NCAA / CHL Lawsuit
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dm8895
V-Reds , McJesus Stan , Beer Leaguer
How an NCAA-CHL rule change could impact elite hockey at many levels
There is no doubt that Thursday's NCAA Division I Council meeting could result in major ramifications for elite men's hockey, for players in their early teens right up to the NHL. What is far less clear is exactly how the hockey landscape will shift if the council votes to allow CHL players to...
AUS Fan
Registered User
A lot of unknowns in this article. Hope to see some clarity after the mettings.How an NCAA-CHL rule change could impact elite hockey at many levels
There is no doubt that Thursday's NCAA Division I Council meeting could result in major ramifications for elite men's hockey, for players in their early teens right up to the NHL. What is far less clear is exactly how the hockey landscape will shift if the council votes to allow CHL players to...www.sportsnet.ca
dm8895
V-Reds , McJesus Stan , Beer Leaguer
Obviously I’m just speculating and I know no more than anyone else does but my two cents …
I keep seeing people saying “this level will be the winners, this level will be the losers” . The two that I most commonly see being mentioned as losers happen to be the two I follow closest CIS and Tier 2.
In both cases I don’t think you can say the product will be affected negatively or positively as a whole . You almost are going to have to judge it on a league by league/conference and even team by team basis .
In USports I think you are kidding yourself if you don’t think the elite programs will be hurt , look at UNB’s top 6 , those are the kind of overages US teams would have had interest in , however I look at a team like Dalhousie and it probably has very little if any impact on them, so this could almost accomplish what the “roster cap” was intended to do and create more parity in the league.
The people who say “this hurts Jr.A the most” are actually saying “this hurts Jr.A out west and in the States the most” , the further East in Canada you go, the more tier 2 operates as a feeder to Major Junior and not the NCAA , hell before Josh Henry this past month I’m pretty sure the last Maritime League player to commit to a Div.1 team was Nadeau , so out west it could have a big impact but in leagues like the MHL and Quebec it could honesty be a good thing , more players going to Major Junior could push the bottom Q guys into tier 2 and raise the calibre , which would have a trickle down into Jr.B etc.
This is all speculation and as has been said so many moving parts and it will probably take a decade to get the full picture but what I’m trying to say is I don’t think it will be a black/white (good/bad) to those two levels that inevitably will be impacted most .
I keep seeing people saying “this level will be the winners, this level will be the losers” . The two that I most commonly see being mentioned as losers happen to be the two I follow closest CIS and Tier 2.
In both cases I don’t think you can say the product will be affected negatively or positively as a whole . You almost are going to have to judge it on a league by league/conference and even team by team basis .
In USports I think you are kidding yourself if you don’t think the elite programs will be hurt , look at UNB’s top 6 , those are the kind of overages US teams would have had interest in , however I look at a team like Dalhousie and it probably has very little if any impact on them, so this could almost accomplish what the “roster cap” was intended to do and create more parity in the league.
The people who say “this hurts Jr.A the most” are actually saying “this hurts Jr.A out west and in the States the most” , the further East in Canada you go, the more tier 2 operates as a feeder to Major Junior and not the NCAA , hell before Josh Henry this past month I’m pretty sure the last Maritime League player to commit to a Div.1 team was Nadeau , so out west it could have a big impact but in leagues like the MHL and Quebec it could honesty be a good thing , more players going to Major Junior could push the bottom Q guys into tier 2 and raise the calibre , which would have a trickle down into Jr.B etc.
This is all speculation and as has been said so many moving parts and it will probably take a decade to get the full picture but what I’m trying to say is I don’t think it will be a black/white (good/bad) to those two levels that inevitably will be impacted most .
dm8895
V-Reds , McJesus Stan , Beer Leaguer
August.1 CHL players will be eligible to play NCAA hockey. This is going to be interesting to see play out over the next few years.
MiamiHockeyII
Registered User
- Mar 24, 2022
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They didn't prepare for it? All that chest beating all for not. Pretty funny.
