The NCAA is poised to let in Canadian major junior hockey players. Here’s what it could mean to the CHL

[greybeard58]

The NCAA is poised to let in Canadian major junior hockey players. Here’s what it could mean to the CHL
Under current NCAA bylaws, the CHL’s three leagues — the OHL, WHL and QMJHL — are classified as professional, which disqualifies them from competing in U.S. college hockey.

Updated 4 hrs ago
Oct. 8, 2024

Ilyas-Hussein
By Ilyas Hussein Staff Reporter
Things have always been the same for junior hockey players pursuing professional careers in North America.

They could choose one of two routes: play Canadian major junior in the CHL, or play in other leagues to maintain their NCAA eligibility.

That standard might see a seismic shift this week.

The NCAA is reportedly preparing to allow Canadian Hockey League players to play college hockey in the U.S.

The NCAA Division I Council is set to act on a recommendation to adopt emergency legislation that will remove the prohibition of CHL players in NCAA hockey, according to a report in uscho.com. They are scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday.


Here’s an explanation of what this means:

Why can’t CHLers play in the NCAA?
Under NCAA bylaws, the CHL’s three leagues — the OHL, WHL and QMJHL — are classified as professional, which forbids their players from competing in U.S. college hockey.

The CHL is considered a professional league because players receive $600 per month for living expenses, which makes them paid athletes, according to the NCAA. But the stipend isn’t considered income for personal tax purposes.

However, NCAA players receive scholarships and can now earn income through endorsements using their name, image and likeness (NIL).

According to On3, a media and technology company that covers youth, high school and college sports, the highest NIL valuation is $5.6 million for University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of multi-sport great Deion Sanders.

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In August, Canadian junior hockey player Rylan Masterson filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in a U.S district court against the NCAA and several schools. In the lawsuit, he argued that the NCAA and U.S. schools were violating antitrust and anti-competitive laws by excluding him and CHL players from playing in the NCAA.

Masterson played two exhibition games for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires in 2022, and hasn’t appeared in a CHL game since. Despite the games being in the pre-season, they cost him NCAA eligibility.

One CHL player has already verbally committed to playing in the NCAA, hoping that by the time he joins the restriction will be lifted. Braxton Whitehead of the WHL’s Regina Pats announced a commitment to the Arizona State University Sun Devils last month for the 2025-26 season despite playing 200 games in the WHL.

Whitehead wasn’t drafted by an NHL team and didn’t sign a professional contract elsewhere.

“I just want to keep playing hockey for as long as I can,” Whitehead told reporters in Regina last month.

How will this affect junior hockey?
For many juniors looking to play in the NCAA, the Junior A leagues across Canada and the U.S. are where they go to play before college.

Those options include the United States Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League.

These leagues have established their model as preparation for the NCAA. However, that might have to change if the NCAA restriction on CHL players is lifted, as they might see more players opt for the CHL instead.

This change would also have an impact on U Sports, Canada’s university sports body.

In 2017, the CHL invested $9.6 million in academic scholarships at Canadian universities for its graduates, giving them the opportunity to continue playing after their CHL careers are over.

Without the option of playing in the NCAA, many CHL grads elect to play in U Sports because of scarce opportunities elsewhere and the chance of receiving an education.

If the NCAA barrier is lifted, those CHL graduates can play in the U.S. instead, leaving U Sports men’s hockey vulnerable.

How about the NHL?
The NHL has several rules regarding CHL and NCAA players.

In the CHL, players under 20 who were drafted by an NHL team are ineligible to play in the AHL and must be sent back to their major junior club for the remainder of the season — unless recalled on an emergency basis.

NHL teams that draft players from the CHL retain their rights for two years if they don’t sign. After that time, those players can re-enter the draft.

NCAA players are not allowed to be under NHL contracts. As soon as they sign, they forego college eligibility. However, if a player is drafted out of the NCAA, NHL clubs retain their rights for four years.

Once those rights expire and no contract is signed, those players can become free agents, a common tactic used by NCAA players to choose their own destiny with Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey the most high-profile example. The forward, drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2012, used this loophole to sign with the New York Rangers as a free agent in 2016 and is entering his ninth NHL season.

