Players in the Canadian Hockey League will be eligible to play men’s Division I NCAA ice hockey starting next season.
The NCAA Division I Council voted Thursday that players who have skated in one of the three CHL leagues -- the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League -- will be permitted to play NCAA hockey effective Aug. 1, 2025, provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses prior to enrolling in college.
Previously, CHL players had been considered professionals and barred because of the NCAA’s amateurism rules, in part because some CHL players have signed NHL entry-level contracts.
The decision gives players more options as to where they choose to develop prior to entering the NHL.
At the 2024 NHL Draft, the top two picks each played NCAA hockey -- forward Macklin Celebrini, selected No. 1 by the San Jose Sharks from Boston University, and defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who went to the Chicago Blackhawks at No. 2 after playing at Michigan State University.
However, University of Denver defenseman Zeev Buium (No. 12, Minnesota Wild) was the only other NCAA player picked in the first round, while 14 players from the CHL (nine OHL, five WHL) were selected, including eight of the top 13.
“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,” the CHL said in a statement. “It will also give young players and their families more options in choosing their development path. … We remain strongly committed to carrying on that tradition of success on the ice while embracing the enhanced academic options that this rule change will present off the ice.”
