The 1982-83 season found the Blue Devils in the Southern Collegiate Hockey Association along with NC State, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, The University of Tennessee, and Alabama-Huntsville. The squad fell in the SCHA semifinals which were held at the now closed ChooChoo Hilton Arena in Chatanooga, TN.

Unfortunately, "ACC Ice Hockey" fell apart in the mid 1980s due to lack of rink accessibility. However, after a growth of the sport over the next decade or so, the current version of the ACCHL was formed in the mid-1990's. In 1995-96, the league made its debut with seven original teams. The teams included Duke, NC State, Radford University, UNC, UVA, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech. In the first season of play, Duke qualified for the four-team tournament, and ended up in third place overall.

The Devils didn't fare quite as well in 1996-97. However, in 1997-98, Duke claimed its first ACCHL title. After a third place finish in the regular season, Duke rolled through the playoffs, eventually defeating UVA in the finals by a score of 4-3. Duke failed to defend their title in the 1998-99 season, with Maryland winning the championship in their first year in the league.

The 1999-2000 season was the most competitive in the history of ACC Hockey. A new six-team tournament format was adopted, and Duke failed to qualify. Also, for the first time in history, ACCHL awards were given in recognition of the top players and coach in the league.

The 2000-01 season was a breakthrough year of sorts for the Devils. After struggling the year before, Duke entered the year with its best freshman class ever. The group included future ACCHL All-Teamers Jeff Lake, Brian Markowitz, and Calvin Hui. Filling out the class was a solid and dedicated group consisting of David Bradley, Robert Fogarty, Ben Peterson, Jon Stone, Jesse Swanko, and Josh Wirth. The Devils finished 7-7-0 in the ACCHL regular season, with a 10-10-0 record overall. Duke advanced to the ACCHL semifinals by defeating Liberty 5-4. Unfortunately, the Devils then fell to regular-season champion NC State by a score of 4-1. For the first time ever Duke earned ACCHL awards, with Jeff Lake being named to the 2000-01 ACCHL Second Team and the 2000-01 ACCHL All-Freshman Team. Along with Lake on the Second Team was Luke Wolin, while Brian Markowitz was awarded 2000-01 ACCHL All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention.

Duke continued to improve in the 2001-02 year. The team took a major step forward when Brent Selman agreed to coach the team. With Coach Selman at the helm, the team started off slowly, and then finished emphatically. In the final 14 games of the year, Duke was 12-2, with both losses coming to a talented Maryland team. Highlights included a tournament victory in the 2002 Canes Cup. The Devils defeated NC State at the Entertainment and Sports Arena (home of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes and now called the RBC Center) by a score of 9-2 on the tournament's final day, completing a 3-0 sweep in the round-robin tournament. In the ACCHL playoffs, Duke won a thrilling quarterfinal game against rival UNC. In a game that included two overtimes and then a shootout, the Devils ended up on top, 6-5. A loss to a talented Maryland team in the semifinals ended the year for Duke. Several Devils earned significant recognition for their seasons: Jeff Lake was named to the 2001-02 ACCHL First Team, and Luke Wolin and Calvin Hui were named to the 2001-02 ACCHL Second Team. Brian Markowitz was awarded 2001-02 ACCHL Honorable Mention. Furthermore, new Duke coach Brent Selman was named ACCHL Coach of the Year.

The 2002-03 had its ups and downs for the Blue Devils. The team finished 8-13-0 and 5-7 in the ACCHL (third in the league). Highlights of the season included a second place finish in the 2003 Canes Cup thanks to an impressive 8-7 comeback overtime win against Virginia and trips to Atlanta and Lexington, KY to face Georgia Tech and Kentucky respectively. In Atlanta, the team played in Philips Arena after the Thrashers played the New York Islanders. Also, four Blue Devils earned All-ACCHL honors for the 2002-03 season. Junior Jeff Lake was named to the All-ACCHL First Team at forward for the second consecutive year. Lake's brother, freshman forward Steve Lake, was named to the All-ACCHL Second Team and was also named to the All-ACCHL Freshman Team. Meanwhile, junior defenseman Calvin Hui was named to the All-ACCHL Second Team for second consecutive year. Finally, freshman defense Drew Evans made the All-ACCHL Freshman Team.

After a somewhat sluggish 2002-03 campaign, the Blue Devils responded with perhaps their best season in school history in 2003-04. Duke went 17-3-1 and won both the ACCHL regular-season and tournament crowns. Also, the Blue Devils were a perfect 9-0-1 at home and outscored its opponents 126-56 on the season. In the ACCHL Tournament, the Duke senior class would not be denied, as the Blue Devils beat Virginia and then Georgetown both by a 3-2 margin. Duke's talented group of seniors included Jesse Swanko, Jeff Lake, Robert Fogarty, Dave Bradley, Ben Peterson, Calvin Hui, Brian Markowitz and Josh Wirth. Lake and Fogarty ended their respective careers in style, as Lake earned 2003-04 ACCHL MVP honors and Fogarty was named 2004 ACCHL Tournament MVP. Hui was named to the All-ACCHL Second Team along with grad student goaltender Clayton Jernigan. Sophomore Steve Lake made the All-ACCHL First Team while Ryan Eick earned All-ACCHL Freshman Team honors. Coach Selman rounded out Duke's ACCHL awards, as he was named ACCHL Coach of the Year for the second time in three years (he also won in 2001-02). In conclusion, the Blue Devils won often in 2003-04 and did so in style. The team enjoyed its equipment deal with Mission Hockey and its vast array of team merchanise such as personalized warmup suits and hats, along with its rides on the road in the 21st Century Luxury Cruiser (equipped with private sleeping cabins, satellite TV, video games, refrigerators, DVD players, VCRs, tables, couches, etc.) Duke hopes to use its success in 2003-04 as a springboard for continued achievements in the years to come.