in the Division 2 post-season of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Its founding members were Boise State University, Brigham Young University, the University of Denver, Montana State University, Montana Tech University, Utah State University, and Weber State University.
Member teams for the 2024-25 season will total ten teams including Boise State University, Idaho State University, Montana State University, Montana Tech University, University of Montana, University of Providence, University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, and Weber State University.
“Our team is thrilled with the opportunity to join the MWCHL for the upcoming season. The move to the MWCHL will give our team the chance to compete against the top teams in the West Region week in and week out. In addition, we are thrilled to have our in-state rival teams on the schedule more often, providing some exciting matchups for all of the fans of college hockey in Utah. We’re looking forward to hitting the ground running this season in the MWCHL and want to thank the other members of the conference for allowing our team to be a part of their great tradition, said Utah M2 Head Coach Nick Fornelius.
Of the ten MWCHL members for the 2024-25 season, seven teams were ranked in the top 20 of the final ACHA Division 2 of the Western Rankings:#1 Montana State, #2 Weber State, #3 Providence, #5 Utah State, #8 Boise State, #14 Montana, and #19 Utah. The average ranking across the conference was 13.67 of 53 total teams.
“Joining the MWCHL will be great for our student-athletes and our program as a whole. The proximity of high-caliber hockey should provide a fantastic environment for our players and our fans. We look forward to the fall when we can begin this next chapter of hockey, said Utah Men’s General Manager AJ Boldan.
