The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has voted in favour of a rule change that will change the landscape of major junior hockey in Canada.
The NCAA’s DI Council will be adopting a rule that will expand the eligibility for men’s ice hockey at American universities.
The NCAA Division I Council today adopted a rules change that will make Canadian major junior players eligible for NCAA Division I hockey, effective August 1, 2025.
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It means that players who have skated with professional or Canadian Hockey League (CHL) teams will still be eligible to play in the NCAA.
Previously, teenagers who played even one single game in any of the WHL, OHL or QMJHL were ineligible to play in the NCAA Div 1 hockey.
When the change comes into effect on Aug. 1, 2025, players will maintain their eligibility to play college hockey in the United States no matter how many major junior games they play.
Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and chair of the NCAA’s DI Council, said the rule change represents a “pragmatic step” in aligning hockey with other sports in terms of allowable preenrollment activities.
The issue was thrust into the forefront when Rylan Masterson filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the NCAA and 10 universities in August.
The suit, which was filed in the US District Court, alleged that the NCAA is violating antitrust laws by preventing any player who appeared in a major junior hockey game from also playing in the NCAA.
Although Masterson has spent his teenage years playing Junior A hockey for the Fort Erie Meteors, he appeared in two preseason games with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
That brief stint, which didn’t even include regular season or playoff action, was enough to cost him his future NCAA eligibility.
His class-action lawsuit moved the needle quickly and even led to Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead verbally committing to Arizona State for the 2025-26 season.
The WHL released a statement from the desk of commissioner Dan Near this afternoon, calling the eligibility changes a "historic and consequential outcome" that will be celebrated by anyone invested in the on- and off-ice development of young players.
"This decision creates opportunity for the brightest elite hockey players in Western Canada and the Western US to now choose the WHL as the preferred destination for their development from the age of 16-20, without fear of compromising their NCAA eligibility," the statement said.
"We are thrilled that upon graduation from the WHL, players will have additional options as they pursue the next step in their personal and hockey journey."
The statement indicated that any player who completes their eligibility in the league will continue to receive access to a post-secondary scholarship, which could now be theoretically used to attend school and play NCAA hockey south of the border.
The BCHL's statement, however, was less positive, saying the league will continue to do "whatever is best for our athletes and will continue to adapt to the changing landscape of junior hockey."
"The BCHL has been around for 63 years and has been a pipeline to the NCAA for decades, with league alumni currently making up 25% of all Div 1 players, which is more than all other Canadian leagues combined," the statement explained.
"For the past four years, the BCHL has taken steps to improve our standards and enhance our resources for student athletes, while using our independence to our advantage."
Many junior players who went the US college route would play a year or two in the BCHL or other Junior A leagues to maintain their NCAA eligibility.
While today's news could hamper what these leagues have long used as an attractor for top-end talent to play Junior A over major junior, the BCHL says it remains committed to its development model of preparing student athletes for college hockey.
