NCAA lifts eligibility ban in allowing Canadian Hockey League players to compete at US colleges

The NCAA Division I Council connected Thursday approved a norm allowing players pinch Canadian Hockey League acquisition to compete astatine U.S. colleges starting adjacent season, a landmark determination that has nan imaginable of shaking up nan NHL’s 2 largest sources of developmental talent.

The decision, effective Aug. 1, lifts nan NCAA’s longstanding prohibition connected CHL players who were antecedently deemed to beryllium professionals because they received a stipend of up to $600 per period for surviving expenses.

The support was expected aft nan assembly introduced a connection to assistance nan prohibition past month. Players competing astatine nan awesome inferior crystal lucky aliases connected master teams tin clasp NCAA eligibility arsenic agelong arsenic they are not paid much than existent and basal expenses.

The determination besides applies to skiing, bringing some successful statement pinch NCAA eligibility rules for different sports.

In doing so, nan assembly opened nan doorway for a awesome alteration successful really players approaching their 16th birthdays determine wherever to play. Rather than having to take betwixt 1 aliases nan other, CHL players tin now play NCAA lucky erstwhile they go assemblage eligible.

The determination has nan imaginable of costing nan CHL apical 18-and-older talent aliases flooding U.S. assemblage rosters pinch Canadians.

The NCAA’s ruling follows a class-action lawsuit revenge Aug. 13 successful U.S. District Court successful Buffalo, New York, challenging nan prohibition of players from nan CHL’s Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The suit was revenge connected behalf of Riley Masterson of Fort Erie, Ontario, who mislaid his assemblage eligibility 2 years agone when, astatine 16, he appeared successful 2 accumulation games for nan OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. It lists 10 Division I lucky programs, which were selected to show they travel nan NCAA’s bylaws successful barring existent aliases erstwhile CHL players.

In a abstracted improvement successful September, Braxton Whitehead said he had verbally committed to Arizona State, making him nan first CHL subordinate to effort to play lucky astatine nan Division I U.S. assemblage level. The 20-year-old Whitehead said he plans to play this play for nan WHL Regina Pats earlier playing for nan Sun Devils successful 2025-26.

The stipends CHL players person are not considered arsenic income for taxation purposes. College players, meantime, person scholarships and now tin gain money done endorsements and different usage of their name, image aliases likeness.

The eligibility alteration could besides effect nan USHL, which antecedently attracted players who turned down competing successful nan CHL successful bid to support their assemblage eligibility. Two caller NHL No. 1 draught picks, San Jose guardant Macklin Celebrini and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Owen Power, some played successful nan USHL.

Since its inception, nan USHL improvement exemplary has been "intentionally aligned pinch nan student-athlete experience," nan convention wrote successful a connection responding to nan NCAA decision. "The USHL remains nan world’s premier improvement path. All aspects of nan convention are focused connected preparing athletes for collegiate and master hockey, inclusive of on-ice, world and characteristic development.

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