Major junior hockey players can now join NCAA Division I teams; stakeholders weigh in

Through 4 seasons with the Prince Albert Raiders, Max Hildebrand has dressed for much than 100 games. And contempt being a 13th-round prime successful the 2019 prospects draft, helium has go 1 of the Western Hockey League’s astir accordant goaltenders.

Now acknowledgment to a seismic displacement successful the North American inferior hockey landscape, the 20-year-old Martensville, Sask. merchandise has go the archetypal WHL subordinate from Saskatchewan successful caller past to perpetrate to an NCAA Division I program.

That displacement was a determination by the National Collegiate Athletics Association to driblet a antecedently iron-clad stance barring players successful the Canadian Hockey League — of which the WHL is simply a subordinate — from the association’s subordinate schools. The crushed for the ban? A long-standing argumentation that deemed major-junior athletes “professionals” for receiving monthly stipends from their teams.

“It was a brainsick mates weeks determination starring up to the regularisation change,” Hildebrand said. “[Bemidji State University] had been successful interaction with maine earlier the regularisation change, truthful conscionable kept talking with manager Tom [Serratore] there. We talked astir the affluent goaltending past and I truly haven’t heard thing atrocious astir the schoolhouse up to this point. I conscionable thought it was the close determination for me.”

That determination seemed similar an impossibility lone a twelvemonth ago. But unit from lawsuits and a changing collegiate athletics situation with wealth and sponsorships for athletes from alleged “name, representation and likeness” deals — oregon NIL — moving done the NCAA, the relation voted connected Nov. 7 to extremity its policy

That azygous ruling has opened the doors for major-junior athletes from crossed Canada and the United States to beryllium eligible to deed the crystal for NCAA Division I programs opening adjacent season.

For the WHL, it volition present mean immoderate players who suit up for their 22 franchises volition beryllium capable to support their eligibility southbound of the border.

WHL commissioner Dan Near said the caller regularisation creates opportunities for players who, earlier the change, would person had to walk connected a WHL opportunity  successful bid to support imaginable opportunities with NCAA teams. “I deliberation what this ruling does is it creates an accidental for young players, high-performance players, to person immoderate flexibility successful their improvement path,” Near said.

In the weeks since the ruling astatine slightest 9 WHL players person made NCAA commitments including Regina Pats guardant Braxton Whitehead, who became the archetypal CHL subordinate to marque a verbal committedness to an NCAA programme backmost successful September with Arizona State University.

While the Saskatoon Blades are inactive awaiting their archetypal authoritative commit, president and wide manager Colin Priestner took to societal media connected the time of the alteration to explicit his enactment for the ruling.

Calling it player-focused, helium said the alteration volition destruct the weighty determination young hockey players person had to marque betwixt committing to major-junior hockey and pursuing the assemblage route.

“We inquire a batch of these guys erstwhile they’re 14-and-a-half, 15 years aged to marque a determination astir their futures,” Priestner said. “I’ve ever felt uncomfortable with that… It’s a batch to enactment connected a kid erstwhile a batch of them haven’t adjacent deed puberty yet and they’re making that decision.”

Teams similar the Blades and Raiders volition present besides person a larger excavation of players to gully from. Teams crossed the CHL person been signing caller prospects and players from different leagues, specified arsenic the British Columbia Hockey League and the United States Hockey League, which person been stepping stones for players connected the way to the NCAA.

There is inactive uncertainty astir the NCAA’s ruling, however, regarding erstwhile a subordinate volition beryllium capable to marque the leap to Division I programs and if they’ll beryllium capable to interruption immoderate subordinate agreements with their inferior clubs.

Near isn’t excessively acrophobic astir that, adding it’s the WHL’s presumption that players volition request to implicit their major-junior committedness done their 19-year-old season.

“There simply aren’t precise galore 18-year-olds, possibly a fewer much 19-year-olds that mightiness beryllium acceptable oregon mightiness beryllium inclined to play [NCAA],” Near said. “I deliberation it each depends wherever you are connected your improvement journey, but it’s our content that we’re the champion spot to make for players that age.”

The NCAA’s ruling has opened caller pathways for stars specified arsenic Blades guardant Brandon Lisowsky, who precocious moved into ninth successful franchise extremity scoring and has been to aggregate NHL grooming camps with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

He said portion the nonrecreational way either successful the AHL oregon ECHL would beryllium his archetypal enactment adjacent season, the NCAA would beryllium a welcomed back-up plan.

“Obviously, I inactive person aspirations of going pro adjacent year,” Lisowsky said. “But if it doesn’t enactment retired oregon I don’t similar what I see, past I deliberation that the schoolhouse way is an awesome happening for america players.”

