Eligibility Changes To The CHL/NCAA

If you ask some in the hockey circles they will tell you that the decision between the CHL and the NCAA had to reach a solution and while this might not be the final word, we’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out?

We received two statements from both the WHL and the CHL and we wanted to share their remarks.

Enjoy the read:

Western Hockey League Commissioner Dan Near today issued the following statement regarding changes to the eligibility rules for NCAA men’s hockey:

Finally making the decision that took far too long, CHL players are now eligible to compete in NCAA D1 Hockey beginning in the 2025-26 season. 

This marks a historic outcome that will be celebrated by all who have 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 U.S. 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. 

Clearly it’s the players who drive the WHL in all of the 22 Clubs and if you ask many they will tell you that they enjoyed their time playing in the league noting the overall coaching techniques they learned.

In addition some that we have spoken to will tell you that they enjoyed their billet families while living away from home. 

We received the following press release from the league. Enjoy the read:

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.  

We look forward to the opportunity to welcome a new wave of talent and we take great pride in our responsibility to support all WHL players in the pursuit of their goals – be that on the ice, in the classroom, and as contributing members of the community.

Players completing their eligibility with the WHL will continue to receive access to our leading post-secondary scholarship, funded by our 22 Member Clubs.  

In the 2023-24 season, the education bills for over 300 WHL Alumni were paid directly by the League and Clubs totalling in excess of $3 million in funding. The WHL is proud to continue this practice.

The best in the West can now look forward to chasing their dreams alongside one another in the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players – the Western Hockey League.

The following is from the CHL

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) along with its Member Leagues, the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), are aware of the rule change announced earlier today by the NCAA which alters the eligibility of CHL players allowing them to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey starting next season.

While we will take time to fully review this rule change, we believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL.

 It will also give young players and their families more options in choosing their development path, which includes opening up the CHL – the best development hockey league in the world for players aged 16-20 – to more players worldwide.

For 55 consecutive years, the CHL has been the number one supplier of talent to the NHL. 

At the beginning of the 2024-25 NHL campaign, there were 390 CHL graduates on NHL rosters, marking once again the most of any development league in the world. Additionally, at last summer’s 2024 NHL Draft, the CHL led the way as 88 CHL players were drafted including 14 in the first round.

Stay tuned – many think this is only the start!!