The effects of a recent rule change have sparked uncertainty within the hockey community, especially among youth leagues like the CHL.
In November 2024, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) voted to allow CHL players to be eligible to play NCAA hockey. As previously reported by The Omega, CHL players were ineligible to play in NCAA hockey because they were already considered professional, having already played alongside or against players with NHL contracts. This meant players had to choose between the CHL and the NCAA, but because of the changes, CHL players can now go to the United States once they meet the NCAA criteria.
Yet what does this mean from the perspective of a coach? Head coach and general manager of the Kamloops Blazers, Shaun Clouston, said he knew something like this was coming for a while, and nothing was anticipated.
“Things happened fast,” Clouston said. “The immediate reaction was ‘What does this look like? What’s next?’”
Clouston says JP Hurlbert, one of two Americans on the Blazers, had left the National Development Team Program in the United States to join the team. Kaeden Tate, an American goaltender who signed the following season, is expected to join the Blazers full-time next season. However, this may or may not occur due to the eligibility changes. Yet the changes the NCAA has introduced have sparked renewed interest among several players in leaving the CHL and going down south instead.
Clouston also said that the CHL schedule is more aligned with the NHL schedule than the NCAA schedule, citing fewer weekend games and no winter break around the holiday season. One of the main challenges the CHL faces now is player retention.
“We still want to acquire players through the draft,” Clouston said. “If we can get players drafted to the NHL and signed, then they’ll stay and play for us. But there have been a number of teams that have had players leave already, and that has been a challenge moving forward.”
The NCAA offers money, which is one of the leading reasons why players choose to leave the CHL. Additionally, the NCAA has a much older league than the 16-20-year age range the CHL operates in. On the contrary, the reason players may choose to stay, at least in the WHL, is that for every season a player is with the Blazers, for example, a year of school is paid for. Most NCAA schools typically play around 30 games a season, while the WHL plays 68 or more. Clouston also said that the CHL schedule is more aligned with the NHL schedule than the NCAA schedule, citing fewer weekend games and no winter break around the holiday season.
It was also more likely that players who had left the CHL were having tougher seasons than those who stayed in the CHL, Clouston told The Omega. He mentioned that by staying to play in the CHL as long as one can, they can continue to develop both physically and mentally.
“There might be some more pressure,” Clouston said.
“We’ve got players who have gone through the process of being drafted and signed and are playing in the NHL,” Clouston said, listing players such as Logan Stankoven, Emmet Finnie and Fraser Minten. “Those are players that have all gone through the traditional Western Hockey League, get drafted and signed and now are regular everyday players in the NHL.”
Players may eventually have to come to a decision on whether or not they’d want to stay in the CHL.
“Our schedule is more geared towards the NHL. I think that helps players transition,” he told The Omega.
Looking ahead, there can only be anticipation about what the future holds for the CHL, WHL and NCAA.