If the bylaw is changed, it’s still to be determined if CHL players who sign NHL entry-level contracts and are reassigned to their major junior club will also be allowed to compete in the NCAA. If so, tweaks will likely have to be made regarding the expiration of NHL rights.

Overall, these changes could greatly affect how NHL teams manage, scout and develop prospects.

The NHL and its players’ association are expected to begin talks toward a new collective agreement in early 2025, where discussions regarding these rules might arise if the NCAA changes its bylaw.

Ilyas Hussein
Ilyas Hussein is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: ihussein@thestar.ca

https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/t ... ba325.html

[O-townClown]

So in time NCAA hockey will have a lot of guys that didn't really want to play NCAA hockey.

[SCBlueLiner]

All I see are more Canadian born players choosing the NCAA route if the CHL straight to NHL route does not work meaning less opportunities for American born players to play NCAA hockey. This will hurt American born players.

The pool of available hockey players for the NCAA just swelled while the number of spots on NCAA rosters stays stagnant. College hockey expansion needs to happen, exponentially.

[yesiplayedhockey]

I'm perplexed why the Canadian Universities continue to sit on their hands...This is no brainer for them to jump forward and build a great D1 level hockey conference that could mirror what we have in the Unites States.

in 4-5 years, you could see the US D1 champion play the champion of the Canadian D1 champion

[xy]

That would require completely rethinking the Canadian college athletics scheme in a way in which they probably aren't interested in. College sports in Canada is comparable to Division III sports here - no athletic scholarships - and I don't think there is a lot of interest in changing that model.

[InThePipes]

All I see are more Canadian born players choosing the NCAA route if the CHL straight to NHL route does not work meaning less opportunities for American born players to play NCAA hockey. This will hurt American born players.

The pool of available hockey players for the NCAA just swelled while the number of spots on NCAA rosters stays stagnant. College hockey expansion needs to happen, exponentially.

Agree, this will hurt American born players, time will tell how big of an impact it'll have.

[InThePipes]

That would require completely rethinking the Canadian college athletics scheme in a way in which they probably aren't interested in. College sports in Canada is comparable to Division III sports here - no athletic scholarships - and I don't think there is a lot of interest in changing that model.

Isn't this part of the CHL carrot though, those leagues pay for the college tuition for their players (1 year paid for 1 year played)?

[East Side Pioneer Guy]

Jeez, it's hard to imagine why Canada wouldn't want to emulate the hot mess that is American D1 athletics.

[InThePipes]

Jeez, it's hard to imagine why Canada wouldn't want to emulate the hot mess that is American D1 athletics.

[BSUBeaver]

The NCAA votes to allow Major Junior players beginning next year.

https://www.collegehockeyinc.com/2024/1 ... -eligible/

This is big, it is going to be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[High Heat]

RIP NAHL & BCHL

Both leagues will be hit extremely hard with this decision.

[greybeard58]

NCAA votes to open up college eligibility to Canadian Hockey League players
By Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman
8h ago
49

________________________________________
The NCAA has voted to make Canadian Hockey League players eligible to play college hockey, according to a statement.
The move marks the start of a potentially seismic shift in hockey’s development landscape, opening up new paths for players in the OHL, QMJHL and WHL, long the NHL’s three biggest development leagues. CHL players have until now been excluded from playing NCAA hockey.
NCAA votes to open up college hockey eligibility to CHL players: What it means