Hoping to decorativeness retired his play connected a precocious enactment with the Raiders earlier opening his NCAA vocation astatine Bemidji State, Hildebrand said helium believes the regularisation alteration is simply a affirmative measurement for players his property to pursuit their hockey dreams connected their ain terms.

“There are a batch of bully players successful our league astir the CHL,” Hildebrand said. “I deliberation a batch of radical are going to beryllium taking vantage of it. It’s a spot of a value disconnected of the shoulders of each the 20 twelvemonth olds too, conscionable truly having a crippled plan.”

Model changing for Junior A hockey

For astir occidental Canadians with dreams of playing NCAA hockey, inferior A leagues specified arsenic the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League has been 1 of the superior paths to get there.

Now with Canadian Hockey League players getting the accidental to vie for those aforesaid recruiting spots, the ruling has made beingness a small much hard for SJHL standouts specified arsenic Notre Dame Hounds skipper Liam Hunks.

“It’s going to beryllium tough,” Hunks said. “Obviously, determination are a batch of bully players successful the CHL who are going to beryllium pushing for spots successful Division I wherever I privation to be. It’s going to beryllium tough, but I’m going to enactment my ass disconnected to effort to support it going.”

As agelong arsenic CHL players were barred from the NCAA level, those with aspirations of playing southbound of the borderline would often hone their skills with inferior A programs earlier making the leap to American collegiate programs.

After sending 13 players to NCAA Division I schools past twelvemonth and 21 the twelvemonth earlier that, the SJHL is boasting six NCAA commitments truthful acold this season.

That includes Kindersley Klippers rookie defenceman Jaxon Herchak, who has exploded with 18 points successful 23 games arsenic a 17-year-old blueliner successful the SJHL.

Already committed to Division I hockey astatine Colorado College, helium is successful enactment of the alteration but inactive believes successful his prime to prosecute a committedness done the inferior A route.

“I deliberation it’s going to unfastened up a batch of opportunities, particularly regarding the CHL and for the players that volition beryllium capable to determination connected a play successful large minutes already,” Herchak said. “But I consciousness similar they should beryllium capable to spot that they’re going to beryllium getting little minutes successful the WHL.”

While the NCAA is present allowing CHL eligibility for its Division I programs, Division III remains disconnected limits to athletes with major-junior experience.

Division III has been a superior graduating way for those successful the SJHL implicit the years, and commissioner Kyle McIntyre confirmed it’s inactive an country they tin pat into but said that’s a determination champion near up to the subordinate and their family.

“Our occupation is to make the full subordinate some connected and disconnected the ice, whether it’s done hockey oregon done life,” McIntyre said. “What I’m going to beforehand arsenic a commissioner is (that) I privation families to person the close benignant of accusation truthful they tin marque an informed prime astir what’s champion for their kid and for their athlete.

With the change, the SJHL and inferior A hockey crossed Canada volition nary longer person their presumption arsenic the lone spot northbound of the borderline for elite players to gain Division I scholarships arsenic 1 of their largest recruiting chips.

Klippers caput manager and wide manager Clayton Jardine said the apical players successful his league volition apt leap up to the WHL present that the menace of losing their NCAA eligibility nary longer exists.

However, helium added determination are inactive benefits to the SJHL and inferior A arsenic a full that major-junior can’t ever afford.

“How bash we make hockey players?” Jardine asked, rhetorically. “Really, it’s conscionable accidental and crystal time. If you person that, you summation confidence, you go a amended hockey subordinate and past you determination connected to the adjacent level erstwhile you’re acceptable to determination connected to the adjacent level.”

Along with graduating their players to the adjacent level astatine major-junior, those wrong the SJHL judge a pivot could beryllium coming erstwhile it comes to advancing players done antithetic levels of hockey.

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“We got to find a niche market… we tin beforehand our players to,” said Brett Pilkington, caput manager and wide manager of the Notre Dame Hounds successful Wilcox, Sask. “Whether it’s Division III, U Sports oregon to different inferior leagues successful the process.”

McIntyre added that uncovering answers to those kinds of questions mightiness instrumentality respective years. “If the NCAA Division I way slows down for Canadian Junior A hockey, possibly U Sport is going to summation due to the fact that they’re inactive going to beryllium request a beardown excavation of players,” McIntyre said. “The precise champion successful Junior A, I deliberation they’re going to person a prime whether they privation to play U Sports oregon whether they privation to play Division I.”

Putting up 5 goals and 18 points connected the play from the Notre Dame blueline, Hunks is inactive chasing 1 of those Division I schools, though helium is present up against greater competition. But the does person options pursuing his last play successful the SJHL, specified arsenic becoming a student-athlete astatine the Canadian assemblage level.

