The North American hockey ecosystem is reportedly on the verge of radical change, as NCAA leaders vote this week to change eligibility rules. This major modification would allow players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) to participate in American university programs subsequently.
A decision is expected by the end of the week, says player agent Charles Blais-Dionne. I was at an NCAA game this weekend, the response was pretty good. In any case, the coaches are supportive. Are the leaders too? It’s radio silence from them for the moment. I expect a statement by Friday.
The one who mainly represents university and junior level athletes is categorical: such a change would disrupt the hockey landscape, both in Canada and in the United States.
The repercussions would be enormous, that’s clear. I’ve been representing players for eight years. It’s a file that has always been there, in the background. We expected it to happen within 5 to 10 years. Not within 5 to 10 months!
Étienne Lafleur, of the Propulsion agency, also believes that it is now a matter of time before the ban on players from the CHL is lifted. Now it remains to be seen when this will be applied. From this year? Next year? But in all cases, we agree that the current operation was not tenable.
Coach Martin Raymond, who was immersed in both the junior and university environments, also sees such a change favorably. The 57-year-old spent more than 15 seasons behind the bench of the university program at McGill, and three others behind that of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
It would open doors for many Canadian players. For the development of hockey in the country, I think it would be positive, explains the man who is now technical director of a sports-studies program at the De Mortagne school, in Boucherville. It would simplify things for the QMJHL. There will be fewer gray areas. There will be less hesitation for young players, who have been holding back from playing in the league so as not to lose their eligibility in the United States.
A precedent
Two elements precipitated things. First, the appearance of the NIL, in the United States, a new provision which since 2019 has allowed university athletes to pocket money thanks to their name or image, for example through sponsorships.
This modification rendered obsolete another NCAA regulation, which excludes players from the CHL from its programs due to their professional status. In fact, the NCAA considers the three Canadian junior leagues to be professional circuits, since athletes receive monthly financial compensation of $600 to cover their expenses.
This week’s vote concerns precisely this aspect. This involves removing the professional name that the NCAA has attached to the QMJHL, the Western League (WHL) and the Ontario League (OHL).
Since players can monetize their image, the NCAA regulations were no longer justified, mentions Étienne Lafleur, who is also a lawyer by profession.
Then, a Regina Pats player threw a wrench into the pond earlier this summer. Braxton Whitehead has expressed his intention to join Arizona State University in 2025-2026, upon completion of his junior internship. This is the second element that accelerated things.
It created a certain chaos, admits Charles Blais-Dionne. But it is a verbal agreement. It is not yet official. Still, it shook everything up. The NCAA has been bombarded with questions ever since.
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American Braxton Whitehead played 195 games with the Regina Pats, between 2021 and 2024.
Photo: Courtesy / Regina Pats
The KAM Sports agency representative says he has received around fifty emails and calls from parents and young players since the news about Braxton Whitehead was reported by the Associated Press on Friday.
I have clients who are 20 years old, who say: “I would love that, to play at Boston University!” It sure raises questions.
A quote from Charles Blais-Dionne, hockey agent
This can of worms had already been opened by Ontarian Riley Masterson, who launched a lawsuit this summer against the NCAA after losing his eligibility for American programs due to two preparatory games he played with the Windsor Spitfires, in the OHL when he was 16 years old.
What I say is that we have to wait for official announcements. The NCAA will have to make an announcement, but so will the Canadian League and the National Hockey League, to clarify the new frameworks. There will be a lot of ramifications everywhere, says the KAM Sports agent.
Raymond, who also worked for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators, hopes this will be an opportunity for the NHL to correct a certain inequity, notably the length of time teams retain rights to their prospects. Currently, Bettman Circuit clubs retain the rights for four years when a player is drafted from the NCAA, compared to only two years if he comes from the CHL.
A demographic shift to the north and south
A change to the regulations would considerably transform the face of Canadian junior level teams and American programs, as well as the work of those involved in the field.
For me, it will be more work, mentions Blais-Dionne. If the deal goes through, there will be more opportunities for players. In junior, players are drafted. In the United States, there is an aspect of geographic preference that comes into play. You analyze the place, the school programs. Canadian junior clubs will also have to cast a wider net, to recruit more throughout North America.
Both agents agree that the players will win in the end. Young hockey players will have more opportunities and more options. There were some who refrained from playing in the CHL for fear of losing their eligibility. There, they could play at 16 and 17 years old, then at 18 years old cross to the United States, notes Blais-Dionne.
It eliminates all that procrastination, and it puts the players in a better frame of mind to make their decision. There is no one route that is better than the other. Lifting the ban will allow options to be better evaluated.
A quote from Étienne Lafleur, agent at Propulsion
Raymond experienced this situation as coach of the Voltigeurs, and as assistant director with the Gatineau Olympics. It happened quite frequently. You draft a player, and he has his own arguments, rightly or wrongly, and you try to convince him. There, it will remove this element of uncertainty among the players and their parents. It would be a good thing to eliminate that.
This could have the effect of rejuvenating the QMJHL, OHL and WHL teams, Blais-Dionne raises. The best players are often 18, 19 years old. There they would leave for the United States. It could be a shame for the Canadian teams, in a sense. But we must not forget that not all Canadian players have the academic record to be accepted into an American university either.
Raymond is not convinced that so many Canadians will be tempted by the siren song of the South. You’re 18 or 19 years old, you have a great junior year ahead of you, will that necessarily tempt you to take the leap and start again as a rookie elsewhere? It won’t be everyone.
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Martin Raymond when he worked for the Ottawa Senators.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Fred Chartrand
Conversely, the CHL could receive a migratory flow from the United States. It’s the best development league in the world, in my opinion,” emphasizes Blais-Dionne. It will become an interesting destination for Americans, especially those who are not good enough to be chosen for the American team. Canadian clubs will begin to cast a wider net in North America in their scouting.
Young Americans generally look to the USHL before joining the NCAA, except for the gifted, who are grouped on the national development team. A league which would therefore be called upon to redefine itself.
Blais-Dionne also notes that certain leagues in the country, such as the BCHL and the AJHL, could suffer from these new parameters. These junior circuits usually attract teenagers who are eyeing the NCAA. Alex Newhook, Cale Makar and Kyle Turris, among others, had followed this route.
These players will no longer have much interest in going to a lower circuit and will immediately turn to the CHL before making the jump to the NCAA, says Blais-Dionne.
What about Canadian universities?
Charles Blais-Dionne, a graduate of Concordia University, however fears the consequences of this new agreement on Canadian universities, which are already struggling to find a place on the ice rinks.
They are the big losers in this story. It’s going to be difficult for them, who are losing a large recruiting pool. Canadian universities recruit between three and five players per year. It won’t be felt right away, but in the long term, it will hurt them.
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The UQTR Patriotes won the Canadian University Championship in 2022.
Photo : U Sports
Martin Raymond remains optimistic and does not see a disaster scenario for Canadian universities. They’re not just going to draw from the CHL. They are also recruiting elsewhere, in junior, in the United States.
He adds that American universities are sometimes wrongly placed on a pedestal. The grass always looks greener elsewhere. We must not minimize the quality of our university institutions. They have good school programs in the United States, but that is also the case here, at McGill, Concordia and Trois-Rivières, the three universities with a hockey program. There will always be Quebecers who will want to continue studying here.