“College hockey gets deeper and more Canadian,” said one Hockey East coach ahead of the decision.
The NCAA Division I Council passed the proposal in their November meeting on Thursday. The proposal, initially tabled in October, follows a wave of litigation filed against the NCAA which claims that prohibiting players who played in one of the CHL’s three leagues (the OHL, QMJHL and WHL) from playing in the NCAA violated U.S. antitrust laws. Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead recently shirked the restrictions and verbally committed to play for Arizona State University in 2025-26.
The new legislation eliminates language that labeled major junior hockey as professional and thus its players ineligible to play men’s college ice hockey.
The move also standardizes the NCAA’s bylaws across sports, bringing ice hockey’s language about pre-enrollment activity in line with that of other sports such as golf and tennis. This new legislation moves to “permit involvement with professional teams and leagues (e.g., contracts, payments, tryouts, practice and competition) before initial full-time collegiate enrollment, provided not more than actual and necessary expenses for participation are received or guaranteed.”
The new legislation will take effect as of Aug. 1, 2025, opening up eligibility for CHL players for the 2025-26 college season.
The change will not impact CHL players exclusively, though, as the vote may also open up eligibility for some additional European players who have participated in a professional environment as well.
It will still likely be years before the long-term implications for college and junior hockey in North America are sorted out, too, with existing documents like the CHL-NHL Agreement and even the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement (which is set to expire on Sept. 15, 2026) now requiring reopening and renegotiating.
For both the NCAA and CHL, though, some items need more immediate answers. Several CHL and NCAA coaches and managers contacted by The Athletic, who were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about the looming decision, said as of now, they have been given no directive by their respective leagues as to what the next steps are.
“It’s going to be worked out on the fly,” one OHL general manager said in advance of the vote. “It’s fun to talk about over an ice-cold beer but now it’s here. It’s time for some action.”
Several CHL coaches and executives who spoke with The Athletic in recent weeks wondered about a potential transfer agreement between the CHL and NCAA.
Others said they would need clarity on whether education packages — a promise of one year of university or college tuition per year played in the CHL — will be honored for major junior players who now choose to go to NCAA schools instead of Canadian universities in USports — last season, the CHL’s three leagues contributed more than $7 million to their scholarship programs. QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini told The Athletic scholarship money is promised regardless of the post-graduate destination, but that there is an appetite to keep student-athletes in Canada.
Some in the CHL also pointed to the need for clarity on the differences in how long NHL teams retain the rights of CHL and NCAA players before they become free agents.
“The NHL will need to address the two-year signing period for CHL players and four years for NCAA players,” said one WHL general manager.
Around college hockey, there is also still much uncertainty about exactly how this shift in eligibility will be implemented.
“Will CHL teams let them out of their ‘contracts’?” asked one Big Ten coach in advance of the vote. “We have multiple USHL players who want to bolt for (the) CHL now if they can keep eligibility. We have also received a multitude of calls (from) CHL players looking to bolt for college next fall. I think it’s going to be super messy to start but will get ironed out.”
However, despite this uncertainty, NCAA teams have been preparing for this eventuality. In the opening weeks of the CHL season, numerous NCAA coaches were spotted at CHL games.
Multiple NCAA coaches told The Athletic they’ll also need additional clarification on which players are eligible to make the move, and whether those with professional contracts who haven’t yet played pro hockey will also now be eligible under the NCAA’s new rules.
One QMJHL executive said he expects that rules around signed players being ineligible to play in the NCAA won’t change and that they will continue to be unable to leave the CHL to play college hockey. This would potentially add a new wrinkle to NHL teams’ decisions on signing their top prospects immediately.
According to the NCAA’s eligibility center, “a prospect may sign a contract with a professional team, provided the contract is limited to actual and necessary expenses and does not promise or guarantee future payments. Further, if a prospect signs a multiyear contract, the contract must be terminated prior to initial full-time enrollment at any college or university.”
“NHL teams being able to slide entry-level deals in the CHL and not NCAA is something that needs to be looked at,” argued one Hockey East coach.
There is optimism, though, from coaches and executives in both junior and NCAA hockey, that the change will ultimately be a positive for both sides — and certainly for the players, who now have more options and new development paths to consider.
“Personally, I think that this is excellent for the players. I think the players need to have as many options as possible and I think that when we talk development and we preach development that this is now an extension and it needs to be embraced,” said one OHL general manager. “We’re pro education, we’re pro development and I think if done properly that this could become the best development path for everybody.”
This story will be updated.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/582701 ... ligiblity/

[InThePipes]

RIP NAHL & BCHL

Both leagues will be hit extremely hard with this decision.

Both will be impacted yes, how hard and how quickly are TBD I think.

[SCBlueLiner]

“College hockey gets deeper and more Canadian,” said one Hockey East coach ahead of the decision.

You know what? Screw that. To think our tax dollars go to support our State institutions and those institutions will now give those hockey opportunities to Canadians.

This does nothing but hurt American hockey.

Build a wall.

[InThePipes]

“College hockey gets deeper and more Canadian,” said one Hockey East coach ahead of the decision.

You know what? Screw that. To think our tax dollars go to support our State institutions and those institutions will now give those hockey opportunities to Canadians.

This does nothing but hurt American hockey.

Build a wall.