FreddyFoyle
Registered User
My gut feelings:
Teams like UNB might lose their "destination program" status for top-end Major Junior 20-year-olds. But I think UNB, Alberta, etc. will still attract "the best of the rest" so it shouldn't change the power dynamic much.
However, the NCAA Div I programs will have probably have to offer full-ride scholarships to be comparable to the CHL education packages for players going to USports. How many kids can afford half-tuition if the cost is $25-50K USD?
There will be turmoil in the transfer portal. You will now have CHL players added to the current recruit pool. More choices for coaches in Div I. Will even more players end up coming back to USports if they get cut and can't land at another top Div I school?
I believe the top Junior A leagues are going to take the biggest hit. Potential star committs aren't going to want to continue to do their "red shirt" time in the USHL or BCHL; they'll go to the CHL and then to NCAA.
Teams like UNB might lose their "destination program" status for top-end Major Junior 20-year-olds. But I think UNB, Alberta, etc. will still attract "the best of the rest" so it shouldn't change the power dynamic much.
However, the NCAA Div I programs will have probably have to offer full-ride scholarships to be comparable to the CHL education packages for players going to USports. How many kids can afford half-tuition if the cost is $25-50K USD?
There will be turmoil in the transfer portal. You will now have CHL players added to the current recruit pool. More choices for coaches in Div I. Will even more players end up coming back to USports if they get cut and can't land at another top Div I school?
I believe the top Junior A leagues are going to take the biggest hit. Potential star committs aren't going to want to continue to do their "red shirt" time in the USHL or BCHL; they'll go to the CHL and then to NCAA.
Here challenge if you enroll in post secondary education your ncaa eligibility starts. Unless ncaa change that rule which I don’t see in new agreement
AUS Fan
Registered User
BREAKING: NCAA DI Council Votes to Make CHL Players Eligible
College Hockey Inc. - Your NCAA Hockey Resource
UNB Bruins Fan
Registered User
Don’t CHL players have to be enrolled in post-secondary studies to be remain eligible for the scholarship package?
Only in Q I believe
I remember Anthony Repaci was going go D1 but enrolled in college class. Which resulted in ncaa eligibility clock to start. Anthony ended up at SMU
dm8895
V-Reds , McJesus Stan , Beer Leaguer
UNB Bruins Fan
Registered User
This is kind of how I see it…and maybe it’s an overly simplistic/optimistic view. At the end of the day there are going to be the same number of good players available + the same number of teams. So while I think U Sports teams may have to broaden their recruiting net, so to speak, to find players…I’m not sure how much the quality of play is going to drop.
I find the biggest detriment to the quality of the league comes when the NHL/AHL/ECHL add expansion teams, which provides more pro opportunities to guys who otherwise might’ve went the university route.
I’m also curious what happens to the NCAA players who are at bottom of the depth chart now and will either get pushed further down or there will no longer be a spot for them once the CHL players come in…do they look towards U SPORTS?
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AUS Fan
Registered User
I can't see too many US born players going to the CIS if they're pushed off the team by a CHL player.
UNB Bruins Fan
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JMCx4
Welcome to: The Dumbing Down Era of HFBoards
FloHockey's Chris Peters offers his take on the latest news ...
NCAA Approves New Rule Making CHL Players Eligible: What You Need To Know
Nov 08, 2024
Chris Peters
The entire developmental landscape in hockey is about to undergo its most dramatic shift in the modern era.
Thursday afternoon, the NCAA’s Division I council adopted rule changes that will allow athletes to retain eligibility even if they are involved with professional teams prior to enrollment. This decision is not final until the meeting is concluded, but this measure has already passed the vote.
This now opens the door to players from the Canadian Hockey League to be eligible to participate in NCAA hockey.
With the current rules, the CHL is expressly considered a professional league by the NCAA, largely because players with NHL contracts can be loaned back to the league. That will no longer be the case.
