CHL/NCAA

[OMG67]

But you are forgetting the signing bonuses paid out by the ECL. You would have to be earning around 180k in revenue sharing and NIL to equal it out. I also expect both the rookie max to increase as well as two way contracts. It would not shock me to see the rookie max in the NHL to increase by a couple of hundred thousand and the minimum two way contract to 100k or more.

The contract slides one year so the total signing bonus remains the same. They sign their ELC three year deal and get the signing bonuses in years 1 through 3. Then they get salary in years 2 through 4. So, either way they get the full signing bonus.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

And my point is if Porter Martone can sign a $250k “endorsement” deal with Nike while playing NCAA, why isn’t he signing it while playing in Brampton? Why does his appeal go from 0 to 100 switching leagues?

The only answer I have is that rules are being broken and he is actually getting paid to play.

It is either that or the NCAA hockey programs are marketing geniuses and the CHL is inept.

I can't give you an answer to that but the idea rules are being broken isn't anything new. Might be new to hockey but it's gone on in basketball and football for ages. The NCAA is a toothless governing body. I wouldn't even call them a governing body really. They pretty much want schools to police themselves and report any wrongdoings to the infraction committee.

In hockey I can see not many schools caring because it's a niche sport as far as competing schools. Football has 125 D1 schools, in basketball there are over 300. In hockey there is a lot of parity 10 schools have won the the past 13 national titles and schools like Union/Massachusetts/Yale/Providence/
Quinnipiac/Western Michigan have done it. A lot of schools believe they have a shot to win it which makes it exciting for those schools.

 

[Altek]

Its not companies like Nike that are giving these kids NIL deals its money from the schools collecttive aka alumni that have donated the funds. Now only 22 million can be spend from that per year max.

Outside of NCAA College Football when has anyone ever seen an ad for an NCAA athlete ok maybe Catlyn Clark at Iowa i think she had Nike deal but that may have be only after she was drafted.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

Its not companies like Nike that are giving these kids NIL deals its money from the schools collecttive aka alumni that have donated the funds. Now only 22 million can be spend from that per year max.

Outside of NCAA College Football when has anyone ever seen an ad for an NCAA athlete ok maybe Catlyn Clark at Iowa i think she had Nike deal but that may have be only after she was drafted.

Cooper Flagg and still going for New Balance. NIL is still a separate entity from school collectives.

 

[tomschman]

I can't give you an answer to that but the idea rules are being broken isn't anything new. Might be new to hockey but it's gone on in basketball and football for ages. The NCAA is a toothless governing body. I wouldn't even call them a governing body really. They pretty much want schools to police themselves and report any wrongdoings to the infraction committee.

In hockey I can see not many schools caring because it's a niche sport as far as competing schools. Football has 125 D1 schools, in basketball there are over 300. In hockey there is a lot of parity 10 schools have won the the past 13 national titles and schools like Union/Massachusetts/Yale/Providence/
Quinnipiac/Western Michigan have done it. A lot of schools believe they have a shot to win it which makes it exciting for those schools.

I agree that up to now, the smaller schools have a shot at the National Championship. How that changes in this Brave New World is yet to be seen. My gut feeling is the rich (schools with major football programs) will get richer and become more dominant in all sports. Of the six schools that you mentioned, Massachusetts and Western Michigan play D1-A football but not in a major football conference. Yale plays D1-AA, Providence and Quinnipiac do not play football and Union is D2 in all sports except Hockey.

 

[Altek]

Sure, Cooper Flagg signed a major deal—but you can’t compare him to any NCAA hockey player, even if someone like Gavin McKenna ended up going the college route. Basketball is just in a completely different league in terms of marketability and exposure compared to NCAA hockey.

