Maryville University is making a serious move on the local hockey scoreboard. On March 4, 2026, the school announced it is elevating its men's ice hockey program to NCAA Division I and plans to roll out a full varsity schedule in the 2027-28 academic year. Longtime club coach John Hogan has been tapped to steer the transition as head coach, and the university says its existing American Collegiate Hockey Association club teams will remain in place. The shift follows a multi-year fundraising push and a planned expansion of the Maryville University Hockey Center in Chesterfield, a project that would plant Maryville firmly in the St. Louis Division I hockey landscape.
In a statement to KMOV, Maryville President Dr. Dan Shipp called the leap to Division I "a historic moment for our university." He framed the move as a way to deliver elite-level competition while keeping academics at the center of the student-athlete experience.
Fundraising and facility upgrades
Maryville launched a $5.5 million community campaign in 2025 to bankroll major upgrades to the Maryville University Hockey Center, which includes roughly 12,000 square feet of new Division I-caliber space and expanded locker, training and press facilities, according to Maryville University. Industry outlet College Hockey News later reported that the campaign had closed in on more than $4 million and that the school hopes to start construction as soon as Spring 2026. The renovation plan also calls for boosting seating to about 2,000, a key box to check for hosting Division I crowds.
Coaching and program structure
To guide the jump to varsity status, Maryville turned to a familiar face. John Hogan, the program’s longtime director and ACHA head coach, has been chosen to lead the new Division I squad and is expected to serve as Assistant Athletic Director of Hockey and NCAA Division I head coach, per KMOV. Hogan has overseen Maryville's multi-team club structure since 2018 and has taken the M1 team to multiple national tournament appearances, according to his Maryville athletics staff page. The university has stressed that its ACHA club teams will continue alongside the new Division I roster.
What it means for St. Louis hockey
The move adds another chapter to St. Louis’s growing reputation as a college-hockey town. Maryville joins programs like Lindenwood, which already competes at the NCAA Division I level and has helped establish a local D-I presence, per Lindenwood Athletics. The St. Louis Blues and the NHL have also publicly backed Maryville's push, signaling that support from the pro ranks and civic partners is baked into the plan, according to the St. Louis Blues.
Timeline and next steps
Maryville is eyeing a 2027-28 varsity debut and has indicated it will kick off facility upgrades as soon as fundraising goals and approvals line up, according to College Hockey News, which reported that the school's board recently gave the green light after the campaign neared $4 million. That timeline leaves roughly 12 to 18 months for Maryville to finish fundraising, break ground on construction and assemble a Division I roster while building out a schedule against D-I opponents. The next wave of news is likely to involve NCAA paperwork and scheduling details that will show whether the Saints skate as independents or pursue a conference home.
For now, the key variables are donor commitments to the $5.5 million campaign and the university's ability to pull off the planned expansion at the Maryville University Hockey Center, both of which will determine whether the Saints hit the 2027-28 target. The public announcement and backing from the pro ranks give the project momentum, but over the next year the real test will be execution and NCAA compliance, per Maryville University.
