Groundbreaking NCAA Ruling Impacts All Hockey Teams and Thousands of Players Across North America
For years now there has been a clear divide between the NCAA and the CHL, but now a ruling that goes into effect next season will change that in a big way.
Over the past few years, there has been a push for the NCAA to allow players from the Canadian Hockey League to join the college hockey ranks, and according to a report, the NCAA has finally made a ruling that will allow that to happen.
According to reports, the eligibility remains the same for Division III hockey, but will open the CHL players up to competing in Division I, with the ruling to come into play as of August 1, 2025.
On the whole, this is a fantastic move for college hockey, as it allows the competition to grow even stronger at the NCAA Division I level, and while players as contracts currently stand will likely play out their CHL careers and head directly to the NHL or the AHL, it will change for those that can't quite make that jump immediately. There are many questions left to be answered about the whole situation, as the NHL will likely need to play a role when the new CBA is negotiated, but for now on the surface this is a very positive move.
The official announcement states that the players will not be able to be compensated 'above actual and necessary expenses' in the CHL to remain eligible, so there will no doubt be players right now that forego eligibility, but with this move changing the landscape of junior hockey, we will see ripple effects, both positive and negative for years to come.
