CHL to NCAA, Is the Guard Changing With Junior Hockey?
Image Courtesy: Keith Hershmiller/Regina Pats
The NCAA has its first CHL commitment since the lawsuits, what does this mean for the future of the USHL and other junior leagues?
written by james blennau
Braxton Whitehead of the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats has verbally committed to Arizona State hockey. On the other hand, NCAA eligibility rules prevent anyone who has played even a single game of major junior hockey from taking collegiate ice. Something has to budge, right?
Let’s break it down. In August, Canadian Hockey League goalie Rylan Masterson filed a lawsuit in the US District Court claiming the NCAA is anticompetitive by enforcing its ban on major junior players.
The aforementioned rule stated all CHL players, comprising of the Ontario, Western and Quebec Major Junior Hockey Leagues were ineligible to compete due to the professional nature of the leagues. Despite its recent changes between transfers and NIL deals, the organization appears stern on its amateurism core.
The lawsuit has not been settled since its filing over one month ago, but its impact could ripple across the entirety of hockey.
On one hand, the NCAA and its member institutions could win the suit, preserving the ever-elusive status quo. Canadian players would continue to develop in their home nation with sets of players headed across the border to play in the NCAA, but chunks still without the chance to play in front of a rowdy student section.
It would also preserve the current junior hockey landscape, especially in the US. The United States Hockey League, The North American Hockey League, Eastern Hockey League, and other junior leagues across the states would retain their places as the premier developments before enrolling in college.
Image Courtesy: USA Hockey | The Clark Cup being awarded to the USHL champion Chicago Steel
On the other hand, the NCAA could lose the suit, leading to even more seismic changes across the college sports landscape. Junior hockey would change more than almost anything we've ever seen aside from the transfer portal and NIL.
The United States would lose massive amounts of prestige in its junior hockey, with many junior players likely heading to their northern neighbors in the CHL. Its leagues would become the premier development teams and primary feeders for NCAA programs, pushing American junior hockey even lower on the proverbial totem pole.
In the CHL, the average age will likely decrease over time with more prospects taking the roster spots previously held by Canadian veteran hockey players. Local teams filled with fellow canucks would become increasingly diversified, as the effect of the NCAA’s American and European players would trickle down into its primary feeder league.
“Teams who have been successful with a hockey-centric recruiting pitch might find that they need to update that recruitment pitch for the modern environment, and the modern player,” says junior hockey expert and Dan K. Show co-host Lucas Jones. “Players now expect more from teams and leagues, and are not afraid to upset the status quo if they feel it will benefit themselves and other players.”
Effects would likely not be felt until at least the 2025-26 season, but with the ever-changing landscape of college sports and junior hockey, it would come as no surprise if the suit favors Whitehead and our perspective changes yet again. When it comes to college sports, it’s almost impossible to even expect the unexpected.