Per the NCAA, the new rule would allow men’s hockey and skiing athletes to compete with and against professionals. Per the NCAA, the new rule “would enable prospects who participate in major junior ice hockey or on professional teams to retain NCAA eligibility as long as they are not paid more than actual and necessary expenses as part of that participation.”
This ruling comes on the heels of a legal challenge filed earlier this year by a Canadian player who saw his NCAA eligibility lost after playing in preseason games with a team in the OHL. While that lawsuit specifically is not the cause of this, it probably hastened the action.
The NCAA has been losing legal battle after legal battle when it comes to amateurism and anti-trust laws. This is one they almost certainly would have lost, too.
This is a seismic change that could significantly alter the landscape of hockey’s developmental ladder. It may take years to fully understand the impact of this decision.
Here are some of the burning questions that may have answers, and many more that do not. ...
Read the Questions & a few Answers at:
NCAA Approves New Rule Making CHL Players Eligible: What You Need To Know - FloHockey
The NCAA Division I council approved a rule that will allow Canadian Hockey League players to become eligible to play men's college hockey.www.flohockey.tv
Melfort Mustang legend and Saskatoon Blades coach Kevin Dickie? Martin Erat, Ryan Keller, Mike Green... Kevin Dickie?
Takes me back a few lifetimes.
Takes me back a few lifetimes.
dm8895
V-Reds , McJesus Stan , Beer Leaguer
I was looking at the 2003-2004 UNB roster tonight because it keeps coming to mind for me that this is what I think a good USports team will look like in 10 years, 7 players played at least their over age year in tier 2 , 3 older guys who had pro experience .
Despite what a certain twitter account would tell you that CIS hockey is going to die , everyone in Fredericton says that the best hockey game ever played in this city involved this team…
The hockey can still be great even if we don’t have 100 point CHL stars playing .. I think of some of my favourite players to come through UNB - Craig Perry , Lachlan MacIntosh , Dion Campbell etc and I don’t even know in 2024 if any of those guys would get a shot in the top half of the AUS but they all developed into good players who by year 4 were good enough to play on the modern team.
Despite what a certain twitter account would tell you that CIS hockey is going to die , everyone in Fredericton says that the best hockey game ever played in this city involved this team…
The hockey can still be great even if we don’t have 100 point CHL stars playing .. I think of some of my favourite players to come through UNB - Craig Perry , Lachlan MacIntosh , Dion Campbell etc and I don’t even know in 2024 if any of those guys would get a shot in the top half of the AUS but they all developed into good players who by year 4 were good enough to play on the modern team.
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Other leagues, other levels, players, managers and commissioners....they will all make additional changes to suit their own interests, benefits or agendas. Some small changes and maybe some others will be big changes. If anyone thinks the NCAA vote is the only thing that will change, you're fooling yourself. As the saying goes, the only thing that is constant is change.
AUS Fan
Registered User
AUS Fan
Registered User
Yes, but the current UNB fan wants a 30-0 season every year and wants top tier players on the team. They want every win to be 10-0 and they don't want to wait 4 days let alone 4 years for player development.
That's one drawback with being a very successful franchise - the fanbase expects you to repeat every year.
I'm not sure of that. If they've never played CHL they have no school money.
AdamMcg83
Registered User
This commitment got me thinking - a lot of this thread is from a UNB/AUS perspective, where many top CHL grads end up. Parsons, for instance, would have been on the radar of many top-level USports programs.
But it'll be interesting to see if the D1 opportunities are also there for the major junior OAs that are maybe less-heralded (for instance, a third-line grinder or a goalie who makes 25 starts a year). As we know, these players are much closer in ability to players in Jr A (and even some Jr B leagues, like the GOJHL). So will those players simply become the ones that head east? Or will each program have to become more discerning to discover talent at every level?
The reality is that our league has a competitiveness problem: 25 of the past 26 UCup finals have included at least one of UNB, Alberta, or UQTR. No idea if this rule change will fix that problem (which, admittedly isn't a problem if you're a fan of one of those programs), but there is a world where this produces more parity nationwide.
