The arrival of the holiday season serves as a sign of rest for much of the hockey world.  Youngsters swap skates for sleds in hopes that Mother Nature comes through with some snow, while college players venture back to the nest for some home cooking and a much needed break from the books.  The pros get just a few short days to spend with the loved ones they often leave behind in pursuit of the game’s holy grail.

The recess offers hockey fans an opportunity to focus on the future as the world turns its attention to the IIHF World Junior Championships.  But while the spotlight shines on some of the game’s brightest new stars in Buffalo this week, a different group of talented young players takes off for the other side of the globe in pursuit of their own hockey glory.

For the members of the ACHA Division 2 Select Team, the trip overseas is the last leg of a journey that began back in early April with the All-Star Challenge in West Chester, Pennsylvania.  Every other spring, the conferences of the ACHA’s Division 2 and 3 alternate sending all-star teams to battle for the title of “Best League in the Land.”  While teams compete on the ice for conference supremacy, a handful of coaches and staff evaluate the players to determine who will be tabbed for the honor of representing the ACHA as a member of the Select Team.

“When we started the Select program back in 2007, the process wasn’t all that great,” explains ACHA President Paul Hebert.  “There was an application that players had to fill out and get recommendations from their coaches.  And with teams scattered all across the country, it was difficult to thoroughly scout all the prospects.  You couldn’t see them all at just Regionals and Nationals.”

Thus the All-Star Challenge was born.  “We decided it would be a fun way for all the leagues to showcase their best players,” Hebert said.  “Plus it made it easy for us to get a good look at great number of players who could fill the Select roster.”

In years past, the Select Team would gather in Albany, NY just after Christmas for a quick ‘get-to-know-you’ before heading across the Atlantic to compete in a handful of friendly competitions.  The trip offered the players with a good balance of hockey and tourism, giving them a chance to experience different cultures both on and off the ice.  It was a nice reward for the players and coaches, and provided them with some lasting memories few others at that level will have.

“The whole experience was a lot of fun,” recalls Steven Esposito, a forward from New York University and the lone returner from the 2015-16 Select Team.  “You knew what was at stake at the All-Star Challenge, which helped make for some really good hockey.  The trip to Europe was amazing as well, but the best part was meeting a bunch of new guys and making new friendships.”  Esposito still talks to many of his Select teammates, and they make it a point to catch up with one another whenever life or competition brings them together.  “The bonding that takes place is simply incredible,” echoed Hebert.  “Many of these guys become friends for life.”

Yet while that aspect of the tournament remains unchanged, the 2017-18 Select team will have somewhat of a different on-ice experience this time around.  In what is being billed as the inaugural World Cup of College Hockey, the ACHA Select Team will follow their opening tune-up match against the Helden (Norway) Ice Comets with a round robin tournament against collegiate all-star teams from Europe and Russia.  This time, there is a title on the line.

Back in 2014, the European University Hockey League (EUHL) got involved with the ACHA Select team as a way to promote camaraderie and grow the collegiate game around the world.  A year or so later, the Russian Student Hockey League (SHL) joined in on the fun.  Now fueled with the backing of both the European Union and the Russian Hockey Federations, the 2018 World Cup of College Hockey could just be the start of a new era in collegiate hockey.  “It’s too early to tell what direction this will take,” cautions Hebert.  “But the hope is that this year’s tournament will be the first of many premier international events down the road.”  Building off of the excitement that the recent Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey generated, there’s a decent chance it will become just that.

Still, it will take more than just a shiny new trophy to turn this former ‘handful of friendlies’ into a coveted title.  But the first pieces seem to be falling nicely into place.  “The EUHL and SHL are both committed to growing the collegiate game on a global scale,” states Hebert.  “And with the support and financial backing of the European Union and the Russian Hockey Federation, along with the ACHA, things could really take off.  But it all starts with good, competitive hockey.”

Esposito sees no problems on that front.  “The EU guys are big, with the skill and finesse you’d expect from European players.  And the Russians are the Russians - they’re quick and talented.  There are going to be some great hockey games.”

As the lone veteran, Esposito aims to impart his experience and wisdom to his new teammates in hopes of accelerating the on-ice chemistry needed to bring home the title.  Hebert and his staff have worked diligently over the past several months to make that job as easy as possible.  “The first thing you notice is all the character guys on the team,” says Esposito when referring to his 2015-16 teammates.  “You can tell right away why they are there.  The coaches and the staff at the ACHA do a fantastic job of not only picking the best players, but picking the right players as well.”

Results from the previous trip seem to support Esposito’s assessment.  The 15-16 Selects split the first two games, both against teams from the top Norwegian professional league.  The squad managed to earn two hard-fought victories against a pair of EUHL Select teams, with the only other loss coming against a professional club from the Czech Republic.  Given that Head Coach Mike Forbes (Grand Valley State) and his staff had only a handful of practices to prepare the team, the formula appears to be working.  Yet as this tournament marks the first time in history that teams from three different collegiate hockey associations will compete in an organized international World Championship, the learning curve will be steep for all involved.

By the afternoon of December 26th, the players and coaches will have gathered in Albany for a few quick skates and some much-needed bonding, then board their plane for the long flight to Norway.  After a couple more practice sessions and the tune-up game against Comet Helden, the team will ring in the New Year before kicking things off in Poland against the EUHL on January 2nd.  The tournament then moves to Slovakia for games two and three, with the ACHA and SHL squaring off in the latter on January 4th.  The top two teams will face off on January 5th, the winner bringing home the cup.

Stay tuned to INHockey.net for updates on the World Cup of College Hockey, and visit www.achahockey.org for more information on the 2017-18 ACHA Division 2 Select team.