NCAA rule change shakes B.C. junior hockey

WHL players eligible to play NCAA hockey The NCAA has changed its rules, no longer blocking former WHL players from hitting the ice.

A college hockey rule imposed on Western Hockey League (WHL) players has been removed.

According to the WHL, players will be eligible to compete in NCAA D1 hockey beginning next season. The Canadian-based league believes this will create more opportunities for North American players to choose where they develop before going to university without the fear of compromising their eligibility.

The rule was believed to be in place for several reasons, including the draft process and a small stipend WHL players receive every month.

“This has been bubbling for a while. I don't think it comes as an absolute surprise to anyone,” said Dan Near, the WHL commissioner.

“However it's meaningful, it's substantial. It's monumental. For many, many years, we've been in a situation where 15-year-old kids were being asked to make a big life decision.”

David Rutherford was one of those kids. The recently retired pro hockey player was tasked with deciding whether to stay in the British Columbia Hockey League and preserve his college career or join the WHL.

The Ladner, B.C., native ultimately joined the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

“I lucked out and won two championships in the WHL. Things probably couldn’t have gone any better. I finished as a 20-year-old with a memorial cup, and I still look back that I wish I went to the NCAA,” said Rutherford.

Rutherford went on to play pro hockey across the United States and in Europe, winning several more championships along the way. He now helps develop talent in the Lower Mainland through his company, DJR Hockey, and works with the White Rock Whalers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League.

He expects that once the rule changes come into effect next summer, a trickle-down effect will benefit leagues such as the PJHL.

BCHL’s Future

The BCHL has historically been a stepping stone for Canadian and American hockey players before they commit to NCAA schools.

Now, they will have to compete with WHL players for the first time.

The BCHL’s chairman, Rich Murphy, who also owns the Trail Smoke Eaters, spoke to CTV News on Friday and said the league has been preparing for this day for several years since it became independent from the Canadian Hockey League.

“We've been doing this for 63 years. We built relationships with the NCAA, the CHL has not,” said Murphy.

“We have a very good model.”

Murphy went on to explain that 25 per cent of the athletes playing college hockey are BCHL alumni and is confident that the league will persevere through the eligibility changes.

The BCHL said in a statement that it is committed to doing whatever is best for its athletes and will continue to adapt to the changing landscape of junior hockey.

Brian Wiebe owns and operates the BCHL Network and has closely monitored the developments.

He believes that the BCHL is not at risk of folding, and it more should be looked at as a competitor to the WHL.

“The BCHL will still have an advantage, potentially. The schedule is less; the Western Hockey League has more of a professional schedule, whereas the BCHL schedule more mirrors a college schedule,” said Wiebe.

Wiebe also says players have options for where they want to play in the BCHL, as the league doesn’t have a draft and can stay close to home.