As for NIL, it’s a separate conversation, but still relevant. These deals have to go through third-party arbitration to ensure fair market value. It’s not supposed to be a situation where Tony’s Pizza Shop pays a player $2 million without actually using them in any marketing—no ads, no appearances, no real ROI. The system is meant to prevent exactly that kind of loophole.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

ya but when did Cooper Flagg sign and you cant compare Cooper Flag to ANY NCAA Hockey Player even if Gavin McKenna went to NCAA. Basketball is that much more of a market than NCAA Hockey.

It is seperate but it has to go through a third party arb and ensure its fair value and not Tonys Pizza Shop paying a player 2 million but seeing no adorcements for the Pizza Shop using the player.

Last year. Clark was doing commercials before she was drafted. Flagg>McKenna>Clark. You don't believe WNBA is ahead of a future #1 NHL pick??

 

[leafs4life94]

Last year. Clark was doing commercials before she was drafted. Flagg>McKenna>Clark. You don't believe WNBA is ahead of a future #1 NHL pick??

In terms of the league, no, but in terms of star power Clark is honestly probably above Flagg too. I would wager more people would recognize Clark than Flagg.

 

[OMG67]

In terms of the league, no, but in terms of star power Clark is honestly probably above Flagg too. I would wager more people would recognize Clark than Flagg.

Without a doubt. Clark is above all NHL hockey players IMO. Her brand is probably top 5 in the USA right now.

 

[OHL4Life]

Without a doubt. Clark is above all NHL hockey players IMO. Her brand is probably top 5 in the USA right now.

For sure she’s worth more than any CHL player that may be going ncaa. She’s all over espn I do t see CHL players on espn

 

[OMG67]

For sure she’s worth more than any CHL player that may be going ncaa. She’s all over espn I do t see CHL players on espn

I think she’s ahead of the NHL players too. Maybe some make more in total endorsements but from a brand perspective, I see her more than LeBron! It’s crazy the marketing machine behind her right now.

 

[Altek]

I know we’re all big hockey fans, but let’s keep in mind that hockey isn’t even a top-four sport in the U.S.—and NCAA hockey ranks even lower. You’re not going to see NCAA hockey players landing major brand endorsements, not even if someone like Connor McDavid had played college hockey. That said, companies like CCM have never hesitated to use CHL players in their marketing. Still, even generational talents like McDavid and Bedard had limited brand deals during their junior years.

 

[frontsfan67]

Any idea who has the rights to Sam Wathier? NTDP d man struggled this year in both the NTDP and USHL. Could see him coming to the CHL this year before Boston college in 2026/27

Sam Wathier - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Sam Wathier, 2008-05-17 Des Moines, IA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHL with USNTDP Juniors. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[Ferguson Jenkins]

Any idea who has the rights to Sam Wathier? NTDP d man struggled this year in both the NTDP and USHL. Could see him coming to the CHL this year before Boston college in 2026/27

Sam Wathier - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Sam Wathier, 2008-05-17 Des Moines, IA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHL with USNTDP Juniors. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Windsor.

 

[frontsfan67]

Same with this guy Noah Davidson another BC commit for 2026/27 Not a clue where he’s playing in 2025/26 just not sure who would have the rights- would it be a WHL team since he’s from California or how does that get figured out?

Noah Davidson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Noah Davidson, 2008-11-01 Irvine, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHS-Prep with Shattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[frontsfan67]

Windsor.

wonder if he would come or ask for a trade to another team for more minutes? Perhaps they can strike a deal with Niagara who isn’t great on d and get 5 second rounders for the guy LOL

 

[joe66]

Same with this guy Noah Davidson another BC commit for 2026/27 Not a clue where he’s playing in 2025/26 just not sure who would have the rights- would it be a WHL team since he’s from California or how does that get figured out?

Noah Davidson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Noah Davidson, 2008-11-01 Irvine, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHS-Prep with Shattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Medicine Hat has his rights

 

[frontsfan67]

Same with this guy Noah Davidson another BC commit for 2026/27 Not a clue where he’s playing in 2025/26 just not sure who would have the rights- would it be a WHL team since he’s from California or how does that get figured out?

