On November 7th 2024 NHL.com posted the following Press Release:
November 07, 2024
Players in the Canadian Hockey League will be eligible to play men’s Division I NCAA ice hockey starting next season.
“The NCAA Division I Council voted Thursday that players who have skated in one of the three CHL leagues — the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League — will be permitted to play NCAA hockey effective Aug. 1, 2025, provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses prior to enrolling in college.
Previously, CHL players had been considered professionals and barred because of the NCAA’s amateurism rules, in part because some CHL players have signed NHL entry-level contracts.
The decision gives players more options as to where they choose to develop prior to entering the NHL.“
CHL players to be eligible to play NCAA hockey beginning in 2025-26 | NHL.com
The CHL Followed this statement up with their own Press Release, “While we will take time to fully review this rule change, we believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL,” the CHL said in a statement. “It will also give young players and their families more options in choosing their development path. … We remain strongly committed to carrying on that tradition of success on the ice while embracing the enhanced academic options that this rule change will present off the ice.”
With this seismic shift in the landscape, taking one of the largest pools of Under- 20 year old players and making them now eligible for NCAA Division 1 hockey, what does this look like for the future of Junior Hockey?
Who will it affect most?
Who is poised to benefit and who is poised to suffer from this ruling?
First off the Canadian Tier II Jr A leagues and the USHL will certainly be impacted by this decision. Many of those leagues issued press releases immediately following the ruling.
This bundle of top Junior A leagues (USHL, BCHL, AJHL) will certainly be affected by this ruling and see a talent crunch and perhaps contraction like never before. For a large amount of Canadian hockey players looking to play college hockey, it was the only way to keep their eligibility. Choosing the BCHL, USHL or AJHL meant they had a developmental pathway that included these leagues in order to play NCAA hockey. It’s the reason Cale Makar chose to play with the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) instead of the Medicine Hat Tigers, who drafted him in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. Adam Fantilli, drafted in the first round, 18th overall, by the Saginaw Spirit in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection Draft chose to bypass his OHL option and instead play with the USHL’s Chicago Steel. He then was drafted two spots below Connor Bedard in the 2023 NHL draft. With the new agreement, players can play with the CHL team that owns their rights before joining an NCAA program.
How does this affect the NCDC/USPHL, the NAHL and EHL?
The NAHL issued a statement- NAHL Statement Regarding NCAA Rule Changes | North American Hockey League | NAHL
Certainly the NAHL will feel a trickle down effect as NCAA roster spots become more limited and unavailable. Many now fringe Division 1 players currently playing in the NAHL will only have NCAA Division II or III opportunities.
The same can be said for Division III placement leaders like the Eastern Hockey League and the NCDC. Roster spots will be tougher to come by, and programs at the US Tier III level like the NA3HL or USPHL Premier which only have a handful or NCAA Division II or III placements each year (1 or 2 per team) will now have their top players only receiving interest from ACHA programs.
For College Hockey in the US, the talent will be better than even. Older players from CHL leagues who have been playing a Professional- like schedule for several years, will now be able to continue to develop in NCAA hockey rather than have limited options, such as playing USports or North American professional hockey (ECHL, AHL) upon aging out. Many will still choose this pathway (Usports, AHL etc) but a great many will be on NCAA rosters.
Additionally, struggling NCAA Division 1 teams now have a real opportunity to become competitive and even better within 1 recruiting season. An entirely new, large pool of Professional- bound players currently playing in the CHL will be available to their University. This decision could dramatically improve the talent- level of these Division 1 teams and greatly alter the landscape for these programs.
Stay tuned as this decision will have a lasting impact on US and Canadian Junior Hockey for years to come.
BY Andrew Trimble
Andrew Trimble is the General Manager and Co- Owner of the New England Wolves Hockey Club. He is also the Owner of Scoring Concepts LLC, a New Hampshire based hockey training company that offers camps, clinics, private lessons and teams. He has coached at all levels from Learn to Skate to College Hockey. For more info on his teams and programs check out- www.scoringconcepts.com or www.ne-wolveshockey.com
To Purchase Andrew Trimble’s new book “The Hockey Planner” click here- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: Books
