The NCAA is prepared to vote on a proposal that could expand eligibility to CHL players, per NHL player agent Allan Walsh and Jim Connelly of USCHO.com. Connelly adds that the vote will implement emergency legislation, if passed, and could occur during one of the board’s routine Tuesday and Wednesday meetings. This decision follows pressure from an antitrust lawsuit filed in August, that claimed the NCAA’s exclusion of CHL athletes is unlawful. The NCAA organized a committee to review the league’s eligibility in response to the lawsuit and received an official recommendation to expand eligibility.
While this vote formalizes the news, the topic of allowing CHL players into the NCAA has rapidly gained popularity over recent months. That hype peaked when Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead announced a commitment to Arizona State University. Current rules list Whitehead as ineligible to join ASU, as he’s already played five seasons and 199 games in the WHL – suggesting that a change is imminent. Whitehead scored 96 points in those outings, slowly climbing his way up Regina’s roster and finding his footing as a responsible, middle-six winger.
It’s presently unclear how this vote would impact the NCAA, or when fans may be able to expect the new recruiting pool to open up. The standard CHL player contract already covers costs of post-secondary schooling – though that’s typically led players to Canadian universities. CHL contracts also hold players through the age of 20 – or four CHL seasons – a rule that would seem sensible to translate into a partnership with the NCAA.
Whitehead’s verbal commitment currently has him joining the Sun Devils for the 2025-26 season. He may not be the only Canadian juniors player to make that jump, should the looming vote go through.
I think it can simply kill the CHL
It’s much more likely to kill tier 1 juniors leagues like the BCHL and USHL. The reason top players go to those leagues instead of the CHL is that they maintain their college eligibility. If the can play in the CHL and still play in college they are more likely to go that route.
I agree and also think it will have a huge affect on Canadian University hockey. The good CHLers will go to American Uni’s and the Canadian Uni’s will get the leftovers. NCAA hockey will benefit the most from this, it will get way faster and I believe attendance will get a small spike because of this.
Why do we still have to do this BS dance of pretending college sports have any sort of purity to them when they are and have always been corrupt AF?
This is unnecessary – leave the present system alone. Whitehead should have played NCAA straight-away if that was his goal. This change will have significant ripple effects in unintended places.