The NCAA Division I council voted Thursday to make Canadian Hockey League (major junior) players eligible for NCAA Division I hockey and those players may start to participate on NCAA Division I hockey teams effective August 1, 2025.
Players may participate in the CHL (Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League) without jeopardizing their NCAA Division I hockey eligibility provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses for their participation.
The new eligibility for CHL players does not apply to NCAA Division III; CHL players are still ineligible for NCAA Division III hockey.
The United States Hockey League (USHL) released a statement shortly after today’s announcement.
“Since its inception, the United States Hockey League (USHL) development model has been holistically and intentionally aligned with the student-athlete experience,” reads the statement. “The USHL remains the world’s premier development path. All aspects of the league are focused on preparing athletes for collegiate and professional hockey, inclusive of on-ice, academic and character development. The USHL claims more than half of NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey players, while producing more NHL draft picks than any other league in the world over the past eight seasons. The USHL prepares players by providing them exposure, resources and experiences that empower young men for peak success.”
The CHL also released a statement.
“The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) along with its member leagues, the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), are aware of the rule change announced earlier today by the NCAA which alters the eligibility of CHL players allowing them to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey starting next season,” the statement said. “While we will take time to fully review this rule change, we believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL. It will also give young players and their families more options in choosing their development path, which includes opening up the CHL – the best development hockey league in the world for players aged 16-20 – to more players worldwide. For 55 consecutive years, the CHL has been the number one supplier of talent to the NHL. At the beginning of the 2024-25 NHL campaign, there were 390 CHL graduates on NHL rosters, marking once again the most of any development league in the world. Additionally, at last summer’s 2024 NHL Draft, the CHL led the way as 88 CHL players were drafted including 14 in the first round.
“We remain strongly committed to carrying on that tradition of success on the ice while embracing the enhanced academic options that this rule change will present off the ice.”
OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford put out an open letter regarding today’s ruling.
“Today is a big day for hockey and the young players that make our great game so special,” Crawford wrote. “On behalf of the Ontario Hockey League, I’m excited to share the collective enthusiasm expressed league-wide following the NCAA Division I council’s vote affirming the eligibility of Canadian Hockey League players for NCAA Division I hockey programs effective August 1, 2025. This is a landmark decision that gives OHL players additional avenues and opportunities to pursue their hockey, academic and life goals upon graduation from our league. It also opens the OHL’s doors to talented young student athletes with NCAA aspirations, providing them the opportunity to take their game to the next level in the number one development league in the world. The OHL will continue to maintain a high standard as the leading supplier of talent to the National Hockey League while emphasizing the same blend of on-ice excellence with an off-ice commitment to character development and academics that has made the League what it is today.
“Through this transition, the league will continue to honor its commitments through the OHL scholarship and development program to players as they play out their years of eligibility, setting 20- and 21-year-old graduates up for success as they embark on new challenges both on the ice and in the classroom through both the NCAA and U SPORTS. The Ontario Hockey League has produced world class talent for decades, and this latest development signals a new chapter in the story of the greatest junior hockey league in the world. It’s a pleasure to be part of the OHL community and I share our collective excitement for what the future holds.”
