NCAA Eligibility After 2025: The New Rules

Until 2025, playing a single major junior game was enough to lose NCAA Division I hockey eligibility, because the CHL was classified as a professional league for NCAA purposes. In November 2024, the NCAA Division I Council approved a rule change. Beginning August 1, 2025, CHL experience no longer ends NCAA eligibility.

What changed

• CHL players can now commit to and enroll in NCAA Division I men's hockey programs.
• Time spent in the CHL does not count against NCAA eligibility years on its own.
• Players who previously could only choose one path can now move between them in either direction.

What did not change

Players who sign an NHL contract or who play in a recognized professional league still lose NCAA eligibility. The eligibility clock and amateurism rules still apply. Specifics around how CHL benefits (such as the scholarship package or stipends) interact with NCAA amateurism are still being settled and continue to evolve.

Note: the rule change applies to NCAA Division I men's hockey only. NCAA Division III still treats CHL participation as professionalization, so a player who plays a CHL game remains ineligible for NCAA Division III hockey.

What it means in practice

Expect more 19- and 20-year-old players moving from major junior to the NCAA, more NCAA programs scouting CHL games heavily, and more 16-year-old prospects choosing between paths with full knowledge that they can change later. The recruiting market is more fluid than it has been in 40 years.