Last season, the NCAA made a landmark decision which allowed CHL players to retain their amateur status and thus become eligible across the board for the NCAA for the first time. 

Since then, both leagues have seen massive shifts in player movement. 

While some leagues like the QMJHL have seen a seismic shift in terms of American interest in the league while incurring few losses, the jury is still out on whether the deal has paid off in dividends for the OHL and WHL, who suffered many early departures, including the likes of projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna. 

Regardless, the influx of otherwise USHL or Junior A-bound talent to the CHL cannot be understated. Here are some of the most notable draft-eligible prospects to keep your eyes on throughout the season, who, if not for the eligibility decision last November, would not be in the CHL.

OHL

Ryan Kennedy’s early 2026 NHL draft rankings features a couple of NCAA-bound OHLers in defenseman Chase Reid (22nd) and forward Nikita Klepov (32nd).

Reid (Michigan St.) is coming off a stellar 40-point, 39-game season since joining the Soo Greyhounds out of the NAHL, and is among the many high-end puck-moving defensemen in this draft class.

Saginaw’s Nikita Klepov (Michigan St.) made the move from the USHL to the OHL via the import draft ahead of this season, after scoring 31 points with the Sioux City Musketeers. 

Other notables include: Ryder Cali (North Bay/uncommitted), Ryder Fetterolf (Ottawa/Penn State), Caden Harvey (Windsor/Penn State), Alexander Karmanov (Brantford/Penn State), Beksultan Makysh (Windsor/uncommitted), Caleb Malholtra (Brantford/Boston Univ.), Vladimir Provorov (Sudbury/Ohio St.), Joseph Salandra (Barrie/Harvard), Maxim Sokolovsky (London/Maine), Thomas Vandenberg (Ottawa/Providence). 

Lin, Roobroeck And Villeneuve First Three Named To CHL-USA Prospects Challenge Roster Last year, the debut of the CHL-USA Prospect Challenge was a resounding success, as the CHL and the USA National Team Development Program collaborated to showcase the majority of top NHL draft talent in North America. Fans, media, scouts and everyone else involved were ecstatic with the newly formed showcase.

QMJHL

The QMJHL has arguably been the league with the highest return on investment, with a massive influx of US-based talent coming over the border to join the league.

Saint John Sea Dogs centerman Oliviers Murnieks (uncommitted) and Victoriaville’s Yegor Shilov (Boston Univ.) each made the jump from the USHL via the import draft and have both appeared within the first round of public lists already. Murnieks had amassed 35 points over 52 games with the Musketeers last season, while Shilov had 28 points over 39 games with the Green Bay Gamblers.

Meanwhile, Sea Dogs blueliner Cameron Chartrand (Boston College), who recently represented Team Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, is the league’s biggest move on the blueline as the former QMJHL first-round pick was slated to continue his career stateside before the rule change.

Other notables include: Will Bent (Halifax/Providence), Tommy Bleyl (Moncton/Michigan St.), Rian Chudzinski (Moncton/uncommitted), Nolan Duskocy (Charlottetown/UMass), Noah Florent (Gatineau/Neb.-Omaha), Jude Herron (Charlottetown/Maine), Oleg Kulebyakin (Halifax/uncommitted), Enzo Lottin (Victoriaville/Neb.-Omaha), Alexandre Taillefer (Quebec/UMass), Alexei Vlasov (Victoriaville/Connecticut), Jacoby Weiner (Moncton/Harvard).

WHL

The ‘Dub’, thanks to their governance over most of the central and western United States, including Minnesota, has seen massive jumps in terms of commitments from notable prospects.

Kamloops Blazers’ forward J.P. Hurlbert (Univ. of Michigan) should be the biggest name, with Ryan Kennedy ranking the former USA National Team Development Program project as the 30th top prospect in his inaugural ranking of the 2026 class. 

In terms of goaltenders, the WHL had a field day as the Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets snagged ex-NTDP goaltender Harrison Boettiger (uncommitted) and the Medicine Hat Tigers stole Carter Casey (Univ. of Minnesota), who burst into the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks late last season and stole the starting gig during the playoffs, posting a .915 save percentage while carrying the Blackhawks to a USHL finals appearance. Both of whom project as potential Top-100 prospects for the draft as of right now.

Other notables include: Landon Amrheim (Calgary/uncommitted), Sean Burick (Penticton/Denver), Phoenix Cahill (Prince George/Colorado), Dylan Dean (Edmonton/Maine), Kyle Heger (Medicine Hat/W. Michigan), Noah Kosick (Calgary/Michigan), Will McLaughlin (Portland/Colorado), Luke Wilfley (Portland/Arizona St.).

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