SAGINAW, Michigan (WNEM) – There is a new rule for Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players.

Players can now leave any CHL league, including the OHL, and continue playing at the NCAA level.

Before this it was either the CHL or the NCAA; You can only play in one. Now a player can do both.

The typical prediction for a player would now be to play in the CHL and then go to the NCAA.

The CHL will get a little younger but have more talent, while the NCAA will get a little older but have more developed talent.

A win-win situation for both parties.

“Saginaw Spirit is one of the best development cultures for a hockey player, and this opens up another avenue, another door, to get these elite athletes,” said Saginaw Spirit president Craig Goslin. “It’s about development, it’s about developing the best of the best. This league is not for everyone; this is for elite athletes and now you get better when you are surrounded by other elite athletes. “It’s like everything in life, and what we’re going to do here is add another layer of elite athletes to the Saginaw Spirit’s roster.”

The CHL released a statement regarding this rule change earlier this month:

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL), along with its Member Leagues, Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), are aware of the rule change announced by the NCAA earlier today. This changes the eligibility of CHL players, allowing them to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey starting next season.

While it will take time to fully review this rule change, we believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with greater opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers after their time in the CHL. It will also give young players and their families more options to choose their development path; This includes expanding the CHL, the world’s top developmental hockey league for players ages 16-20, to more players worldwide.

The CHL has been the NHL’s top supplier of talent for 55 consecutive years. At the start of the 2024-25 NHL campaign, there were 390 CHL graduates on NHL rosters, once again the largest of any development league in the world. Additionally, at the 2024 NHL Draft held last summer, the CHL led the way in drafting 88 CHL players, including 14 in the first round.

We remain strongly committed to continuing the tradition of success on the field while embracing the enhanced academic options this rule change will offer the field.

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