“U Sports would astir apt beryllium my adjacent spot to go,” Hunks said. “It’s bully hockey there. I’d emotion to proceed hockey done my assemblage career.”

U Sports schools to spot contention for recruits

Like teams successful the WHL and SJHL, times are changing for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and the 35 men’s hockey programs crossed Canada that marque up U Sports.

It volition beryllium a antithetic scenery for recruiting players moving forward, players similar guardant Dawson Holt, who is starring the mode with 24 points successful 17 games successful his 4th twelvemonth suiting up astatine Merlis Belsher Place.

“We don’t cognize what’s going to hap now,” said Holt, who returned to Saskatoon aft parts of 5 seasons successful the WHL with Vancouver Giants and the Regina Pats arsenic good arsenic a azygous play with BCHL’s Vernon Vipers. “It’s going to beryllium a antithetic clip for hockey, but it volition beryllium bully for the game. People volition person a fewer much choices now.”

U Sports programs similar the Huskies and University of Regina Cougars volition present look accrued contention for incoming student-athletes from NCAA schools, which earlier the ruling were disconnected limits to major-junior talent.

For Huskies men’s hockey caput manager Brandin Cote, it volition beryllium a caller situation with astir of his roster made up of Canadian Hockey League graduates. But doesn’t judge the entity is falling arsenic a effect of the NCAA’s decision.

“I don’t deliberation it changes our standpoint a full heck of a lot,” Cote said. “We can’t truly power successful presumption of what’s going connected astir us. We person to beryllium proactive successful making definite we’re promoting our programme arsenic overmuch arsenic we can. I person nary question that we’re inactive going to have, and we’ve inactive had, a batch of involvement for radical to travel here.”

U Sports has relied heavy connected endowment moving from inferior hockey to the Canadian collegiate ranks, with 182 CHL alumni playing successful past year’s U Sports University Cup tourney which comprised 80 per cent of the 8 rosters connected the ice.

While determination hasn’t been an contiguous exodus of players changing commitments oregon leaving subordinate schools altogether, U Sports main enforcement serviceman Pierre Arsenault said he’s successful the process of determining what the fallout volition mean for programs seashore to coast.

“That’s the signifier we’re successful present is really seeing what precisely the question volition be,” said Arsenault. “There’s a batch of antithetic imaginable opportunities going a batch of antithetic directions. For us, we privation to proceed to marque definite that for that young jock and their families that they recognize what the student-athlete acquisition successful Canada represents.”

Life connected the recruiting way for coaches similar Cote could look antithetic adjacent summertime with much opportunities disposable for major-junior graduates. And helium isn’t closing the doorway connected players leaving Canadian teams for NCAA programs, lone to perchance instrumentality if things don’t spell arsenic planned astatine the NCAA level.

“To start, I deliberation there’s much than apt going to beryllium a smaller excavation of Western League guys, particularly 20-year-olds available,” Cote said. “How many? I don’t know.

“I deliberation it’s a big, new, shiny toy. My thought connected it is, adjacent conscionable from seeing different radical spell that way successful the past, possibly the writer isn’t ever greener.”

That was the lawsuit for Huskies defenceman Landon Kosior, who was a prima defenceman with the Prince Albert Raiders betwixt 2019 and 2023, yet earning a nonrecreational declaration astatine the ECHL level with the Iowa Heartlanders.

After 19 games with Iowa however, helium near to articulation the Huskies, wanting to marque usage of his multi-year WHL scholarship.

“Although that’s going to beryllium allowed now, I inactive deliberation the U of S is simply a premier program,” Kosior said. “I don’t adjacent cognize if it would person changed my decision. With each of the facilities and everything we got here, particularly Canadian guys being adjacent to home, I deliberation this hockey is ace underrated.”

Canada West programs specified arsenic the Huskies and Cougars already enlistee players retired of inferior A hockey and accidental it’s imaginable those relationships could deepen to grow the excavation of athletes disposable to leap up to the U Sports level.

That includes leaning into their messaging for pending WHL graduates who hail from Saskatchewan, according to Huskies main athletics serviceman Shannon Chinn, athletes who are inactive eligible to accrue Canadian assemblage scholarships.

“Saskatchewan creates truly large hockey players and 1 of the draws to coming to the University of Saskatchewan sometimes is coming backmost home,” Chinn said. “So, we’re conscionable going to person to support doing the things we’re doing.”

Chinn added conversations with her colleagues astatine the Canada West level are ongoing arsenic to the ramifications and ripple effects of the changes to the hockey improvement exemplary successful U Sports.

The authoritative NCAA argumentation volition instrumentality effect connected Aug. 1, 2025 with major-junior athletes capable to suit up for Division I programs successful the 2025-26 season.