The NCAA is poised to let in Canadian major junior hockey players. Here’s what it could mean to the CHL

Things have always been the same for junior hockey players pursuing professional careers in North America.
They could choose one of two routes: play Canadian major junior in the CHL, or play in other leagues to maintain their NCAA eligibility. 
That standard might see a seismic shift this week.
The NCAA is reportedly preparing to allow Canadian Hockey League players to play college hockey in the U.S. 
The NCAA Division I Council is set to act on a recommendation to adopt emergency legislation that will remove the prohibition of CHL players in NCAA hockey, according to a report in uscho.com.  They are scheduled to meet Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here’s an explanation of what this means:
Under NCAA bylaws, the CHL’s three leagues — the OHL, WHL and QMJHL — are classified as professional, which forbids their players from competing in U.S. college hockey. 
The CHL is considered a professional league because players receive $600 per month for living expenses, which makes them paid athletes, according to the NCAA. But the stipend isn’t considered income for personal tax purposes.   
However, NCAA players receive scholarships and can now earn income through endorsements using their name, image and likeness (NIL).
According to On3, a media and technology company that covers youth, high school and college sports, the highest NIL valuation is $5.6 million for University of Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, son of multi-sport great Deion Sanders. 
In August, Canadian junior hockey player Rylan Masterson filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in a U.S district court against the NCAA and several schools. In the lawsuit, he argued that the NCAA and U.S. schools were violating antitrust and anti-competitive laws by excluding him and CHL players from playing in the NCAA.
Masterson played two exhibition games for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires in 2022, and hasn’t appeared in a CHL game since. Despite the games being in the pre-season, they cost him  NCAA eligibility. 
One CHL player has already verbally committed to playing in the NCAA, hoping that by the time he joins the restriction will be lifted. Braxton Whitehead of the WHL’s Regina Pats announced a commitment to the Arizona State University Sun Devils last month for the 2025-26 season despite playing 200 games in the WHL.
Whitehead wasn’t drafted by an NHL team and didn’t sign a professional contract elsewhere. 
“I just want to keep playing hockey for as long as I can,” Whitehead told reporters in Regina last month.  
For many juniors looking to play in the NCAA, the Junior A leagues across Canada and the U.S. are where they go to play before college. 
Those options include the United States Hockey League, Ontario Junior Hockey League, Alberta Junior Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League.
These leagues have established their model as preparation for the NCAA. However, that might have to change if the NCAA restriction on CHL players is lifted, as they might see more players opt for the CHL instead. 
This change would also have an impact on U Sports, Canada’s university sports body.
In 2017, the CHL invested $9.6 million in academic scholarships at Canadian universities for its graduates, giving them the opportunity to continue playing after their CHL careers are over. 
Without the option of playing in the NCAA, many CHL grads elect to play in U Sports because of scarce opportunities elsewhere and the chance of receiving an education. 
If the NCAA barrier is lifted, those CHL graduates can play in the U.S. instead, leaving U Sports men’s hockey vulnerable.
The NHL has several rules regarding CHL and NCAA  players.
In the CHL, players under 20 who were drafted by an NHL team are ineligible to play in the AHL and must be sent back to their major junior club for the remainder of the season — unless   recalled on an emergency basis.  
NHL teams that draft players from the CHL retain their rights for two years if they don’t sign. After that time, those players can re-enter the draft.  
NCAA players are not allowed to be under NHL contracts. As soon as they sign, they forego college eligibility. However, if a player is drafted out of the NCAA, NHL clubs retain their rights for four years.
Once those rights expire and no contract is signed, those players can become free agents, a common tactic used by NCAA players to choose their own destiny with Hobey Baker Award winner Jimmy Vesey the most high-profile example. The forward, drafted by the Nashville Predators in 2012, used this loophole to sign with the New York Rangers as a free agent in 2016 and is entering his ninth NHL season.
If the bylaw is changed, it’s still to be determined if CHL players who sign NHL entry-level contracts and are reassigned to their major junior club will also be allowed to compete in the NCAA. If so, tweaks will likely have to be made regarding the expiration of NHL rights. 
Overall, these changes could greatly affect how NHL teams manage, scout and develop prospects.
The NHL and its players’ association are expected to begin talks toward a new collective  agreement in early 2025, where discussions regarding these rules might arise if the NCAA changes its bylaw.