Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

[hockeymomfromtheeast]

Considering I am new to the college hockey world, as my daughter is a freshman, do D1 teams take walk-ons or non-requites that tryout? and if so will it affect a scholarshiped player's ice time?

[OneTimer]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

It is extremely rarely for a walk on to get a spot or regular ice time on a D1 team It is possible but not something that you can plan on at all.

[HockeyEast33]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

Considering I am new to the college hockey world, as my daughter is a freshman, do D1 teams take walk-ons or non-requites that tryout? and if so will it affect a scholarshiped player's ice time?

There are really two types of walk-ons:

- Recruited walk-ons - In women's ice hockey, schools usually want more players than they have scholarships available. So they will recruit some players to be "recruited walk-ons". This means that they do not get an athletic scholarship, but they get the support of the coaches in the admission process and may get preferential treatment in the financial aid process, especially for other merit aid (academic or other non-athletic merit aid) and for need-based aid potentially as well.

- True walk-on - These are kids that the coaches did not support in the admission process (may not even have known about) who try out.

Many Division 1 schools have recruited walk-ons, but these players are well know to the coaches because they went through the standard recruiting process and are usually part of the announced recruiting class. It depends a large amount on the specific school and coach whether they will consider a true walk-on. Strong schools with a large number of scholarships and the ability to get recruited walk-ons have little/no need for true walk-ons, so I believe it would be VERY difficult to even get a chance to tryout if you are not recruited.

Coaches don't want to look stupid, so they are naturally going to initially give preference to their scholarship players, followed by the recruited walk-ons. Some coaches will never change that approach. Others will put the best players on the ice regardless of their financial aid status (RPI as an example has had some instances of non-scholarship kids playing over scholarship kids). This one is really coach specific.

[OneTimer]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

There are really two types of walk-ons:

- Recruited walk-ons - In women's ice hockey, schools usually want more players than they have scholarships available. So they will recruit some players to be "recruited walk-ons". This means that they do not get an athletic scholarship, but they get the support of the coaches in the admission process and may get preferential treatment in the financial aid process, especially for other merit aid (academic or other non-athletic merit aid) and for need-based aid potentially as well.

- True walk-on - These are kids that the coaches did not support in the admission process (may not even have known about) who try out.

Many Division 1 schools have recruited walk-ons, but these players are well know to the coaches because they went through the standard recruiting process and are usually part of the announced recruiting class. It depends a large amount on the specific school and coach whether they will consider a true walk-on. Strong schools with a large number of scholarships and the ability to get recruited walk-ons have little/no need for true walk-ons, so I believe it would be VERY difficult to even get a chance to tryout if you are not recruited.

Coaches don't want to look stupid, so they are naturally going to initially give preference to their scholarship players, followed by the recruited walk-ons. Some coaches will never change that approach. Others will put the best players on the ice regardless of their financial aid status (RPI as an example has had some instances of non-scholarship kids playing over scholarship kids). This one is really coach specific.

You are exactly correct. Would you agree that recruited walk-on and non-scholarship player is only a matter a semantics or is there a practical difference as you see it?

[HockeyEast33]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

You are exactly correct. Would you agree that recruited walk-on and non-scholarship player is only a matter a semantics or is there a practical difference as you see it?

Well, a non-scholarship player could be a true walk-on so I guess that is a practical difference. But other than that pretty much the same.

[DC78-82]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

Well, a non-scholarship player could be a true walk-on so I guess that is a practical difference. But other than that pretty much the same.

If I'm not mistaken, "true walk-ons" cannot participate in pre-season activities with the team, which would include team bonding, off ice workouts, and Captain's practices.

I have been mistaken before though

[UCONN FAN]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

I bet Hux can attest to the last statement...........kidding

[DC78-82]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

I bet Hux can attest to the last statement...........kidding

I dare him!

[UCONN FAN]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think he knows better.

[DC78-82]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think he knows better.

As to the true walk on status, he may well!

[Hockey it's only a Game]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

Well, a non-scholarship player could be a true walk-on so I guess that is a practical difference. But other than that pretty much the same.

Would that be like Jorden Brickner who transferred to Wisconsin from Colgate last season?
She had to be a last minute pick up for Wisconsin ?

[Hux]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think he knows better.

LOL. Yes, I do indeed know better. (Just gonna stay over here in the corner and whistle softly to myself.)

Basically, what it comes down to is paperwork. A recruited walk-on will have been given the necessary NCAA paperwork prior to her arrival on campus and been cleared to play. A true walk-on generally comes out of the blue, so to speak, and has to come to tryouts and fill out the paperwork and go through the approval process.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

(RPI as an example has had some instances of non-scholarship kids playing over scholarship kids).

I suppose that you can't divulge who you are referring to, but assuming that you are referring to the women's team, it has been rare for RPI to have had more players than they can dress, especially after a couple of injuries hit.

[HockeyEast33]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

I suppose that you can't divulge who you are referring to, but assuming that you are referring to the women's team, it has been rare for RPI to have had more players than they can dress, especially after a couple of injuries hit.

Don't want to get into specifics to your point and you are correct that they have been frequently short-handed, but even with the players who dress, there have been a couple of non/less than full-scholly players playing over scholly players the past few years based on my observation and conversations. They may have more scholarships now then they did previously (heard something about that somewhere), so this may change.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Walk Ons/Non-Recruited players

Don't want to get into specifics to your point and you are correct that they have been frequently short-handed, but even with the players who dress, there have been a couple of non/less than full-scholly players playing over scholly players the past few years based on my observation and conversations. They may have more scholarships now then they did previously (heard something about that somewhere), so this may change.

Thanks. I can believe that some non-scholarship players or partial scholarship players are getting more ice time than some full scholarship players. That probably happens everywhere.

Supposedly RPI has been giving out the maximum allowed 18 scholarships since their fourth year in D-I.