NCAA lifts eligibility ban by allowing Canadian Hockey League players to compete at U.S. colleges

The NCAA Division I Council on Thursday approved a rule that will allow players with Canadian Hockey League experience to compete at U.S. colleges starting next season, a landmark decision that has the potential to shake up the NHL’s two biggest sources of developmental talent.

The decision, which takes effect Aug. 1, lifts the NCAA’s long-standing ban on CHL players previously considered professionals from receiving a living stipend of up to $600 per month.

The approval was expected after the council submitted a proposal last month to lift the ban. Players competing in major junior hockey or professional teams can maintain their NCAA qualification as long as they are not paid more than the actual and necessary costs.

The decision also applies to skiing, bringing both into line with NCAA eligibility rules for other sports.

In doing so, the council opened the door for a major change in the way players approaching their 16th birthday decide where to play. Instead of having to choose between one or the other, CHL players can now play NCAA hockey when they become eligible for college.

The decision has the potential to cost the CHL’s top 18-and-older talent or flood American college rosters with Canadians.

The NCAA’s ruling follows a class action lawsuit filed on August 13 in the US District Court in Buffalo, New York, seeking the ban of players from the CHL’s Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League is challenged.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Riley Masterson of Fort Erie, Ont., who lost his college eligibility two years ago when he appeared in two exhibition games for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires at the age of 16. It includes 10 Division I hockey programs, which were selected to show they follow NCAA statutes when it comes to excluding current or former CHL players.

In a separate post in September, Braxton Whitehead said he had verbally committed to Arizona State, making him the first CHL player to attempt to play hockey at the U.S. Division I college level. Whitehead, 20, said he plans to play for the WHL Regina Pats this season before playing for the Sun Devils in 2025-26.

The stipends that CHL players receive are not considered income for tax purposes. College players, meanwhile, receive scholarships and can now earn money through endorsements and other uses of their name, image or likeness.

The change in eligibility could also impact the USHL, which previously signed players who had rejected participation in the CHL to maintain their college eligibility. Two recent NHL No. 1 draft picks, San Jose forward Macklin Celebrini and Buffalo Sabers defenseman Owen Power, both played in the USHL.

Since its inception, the USHL development model has been “intentionally tailored to the student-athlete experience,” the league wrote in a statement in response to the NCAA decision. “The USHL remains the world’s premier development program. All aspects of the league are focused on preparing athletes for collegiate and professional hockey, including on-ice development, academics and character development.