The competition for junior hockey talent heated up the minute the NCAA Division 1 Council announced eligibility for Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players.
Players in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) had previously been prohibited to play NCAA Div. 1 hockey because they were considered professionals.
But on Thursday, Nov. 7, the NCAA Division 1 Council approved a rule allowing players with CHL experience to compete at Div. 1 US colleges starting Aug. 1, 2025.
The BCHL has traditionally been one of the key providers of hockey talent for the NCAA Div. 1 universities. In 2023-24, the league committed more than 292 players, including 66 players from the five Alberta teams, and 11 from the Trail Smoke Eaters.
“The BCHL remains committed to its development model of preparing student athletes for college hockey on the ice, in the classroom and in the community,” said a statement from BCHL chair Rich Murphy after the announcement.
“The BCHL has been around for 63 years and has been a pipeline to the NCAA for decades, with the league alumni currently making up 25 per cent of all Division 1 players.”
The BCHL has worked to improve and increase its talent pool and create the best league for players looking to play in the NCAA. On the way, however, it has alienated itself from Hockey Canada by declaring its independence on June 1, 2023.
This NCAA announcement raises concerns and will impact the BCHL, but to what extent has yet to be determined.
“It's the hockey world … things are always evolving," said Trail Smoke Eaters head coach and GM, Tim Fragle. "And that is going to change how we operate.
“The landscape over the next 18-to-24 months - is our league going to get younger? Or because of the change - how is that going to affect the rosters for the BCHL teams?”
While the BCHL has competed with teams from the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), U.S. Hockey League (USHL) and North American Hockey League (NAHL) for college bound players over the years, the Major Junior players were not part of the equation.
With the current decision, there will be nothing stopping young elite players from choosing the competitive route to the WHL, OHL, and/or QMJHL rather than the BCHL.
“We're obviously seeing Major Junior teams trying to take players from our league, and that's because there are good players here, now they're committed they can do that, so we are going to have to be ready for anything,” said Fragle.
Coincidentally, on Nov. 11, the West Kelowna Warriors announced it had released forward Jack Pridham, a third-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks, to the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL. The 19-year-old, Stouffville, Ont. product is committed to Boston University, but not until 2025-26 when eligibility kicks in.
The NCAA’s ruling follows a class-action lawsuit filed Aug. 13 in U.S. district court in Buffalo challenging the ban of CHL players. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Jr. B player who lost his college eligibility when he was 16, because he appeared in two exhibition games for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires.
The lawsuit lists 10 Division I hockey programs, which were selected to show they follow the NCAA’s bylaws in barring current or former CHL players.
The Smoke Eaters have built a very good team this season, thanks to an impressive group of scouts, coaches, and a dedicated recruiting process. However, the NCAA council's decision has opened the door to 60 CHL teams, whose players now have Div.1 access, making the recruiting process that much more competitive.
“Recruiting was super competitive to begin with, now you add this wrinkle into there,” said Fragle. “It is always a challenge recruiting kids before this rule came down, they could choose between the Western league and the NCAA route, but now they can do both, so it will be really challenging for us to navigate through.”
Still, many CHL players with a professional pedigree may choose not to because they are better off playing 68 games in a CHL season rather than the 30 played in NCAA hockey; others may not make the jump simply because they're not academically inclined.
The BCHL may not see as many Top Prospects from the NHL Scouting List among its rosters, but the hockey pool is extensive and, in a way, it will enhance opportunities for many players that are as talented, but not as fortunate.
Still, the Smoke Eaters and other BCHL franchises will need to find ways to compete with the CHL and its traditional Jr. A teams in Canada and the U.S.
The most obvious way of doing that, says Fragle, is by promoting their best and most reliable assets.
“What we need to continue to sell to prospective players is the player experience that you get here in Trail with our facility, with our fan support, and town support,” said Fragle.
“You don't get that experience everywhere so I'm going to continue to sell that because when we get players here, they really enjoy their experience and their development, and they feel a part of the community, so we have to continue to promote that.”
The decision by the NCAA opens opportunities and options for many CHL players, and while it may indeed impact the BCHL, the league will continue to develop, adapt and improve as it has done for decades.
“I think it will stay the same,” said Fragle. “There are still good players playing everywhere.
"I don't know if the league is going to get younger or older, it's still pretty early to make those guesses.”
Note: Smoke Eaters fans can support the team this weekend by celebrating Parents Weekend, as the team prepares to play Interior Conference rivals West Kelowna and Penticton Vees on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Trail Memorial Centre.
