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Greg Wisinski (ESPN)
The NCAA Division I Committee voted Thursday to allow Canadian Hockey League players to compete in NCAA Division I hockey in 2025. This is a decision that could change the landscape of college and major junior hockey.
The committee ruled that players can compete in the CHL, which consists of the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, without jeopardizing their NCAA Division I hockey eligibility “as long as they do not pay more than actual and necessary expenses.” I did it. As part of that participation.”
The effective date of the rule change is August 1, 2025. The new eligibility for CHL players does not apply to NCAA Division III. CHL players are still ineligible to participate in NCAA Division III hockey.
The NCAA previously deemed anyone playing in the CHL ineligible because the player had a professional contract with an NHL team playing in that league. CHL players also receive a monthly stipend of up to $250.
NCAA bylaw 12.2.3.2 states, “An individual shall not be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics in that sport if he or she has ever competed on a professional team.”
Despite the rule change, players who sign NHL contracts and return to the CHL are still ineligible to play NCAA Division I hockey. However, if the team does not compensate the player “more than actual and necessary costs,” the player may participate in an NHL training camp.
The CHL supported the rule change in a statement released Thursday.
“We will take our time to fully review this rule change, but we believe this is a positive development that will provide players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers after their time in the CHL,” the statement said. said. “It also gives young players and their families more options to choose their own development path, including opening up the CHL, the world’s premier hockey development league for players ages 16-20, to more players from around the world. I will.”
It’s a decision that should send shockwaves throughout the NCAA and CHL. While repealing the restrictions would deepen the NCAA hockey talent pool overall, there is concern among some NCAA coaches that elite talent will choose not to play college hockey without feeling the current pressure of losing eligibility if they choose Canadian major juniors instead. there is.
“Kids from a young age are forced to decide for themselves what path they want to take,” WHL Commissioner Dan Near told ESPN.
Former NHL stars such as Hockey Hall of Famer Paul Kariya and Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews were Canadian-born players who chose to play in the NCAA. Since 2016, 15 Canadians have played in college and been drafted in the first round of the NHL draft. That list includes Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar (UMass), Buffalo Sabers defenseman and 2021 No. 1 pick Owen Power (Michigan) and 2024 No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) by the San Jose Sharks. .
The NCAA ruling changes the view of the CHL as a “professional” league, but with strict compensation guidelines for players. The NCAA defines “necessary expenses” as “costs necessary or required to participate in a practice or game, including, but not limited to, meals, lodging, transportation, clothing, equipment, supplies, coaching, ice time, and medical treatment (health insurance). “Defined as: , and admission fees.”
The rules include all team apparel a player may receive after being drafted in the CHL.
The NCAA ruling states that “to ensure that their NCAA eligibility is unchallenged, individuals must return or pay for any congratulatory items sent by the professional club that drafted them.”
The policy change between the NCAA and CHL was expected among teams and coaches on both sides of the border. Especially after the NCAA name, image and likeness rules are relaxed in 2021.
“Anyone who loves hockey and developmental leagues has been watching what’s going on in the NIL space and the transfer portal space and imagined how that will impact the future of how junior hockey players develop,” Near said. “I think this could be the first domino to fall in that regard.”
Supporters of the NCAA’s change to the CHL rules pointed to athletes who were well-compensated in other sports, such as Olympic swimmers, who maintained their NCAA eligibility. They also pointed out that some college hockey programs welcome players who have played professionally overseas without the NCAA banning them from playing in college.
Last August, OHL player Rylan Masterson filed a proposed class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York against the NCAA and 10 universities over what he called a “collective boycott” of Canadian junior players, challenging the rules. I raised an objection.
They argued that the boycott was “unlawful under antitrust laws, as it would artificially suppress compensation for players by interfering with competition between the CHL and the NCAA for top-tier players and artificially create a less competitive league.”
The proposed class action lawsuit was not unexpected by the NCAA. In 2023, while reviewing its policy, the NCAA determined that there were legal vulnerabilities in a potential ‘group boycott’ of Canadian junior athletes. But the program’s coaches took no formal action to rescind the rule before the lawsuit was filed.
Last September, WHL Regina Pats’ Braxton Whitehead received a verbal commitment from Arizona State University’s Division I program for the 2025-26 season. This is the first NCAA commitment since the proposed class action was filed.
“(ASU’s) slogan is ‘Be the Tradition.’ I think they like the idea of me being a pioneer in this whole process and paving the way for the NCAA and CHL relationship,” Whitehead told ESPN at the time. “I’m very hopeful that (the rule) will be overturned before the 2025-26 season.”
ESPN’s Ryan S. Clark contributed to this report.
