There is some good discussion here, but I wanted to clarify a couple of points, as well as offer my own thoughts on some of these topics.
First of all, it's important to note the difference between NCAA (varsity) and
American Collegiate Hockey Association [ACHA] (non-varsity [or club]). I'm sure everyone here understands that the Icepack are not a varsity team, but I think less well understood is the fact that both the NCAA and ACHA have 3 divisions (for the men's game). So when we talk about the Pack being a division 2 team, that's within the ACHA. So there's still a very significant gap between where we are and moving to the NCAA division 1 level in just about every area (skill level, facilities, fan interest, funding, etc.). Within the ACHA, the separation of the divisions is largely based on how much funding a program can commit (mostly for travel costs). Thus, geography is a huge factor. East of the Mississippi, there's is only 1 ACHA D2 team south of NC, and that's Florida Gulf Coast (4 national titles since 2012). Liberty is the only other real powerhouse D2 program south of DC. They also have ACHA D1 and D3 teams and are exceptionally well funded. All ACC schools in SC, GA, and FL, as well as any SEC schools that have a hockey program, all play at the ACHA D3 level, because travel is the limiting factor. The best teams in ACHA D1 still tend to be better than anyone in the lower divisions, but there are plenty of bad teams in D1 that the Pack would have no trouble beating. Most of those teams are in the northeast where the travel is easier, with some exceptions.
While the Icepack have gotten to a point where they can compete for national titles at the ACHA D2 level, they do not have any players that could make an NCAA D1 roster, with the possible exception of Chris Solomon. A lot of our players have played in Juniors, and end up being too small or too slow to make it to a higher level, or they get hurt. So they usually end up with a choice to get a possible scholarship to an NCAA D3 program up north, or stay home and get a really good degree and play for a club team. Either way, they're almost certainly not going pro. Our success over the last couple seasons is a result of the fact that the talented kids in the Raleigh area are now choosing the latter over the former. If we can get back to Nationals this year and continue to do so going forward, we should continue to see an influx of talented local players who are very good, but not quite good enough for the next level. It will also continue to make us a more attractive scheduling option, and teams will be more willing to travel here. This is a huge positive, since none of the other teams in NC are anywhere close to our level. Wake Forest is the closest, but they have zero players from NC on their roster, and that's not likely to change because they're a private school. It's much harder to rely on consistent talent when it's not going to be in your backyard (applies to any sport obviously).
Usually after we play UNC at PNC or win the ACCHL title, we start to the same question pop up: "why can't we get an NCAA team?" Well, the overall answer is simple: money. That's well understood. The best comparison for a blueprint to get from club to varsity is Arizona State, which has already been mentioned in this thread. Yes, they got 32M in private donations, something we're extremely unlikely to find around here, but a lot had to happen before that. They've been playing ACHA hockey since the 1980s, and eventually got to the D1 level in 1993. From then until going varsity in 2015, they went to ACHA Nationals 12 times and finally won their first national title in 2014. To compare, look at the season the Icepack had at the D2 level last year - 28-2, absolutely destroyed most opponents, won league title, 2nd ever trip to regionals, 1st ever trip to nationals. Arizona State had that kind of season at the ACHA D1 level every year for 2+ decades and made nationals about half the time. It took that kind of success (and winning the whole thing probably got them over the edge) to finally draw out the kind of funding it took to get to the varsity level. The Pack can draw 5k+ to PNC for a game against UNC twice a year, but they draw 500 on a good night at the Iceplex for the rest of the home games. To be fair, fan interest is leagues beyond where it was 10 years ago, and that's a credit to those who have jumped on board.
There's a ton of upside to this program right now. My understanding is that they'll be moving to the Canes' new practice facility in Morrisville next season and will have their own locker room space. The Icepack rebrand and new logo finally allows the team to sell merchandise to fans, which will only continue to drive up fan interest. They were able to raise over $30k for last year's trip to nationals, but it's going to be tough to do that every year. Hence, the team is looking into business/corporate sponsorships for next season. This program is doing all the right things and the fans are buying in. It just isn't anywhere near enough to make a jump to varsity viable any time soon. If it were something the team or university wanted to pursue (and I don't believe it is), I'd say we're at least 15 years out, and that's being generous. It's just not a dicussion we can realistically have without more sustained success. If the Pack go to nationals 6-7 times in the next decade and win a title, then we can talk.
So my answer to the NCAA question is always another question: "Why?" The reality is that the Icepack have built a winning culture that the players and fans can enjoy without all the red tape of being overseen by the athletics department. It doesn't need to be attached to the NCAA to be great. I personally think it's better off as it is. You can go watch some good hockey for $5, and if you can't make it, most of the games are available to watch online. So my suggestion is to just enjoy this program as it is and root for its continued success.
