By Abby Doperak · Ice Vols return to their roots by rejoining ACHA Division II for the 2025-26 season KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Club Hockey team is moving up to…
Ice Vols return to their roots by rejoining ACHA Division II for the 2025-26 season
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Club Hockey team is moving up to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division II for the 2025-26 season.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association was founded in 1991 and is now home to over 450 college club teams across the country. Its purpose is to provide student-athletes with the chance to play competitive hockey at colleges and universities that may not have NCAA-level teams.
Building upon the club’s success of the past two seasons, the Ice Vols are excited to return to the ACHA. The Ice Vols continue to cement the program's rise through the ranks with recent wins in the Savannah Hockey Classic and College Hockey South Division 2.
The Tennessee Ice Vols have been a part of ACHA since the team’s founding in 1966. The Vols found early success, claiming an ACHA Division II championship title within three years of the league’s establishment. After their final ACHA season in 2020, the Ice Vols moved to the College Hockey Federation (CHF), aiming for a more level playing field and increased recognition in a smaller league. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, CHF rebranded to Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) College Hockey, where Tennessee Hockey progressed to the Division 1 level.
Since then, the club has grown exponentially in talent and branding in the College Hockey South conference of AAU Hockey, with back-to-back trips to nationals and conference tournaments. The move back to ACHA is viewed by the program as the best possible opportunity to provide players at the University of Tennessee a true college hockey experience.
Head Coach Drew King is prepared for the new challenge.
“The ACHA provides a platform to play college hockey at a higher level,” King said. “We are prepared to embrace this new challenge and look forward to the return of high-level SEC hockey in the ACCHL.”
The team seeks a familiar and trusted system as they continue to grow into a more premier team in the club hockey world. They continue to strive towards their goal of helping to bring back a SEC Hockey Conference and compete at the highest level of club college hockey, ACHA Division I. The Ice Vols will join Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Auburn in the ACCHL, with hopes to continue to gain more SEC teams in the coming years.
Players and fans alike are eagerly awaiting the start of the 2025-26 season, with the opening game scheduled for Sept. 5 against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Hillsborough, NC.
Additionally, the Ice Vols are seeking ACHA M2 opponents for the 2025-26 season here in Knoxville on Sept. 12 and 14 at the Cool Sports Icearium.