The DI Purdue Northwest Hockey program is set to join the newly formed Great Lakes Six Hockey Conference (GL6) in the 2024-25 season.
"We are excited about this next step for our Division I Hockey program. The GL6 will be an outstanding hockey league. The postseason tournament should be very entertaining and the team that wins will be battled tested and ready for nationals," said Purdue Northwest Director of Hockey Operations and DI Head Coach, Carl Trosien." "Most importantly, the student-athlete experience will be positively impacted as the Pride will compete against the best hockey teams in the Midwest."
Six American Collegiate Hockey Association Men's Division 1 member schools that include Adrian College (Adrian, MI), Calvin University (Grand Rapids, MI), Davenport University (Grand Rapids, MI), Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI), Purdue University Northwest (Hammond, IN), and Roosevelt University (Chicago, IL) will leave the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League following the 2023-24 season to form the new GL6 conference in the 2024-25 season.
"We are thrilled to join the newly formed GL6 hockey conference," said Director of Athletics, Rick Costello. "This new conference helps showcase the talents of the Purdue Northwest DI / ACHA Hockey program against the best teams in the country and I look forward to seeing the continued growth of the Pride student-athletes and the PNW hockey program."
Conference members bring with them a staggering amount of current and historical success. In the most recent ACHA Men's Division 1 ranking, 5 members are ranked in the top 17. If active today, the conference's average ranking would put the GL6 at the top of all ACHA D1 conferences:
Adrian College – #1
Purdue Northwest – #11
Calvin University – #12
Grand Valley State – #16
Davenport University – #17
Member teams have been mainstays at the National Tournament and have combined for 8 previous ACHA National Championships:
Adrian College – 2018 (D1), 2021 (D1)
Calvin University – 2004 (D3)
Davenport University – 2008 (D2), 2009 (D2), 2010 (D2), 2011 (D1)
Grand Valley – 2011 (D2)
Stay tuned to @GL6hockey on twitter as more conference information will be announced following the 2023-24 season. This includes a website launch, the conference structure, tournament details, and more.
