Burnaby (Brian Wiebe BCHL Network) – Junior hockey saw a seismic shift on Nov. 7 when the NCAA announced that effective Aug. 1, 2025, players with Canadian Hockey League experience were now eligible to play Division I college hockey.
As of this writing, 37 players have left their BCHL clubs to join a team in either the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, or Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League since the decision came down. With these players looking to ply their trade outside of the BCHL while maintaining their U.S. college hockey eligibility, I wondered if there were any patterns or commonalities among them.
In crunching the numbers, a few things become clear. The Chilliwack Chiefs lost the most players, with five moving to CHL teams since November. Meanwhile, Nanaimo and West Kelowna saw four leave while Brooks and Vernon each had three players depart.
Of the 37 players, 12 don’t have an NCAA commitment, so it’s impossible to say whether they moved suddenly because Major Junior players became eligible to play college hockey. However, they may have signed in the BCHL in the first place to maintain their college eligibility, so there’s a chance they commit to schools now that they can as a CHL player.
