How NCAA changes to men's hockey eligibility is reshaping Canada's hockey pipeline

The Western Hockey League (WHL) and U Sports, the national governing body for university sports in Canada, are two of many leagues navigating the fallout of a recent NCAA rule change ahead of the 2025-26 season. 

In November 2024, the NCAA Division 1 Council voted to change Canadian Hockey League (CHL) player eligibility, making CHL players eligible to play NCAA Division 1 men's hockey. The CHL oversees the Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. 

The change officially came into effect on Aug. 1, 2025. 

Pierre Arsenault, the CEO of U Sports, says the change has destabilized the traditional movement of players. Before the change, players had to choose between playing in the CHL or the NCAA — a choice typically made in their mid-teens. 

Now, CHL players can leave for the American collegiate system once they meet certain criteria set out by the NCAA, such as graduating from high school. 

"Although it's one governing body making changes, it's having impacts across the entire North American hockey system," Arsenault said. "Impacts, I think, everyone is still making sense of." 

Teams in the CHL are directly feeling those impacts — especially the Victoria Royals of the WHL. 

According to Sportsnet's CHL to NCAA tracker, six players who were on the Royals roster last season will play men's hockey in the United States in the fall — including Cole Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff, who left the Royals to join the University of North Dakota (UND) Fighting Hawks.

Reschny, the Calgary Flames' 18th overall selection in the 2025 NHL draft, is in favour of the change, allowing CHL players to play in the NCAA. 

 "It's tough," Reschny said. "You're 14 years old, and you have to make the