Bringing men's ice hockey to Tennessee State University wasn't the work of one organization, but rather the collaboration of community partners.
The four-party effort — the NHL, the Nashville Predators, College Hockey Inc. and TSU — will see the creation of the first hockey team at an HBCU school, which is set to begin playing Division I play in the 2025-26 season.
The idea originally grew out of a relationship between TSU President Glenda Glover and former Predators president Shawn Henry, who proposed a way to raise more than $1 million to help add a men's hockey team to the school, and Glover's university administration agreed to fully support the team on campus.
Kevin Westgarth, NHL vice president of hockey development and strategic collaborations, says the NHL was already looking into starting hockey at an HBCU school when he received a timely email from TSU athletic director Dr. Mickey Allen.
“We were having a brainstorming session about what it would take to attract a hockey team to an HBCU campus,” Westgarth said, “and right after we got off the phone, I got a forwarded email from Dr. Allen at Tennessee State University saying they were interested in adding a college hockey team. The timing was perfect.”
Westgarth sees TSU as another successful example of growing college hockey through a partnership with the NHL, which also has partnerships with Arizona State University, Augustana University and the University of Delaware.
TSU men's hockey to begin Division I hockey in 2025-26
When announced in June 2023, the plan was to begin club hockey in 2024-25 and play in Division I by 2026-27. However, this schedule was changed by new head coach Duante Abercrombie, who wants to discontinue club hockey and play in Division I starting in 2025-26.
“Tennessee State is a Division I university in sports,” Abercrombie said, “so I don't see why I should go for club hockey at this point.”
He cited recruiting and schedule as the two main reasons he preferred going directly to Division I rather than spending a year playing club hockey.
“This whole year it's been about putting together a D1 schedule. All I've been doing is recruiting players and trying to work out schedules with other college coaches,” he said.
The role of College Hockey Inc. and the Nashville Predators
Most of the work to build a program like TSU's is done through College Hockey Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting and growing men's and women's hockey in NCAA Division I. One of its biggest jobs is conducting a feasibility study to analyze the costs involved in establishing a team.
Mike Snee, executive director of College Hockey Inc. for 12 years and who has overseen numerous college hockey outreach efforts, described the Predators-TSU connection as a picture-perfect scenario where “all the pieces came together.”
“There are other NHL teams that are supporting this initiative in their local markets,” Snee said, “but none more so than the Predators. They've been fantastic.”
The Predators have offered TSU the use of their hockey facilities, including the rink at Ford Ice Center, and see their role as being that of a support system: They want to offer assistance while TSU and Abercrombie determine the best way to establish a program.
“They lead and we support them,” Predators chief marketing officer Bill Wickett said. “We all have an interest in helping to promote hockey and helping TSU become the first HBCU to play in Division I.”
The task of building a program from nothing and quickly progressing to Division I seems daunting, but with direct support from the NHL and the Predators, the conditions are right for TSU men's ice hockey to succeed.
“I'm going to do everything I can to make sure TSU is successful,” Westgarth said.
