It's been just over a year since CHL players have been deemed eligible for NCAA hockey programs, and Tony Ferrari speaks with some of the most important figures in Canadian junior hockey to share their perspectives on this changing landscape.
The NCAA eligibility changes for hockey players under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella have been a massive talking point over the last few years.
Each league under the CHL operates independently and represent regions across Canada as well as pockets in the northern United States. Each of them seem to have distinct outlooks on these changes.
The OHL has a vision of there being a partnership between junior hockey and the NCAA. The WHL looks at the NCAA as a next step that might be too much too soon if players leave early. The QMJHL seems to have the opinion that it's an opportunity to attract more U.S.-born players and keep those who would have traditionally defected to the USHL or elsewhere.
When speaking to each league’s respective commissioner, they present their perspective with conviction.
“This is an opportunity for us to continue being a big part of a player’s development while working to help them to the NCAA level and beyond,” explained Bryan Crawford, the OHL commissioner.
The OHL seems to be the most willing league to not only embrace the change but actually look at potentially working with the NCAA and its schools to become the premier development pathway.
The league views the ability for players to go up against the incredible under-20 talent that is featured in the OHL as a perfect stepping stone to the NCAA, where they can then compete against players in their early 20s without the pressure of playing pro so quickly.
“We may not be working together right now, but never say never,” said Crawford. “We want players to develop and become the best that they can be. Going from the OHL, or any of the CHL leagues, to the NCAA is going to help them do that.”
The WHL isn’t quite embracing a potential long-term partnership the way the OHL has, but they’ve still found value in it.
They have been looking at building relationships on a team-by-team level. There are clubs and their general managers that have embraced the change and begun developing relationships and there are others that are still dipping their toe in the water cautiously.
“Our teams view it as a strategic choice when they develop good relationships with colleges, attempting to create a flow of players and become a trusted destination,” explained WHL commissioner Dan Near.
“We’re the best place to develop players for the NHL and college coaches acknowledge that we are a pretty darn good place to develop players for their programs as well.”
Near understands the draw of the NCAA and why players view it as an intriguing opportunity, but he’s quick to point out some of the recent departures that still had junior eligibility and the struggles that some of them have experienced.
His message to players in the WHL is that there isn’t a rush to leave for what may be perceived as brighter pastures. Near is of the belief that the NCAA is a bit of shiny new toy at the moment.
The one thing every league can agree on is that players should be looking at the college route once their junior eligibility runs out. Too often, players jump from junior to pro, whether it’s the NHL or AHL, and they simply aren’t quite ready. The NCAA pathway opened up that avenue as a middle ground between junior and pro.
“It’s an interesting exercise to do a roll call of the players who left for the NCAA with junior eligibility and grade how they did last season,” explained Near. “You never know what could have happened if they stayed in junior for another year.”
For every Gavin McKenna who is challenging for the scoring title in the NCAA, there are players like Cayden Lindstrom who have struggled in college. As with anything, there isn’t an exact science to choosing when to move onto the next level.
While he acknowledges that leaving early for college isn't the best for everyone, Crawford is encouraged by players from the OHL becoming among the most desired for college programs in their recruiting process.
“It’s incredible to watch players step into the NCAA from the OHL and immediately become impact players at the next level,” said Crawford. “Look at what Porter Martone did before signing his NHL deal or Jack Ivankovic at Michigan where he became the No. 1 right away.”
Mario Cecchini, the QMJHL Commissioner, has been happily embracing the NCAA’s new eligibility rules. The league has seen an influx of talent from both Americans and Canadians who would have traditionally opted to go the NCAA route.
“The NCAA is more Canadian than it’s ever been and with this new environment, there will be a lot of our guys playing for those college teams,” said Cecchini. “I’m an eternal optimist so my mind was set on figuring out how we make sure this is a positive for us and the NCAA.”
There has always been concerns about players deciding to not report to their junior clubs because of the desire to play college hockey. That’s driven players like Macklin Celebrini and Adam Fantilli to opt for the USHL in recent years before joining their NCAA squad.
The CHL has already seen major benefits from this change. There’s been an influx of players that have come from the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Netminder Brady Knowling joined the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL after spending two years at the program and he’s noted that because of the rule change, he can experience the best of both worlds – junior hockey and the NCAA.
J.P. Hurlbert was one of the most skilled and dangerous scorers in the WHL last season after leaving the NTDP after his U17 season to join the Kamloops Blazers. Now he’s heading to the University of Michigan as he looks to take advantage of the extra playing time he received in the WHL.
It’s not just the NTDP players coming to the CHL though. Nikita Klepov played in the USHL before leading the OHL in scoring last year.
In the QMJHL, Tommy Bleyl is the type of player who never would have played but because of the rule change, he ended up topping nearly every offensive category for blueliners before winning the defenseman of the year award.
“Now there will be plenty of young players who don’t have to choose between the QMJHL or the NCAA,” explained Cecchini. “The players that have come in have raised the level of play in the league as a whole. It’s been a benefit for the QMJHL which is always what I want from any change.”
We are a year into these changes, and the commissioners from the three CHL leagues blend optimism, pessimism, and hopefulness. Every perspective is understandable.
If there is one thing that seems to be true, it’s that the leadership from each of the CHL's leagues have embraced the fact that the NCAA is going to be the next step for many of their players. It’s a new era, and it almost seems inevitable that partnerships between the three leagues and the NCAA will form in one way or another in good time.
Development is going to be improved and at the end of the day, that’s what matters. The players will be better prepared for pro hockey and they won’t have to rush themselves to get there.
It’s a new world and the CHL and NCAA are going to be intertwined from here on out.
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