NCAA to allow CHL players to play hockey?

[MeHateHe]

I could see less interest in stuff like the Centennial Cup and World Junior A challenge, but I think local teams will be alright.

I think this could lead to greater interest in national championships. The focus in Junior A has been heavily skewed toward individual success - leagues and teams promote themselves as ways to get players to scholarships. With that now limited, teams and leagues will need to boast more about team success.

This is how things were in the 80s and 90s. I suspect we go back there.

As for the BCHL, the smart thing for them to do is to continue to market themselves as a development spot for players coming out of high school who still need some seasoning before they go the college. They won't be playing as high quality competition every night as in the WHL, but avoiding some of the ridiculous road trips in the Dub would surely be a selling feature. It might lead to some retrenchment in the BCHL, but they could still survive with 12-16 teams in a purely BC league. Those Alberta teams should probably go crawling back to the AJHL.

 

[edog37]

Statement from the WHL commish:

Statement from WHL Commissioner on NCAA men's hockey eligibility changes - Western Hockey League

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 key points are "graduates"...so this implies that you can't break the CHL contract to join a college. This muddies the water a bit.

Sure they could. The NCAA team offers said kid a full ride, thereby negating the CHL scholarship.

 

[Yukon Joe]

What recourse would a league have if a player just went to the NCAA and played?

I think that was answered above.

If a CHL played doesn't play through to 19-20 they lose their CHL scholarship money.

 

[Bubbles]

I'll say it again: this will re-order the hockey landscape. Junior A will revert to its prior status as a feeder league for major junior and, as a result, will likely get younger. A couple of teams may see this as the death of their raison d'etre and pack it in, but the majority are going to look for ways to adapt.

I don't know what the BCHL does, given that they have sold themselves as being the primary path from Canadian junior to NCAA, and burned a lot of bridges on the way.

But as long as there are players and paying customers (whatever the product), there will be hockey teams and leagues to house them. Predictions of the widescale death of junior A in Canada are wildly premature.

The BCHL has been a feeder league to the NCAA, not major junior.

The quality will take a dive in Junior A. The top recruits will now join the WHL and have an opportunity to play NCAA.

Sure, there will still be lower level kids trying to get scholarships to NCAA but not Div 1 schools because those teams will be recruiting heavily from the CHL ranks. Perhaps the talk of Junior A's death is a bit premature, but for sure it will no longer be considered a decent path to an NHL career.

 

[Corso]

The BCHL has been a feeder league to the NCAA, not major junior.

The quality will take a dive in Junior A. The top recruits will now join the WHL and have an opportunity to play NCAA.

Sure, there will still be lower level kids trying to get scholarships to NCAA but not Div 1 schools because those teams will be recruiting heavily from the CHL ranks. Perhaps the talk of Junior A's death is a bit premature, but for sure it will no longer be considered a decent path to an NHL career.

Consider current Junior A leagues as the new B leagues, and consider the USHL as the new BCHL. The various Junior leagues in the U.S. like the NAHL will primarily be a development path for D-III colleges while the leagues in Canada such as the OJHL will mainly be feeders to the CHL and U-Sports.

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855290220960178500

Elliotte with some more deets.

 

[Yukon Joe]

This is probably good in the long run, but really sucks for any kid that deliberately chose Junior A to preserve their NCAA eligibility.

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1855644689707209193

First player I'm aware of who has gone to CHL.

 

[Voight]

Well, we all knew London would be the first team.

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856132713394143574

And another