The last seven years have seen the NHL welcome more and more former college players and even adopt some of the NCAA's style of play, allowing two-line passes and enforcing more obstruction penalties.

It's easy to forget that it's been that long, since 2004, since college hockey games have been televised on the NHL's national broadcast network (not including the NHL Network).

That changes Saturday night, as VERSUS (to be renamed NBC Sports Network on Monday) televises Boston University's New Year's Eve visit to Notre Dame at 7 p.m. ET.

'Puck the Media' on College Hockey | On Big Stages

That game marks the start of an extensive commitment to college hockey by NBC, as the network will televise 16 games this season, including the Hockey East semifinals and championship. NBC Sports Network has announced intentions to broadcast additional games in future seasons as well.

Following Saturday night's game, VERSUS will air "Onard to Victory - Notre Dame Hockey," an hour-long documentary on the Irish program and the new Compton Family Ice Arena.

"College hockey has found a terrific new home on the NBC Sports Network,” College Hockey, Inc. Executive Director Paul Kelly said. “Their enthusiasm and commitment to the sport is clear. It’s great for our fans to have another national outlet carrying big games, and sharing a national outlet with the NHL will help us reach new fans.”

VERSUS has been promoting Saturday's game during recent NHL telecasts and talent such as Mike 'Doc" Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire have frequently referenced the former college players now playing in the NHL. Olczyk - who has sons playing at UMass and Penn State - will call Saturday's game alongside Steve Schlanger.

National Exposure

This is the latest national television effort building on college hockey's NCAA Tournament presence on ESPN, which dates to the 1980s. More recently, CBS Sports Network (which was once CSTV) has carried games nationally for the past nine seasons.

That national exposure has helped put the sport in a bigger spotlight.

"One thing that has exploded in college hockey is the television coverage," Dave Starman, a broadcaster with CBS College Sports, told College Hockey, Inc. earlier this year. "The networks that have been doing games such as CBS Sports Network, there are so many games that are on. There is so much exposure for players in these programs. I think when a young player makes a decision about where to play, you have to think about the fact that their games are not just being seen by the people in the building, they are being seen by people across North America because of the exposure college hockey gets on television.”

Fans across the U.S. can see multiple games every Friday and Saturday night through other outlets like Fox College Sports and their local regional sports networks. DirecTV or DISH Network subscribers have access to more than a dozen broadcasts on some nights this season.

Reaching Canada

On an international level, games on CBS Sports Network and the Big Ten Network are also available in Canada. College Hockey, Inc. is working to see that international exposure for college hockey grow.

"There's a great appetite for college hockey on Canadian TV," Kelly said. "Roughly a third of our players are Canadian and many more Canadians would like to see what U.S. college hockey is all about. We'd like to see the number of games available north of the border grow significantly."

While College Hockey, Inc. works toward that goal, U.S. fans can look forward to seeing even more college games on their TVs, on the same network that carries the NHL.

Preview of 'Onward to Victory'