The Arizona State Sun Devils ice hockey team is the second of only two NCAA Division I ice hockey programs located in the southern half of the United States (the other being Alabama–Huntsville). ASU announced plans to transition their ACHA men's hockey program to an NCAA varsity program on November 18, 2014. The Sun Devils will continue play in the ACHA in 2014–15, play a hybrid schedule in 2015–16 with a mix of NCAA and ACHA competition, play as a Division I independent in 2016–17 and (hopefully) join a conference in 2017–18. The school announced on April 29, 2016 that it had applied to join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The school was hoping to join the conference for the 2018-19 season along with the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks who put in an application to join the c