[4] Findlay, Mercyhurst and Wayne State were former Great Lakes Women's Hockey Association members, while Niagara played previously in the ECAC.

Wayne State abruptly ended their women's hockey program, dropping conference membership to only four teams again for the 2011–12 season.

[9] On March 19, 2012, Niagara announced it was dropping its women's ice hockey program effective immediately; as a result, the Rochester Institute of Technology team was allowed to immediately join the CHA upon its move from D-III to D-I for the 2012–13 season.

[10][11] Penn State, which had announced it would upgrade its men's and women's hockey from club to NCAA Division I status for 2012, was accepted for admission to the CHA for the 2012–13 season.

[10] Due to financial impacts related to COVID-19, Robert Morris announced in May 2021 that it would drop its men's and women's hockey teams effective immediately.

[15] On June 6, 2023, it was announced that the CHA would be merging with the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA), with the two conferences operating under one banner by 2024.

Conference affiliations reflect those at the time CHA's merger with the Atlantic Hockey Association was finalized.

In 2016, the two first round series remained as before, but the semifinals and finals were held at the LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo, New York.

At that time, with membership having remained stable at six teams (Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, Syracuse, Lindenwood, RIT, and Penn State) for two consecutive seasons, the autobid was granted.

Three of the seven charter members, Alabama–Huntsville, Bemidji State, and Findlay, had recently moved up from Division II, while Air Force, Army, and Niagara were formerly independent.

Findlay dropped its hockey programs following the 2003–2004 season, to be replaced by Robert Morris, which began play in 2004–2005.

The CHA sought to add new programs to its men's league, hoping to draw interest from some of the top club teams in the country, including Kennesaw State University.

[3] However, these efforts came up short, with CHA and school personnel citing Title IX as a major hurdle in the negotiations.