Help me understand why USA Hockey continues to support a higher and higher number of import roster spots in our Tier 1 and Tier 2 junior leagues? Taking the NA for example, it wasn't that long ago the import limit was 4 (if I remember correctly), I believe this year it's 8?

[SCBlueLiner]

"They" would tell you that the increased import limits raises the level of play in the league and is better for development. I agree with you though, takes development opportunities from American born players.

[WarmUpTheBus]

"They" would tell you that the increased import limits raises the level of play in the league and is better for development. I agree with you though, takes development opportunities from American born players.

Maybe fewer spots open will mean more kids will stay home and play MSHSL hockey.

[InThePipes]

"They" would tell you that the increased import limits raises the level of play in the league and is better for development. I agree with you though, takes development opportunities from American born players.

Then we have:

A) Far too many USA Hockey junior teams in existence
B) A failure of our USA Hockey development model to adequately develop American players to fill our junior leagues
C) Both A & B

[yesiplayedhockey]

Here is what I think you will see

1. Less American's wearing division one college hockey jerseys over the next few years.....

2. As it relates to Minnesota High School hockey, You will probably see more and more kids leave High School early now as dad pushes their kids up to Major junior. And for the FIRST time in my life, I have to say, if you are an elite high school kid MAYBE you now should strongly consider leaving high school early and go play juniors (MAN did that hurt to say those words)

3. The NAHL is now all but dead....No college coach is going to spend much time recruiting there.

4. Half the Division one colleges don't have a large enough recruiting budget to constantly travel up to Toronto or Vancouver BC so they will be making most of their decisions based on relationships with family advisors (And there are sketchy advisors out there who may be getting paid under the table by major junior teams?)...These colleges will use video and online stats to pick these Canadian kids without ever seeing them play in person

5. The USHL- Right now kids playing major juniors up in Canada can earn scholarship money from their team to be used at Canadian Universities. There is talk that this money may now be used at American universities.....So take a small college like Ferris State who has a tight budget and limited scholarship money...Will they take a USHL kid and use some of their own schools money to pay for the scholarship OR will they take a kid playing major juniors and that kids Canadian team could now pay Ferris State some of the scholarship money.

6. Are Russia and Europe kids playin pro hockey across the pond next up? Some 20 year old playing pro hockey in Russia will soon sue the NCAA and they to will be allowed to now play college hockey in America....So will a Division 1 school take a 19 year kid from Minnesota playing in the USHL or a 20 year old from Russia who's been playing pro hockey for the past 2-3 years...Hmmmmmm

So who's this good for? The NHL benefits the most as the talent level playing college hockey will go up. The NCAA will have more drafted kids playing college hockey.... "Student Athlete" will be a term seldom used anymore as college hockey will all but become a minor league for the NHL...If you're not drafted by the time you are 19-20, there may not be too many D-1 jersey's out there waiting for you.

The College coaches at these smaller schools wanted it...The NHL wanted it and like the open portal, the NIL AND allowing 5th year players, the NCAA proved yet again what a bunch of grey hair out of touch idiots they have running the show.

If you are simply a fan of college and pro hockey, you probably don't care much on this change...But as a guy who loves Minnesota high school hockey and USE to love American College hockey I'm not happy (yes I loved the USA USA chants at Mariucci back in in the early 90's when they'd battle a school full of Canadians)

I do think this...10 years from now there will probably be another 5-10 Division one hockey schools pop up across our country. But until then, go check out a Division 3 hockey game here in the state. Chances are you will recognize almost all these kids on the rosters who one day played high school hockey all 3 of their years in the great state of Minnesota

[grindiangrad-80]

Like yes posted above, I would think you would see more D1 schools add hockey. Likely in some of the non hockey areas in the country.

Seems like it could be a way to grow the game in the US.

Not saying there aren’t negatives in the plan but long term it may be a good decision.

[InThePipes]

Like yes posted above, I would think you would see more D1 schools add hockey. Likely in some of the non hockey areas in the country.

Seems like it could be a way to grow the game in the US.

Not saying there aren’t negatives in the plan but long term it may be a good decision.

Unless all these CHL players come with trunks filled with cash to fund new D1 programs, I'm not sure I share your optimism. So far we're already -1 with AIC folding up their D1 program, time will tell if others follow their lead.