Noah Davidson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Noah Davidson, 2008-11-01 Irvine, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHS-Prep with Shattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

Drafted by Medicine Hat who is losing some players. Prob shows there is my guess

 

[frontsfan67]

Medicine Hat has his rights

Beat me by a second. Can’t see him going USHL after everyone’s leaving unless he goes NTDP

 

[OHL4Life]

Same with this guy Noah Davidson another BC commit for 2026/27 Not a clue where he’s playing in 2025/26 just not sure who would have the rights- would it be a WHL team since he’s from California or how does that get figured out?

Noah Davidson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Noah Davidson, 2008-11-01 Irvine, CA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHS-Prep with Shattuck St. Mary's 18U Prep. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

scroll down that profile, he was drafted by medicine hat

 

[Leviathan899]

Any idea who has the rights to Sam Wathier? NTDP d man struggled this year in both the NTDP and USHL. Could see him coming to the CHL this year before Boston college in 2026/27

Sam Wathier - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Sam Wathier, 2008-05-17 Des Moines, IA, USA USA. Most recently in the USHL with USNTDP Juniors. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

 

[bigsportsfan]

I did some research and it looks like there are currently 19 players who could have returned to the OHL this upcoming season but instead are going to the NCAA. I came up with this number by using this list (CHL to NCAA Tracker: OHL, WHL, QMJHL players going to U.S. college ranks) then removed any players who are committed to the NCAA for a year other than this upcoming season. Then I used AI to find the birth years of each of the players and removed any players with a birth year of 2004. The were 19 players left over.

So essentially, about 1 player per team is not returning due to the new NCAA rules. However, these are top end players so losing 19 players isn't anything we should overlook. As well, more players will likely commit to the NCAA in the coming days.

 

[Kingpin794]

I did some research and it looks like there are currently 19 players who could have returned to the OHL this upcoming season but instead are going to the NCAA. I came up with this number by using this list (CHL to NCAA Tracker: OHL, WHL, QMJHL players going to U.S. college ranks) then removed any players who are committed to the NCAA for a year other than this upcoming season. Then I used AI to find the birth years of each of the players and removed any players with a birth year of 2004. The were 19 players left over.

So essentially, about 1 player per team is not returning due to the new NCAA rules. However, these are top end players so losing 19 players isn't anything we should overlook. As well, more players will likely commit to the NCAA in the coming days.

1) stop using AI to do your work for you.

2) the big names currently set for a 2025-26 freshman year from the OHL are Epperson, Ivankovic, and Spence. Any others are either farther out or not confirmed commitments yet.

3) No one is going to know for sure who is or isn’t going to be leaving until next September. Guys can sign contracts, NHL teams could tell them to stay in junior, their NCAA team might not have room for them, etc. Plus there’s the Jan 10 deadline where you will see a couple guys come back because they don’t like their situation. It’s all still very fluid.

 

[dirty12]

1) stop using AI to do your work for you.

2) the big names currently set for a 2025-26 freshman year from the OHL are Epperson, Ivankovic, and Spence. Any others are either farther out or not confirmed commitments yet.

3) No one is going to know for sure who is or isn’t going to be leaving until next September. Guys can sign contracts, NHL teams could tell them to stay in junior, their NCAA team might not have room for them, etc. Plus there’s the Jan 10 deadline where you will see a couple guys come back because they don’t like their situation. It’s all still very fluid.

I counted 10 players that are probably leaving the OHL and could be top 10 skaters or starting goalie for their OHL team this coming season. While not as alarming as 20, 10 eligible to return players leaving early is significant.

 

[bigsportsfan]

1) stop using AI to do your work for you.

So instead of taking 30 seconds for AI to search the web for each player’s birth year, you think it would be better for me to take an hour and manually search for each players birth year. That is just plain stupid.