Five-In-Five For All

For as much as I support U SPORTS hockey, it's hard to argue that the machine south of the border known as the NCAA isn't a system that churns out all sorts of talent. One can make a case that the University of Michigan, North Dakota, Boston College, and Boston University, and the University of Minnesota have been factories for hockey talent for years with the number of players they sent to the NHL, and a vast number of these players have been top picks in the NHL draft while playing long NHL careers. However, a change to the NCAA's eligibility setup may now change how players view NCAA offers to play college hockey.

The new eligibility rules would perceivably change how players treat college hockey opportunities. The newly-proposed rule reads,

"Permit student-athletes up to five years of eligibility beginning the regular academic year after they turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever happens earlier."

I can tell you that I graduated high school when I was 17 and started university the following September at the same age. Under the new rules, this would mean that I would have started an NCAA hockey career at 18 and it would have ended at age 23 regardless red shirt seasons or any season where I was injured. The exceptions to the five-year eligibility are few and far between under the new setup.

If I had chosen to go to junior hockey and play there, I would need to decide before turning 19 whether or not I was joining an NCAA program. If I play junior hockey until I was 20, I'd lose one year of eligibility since the new rules state that eligibility starts at age 19. Clearly, this is going to force a lot of decisions for both players and programs when it comes to recruiting and planning rosters for both junior hockey and NCAA teams. Nothing can ever be easy, right?

If there is a benefit to the start of eligibility, it would allow high school graduates a chance to take that gap year between high school and university. Many universities have looked at the benefits and drawbacks of the gap year, and there's even an association that promotes using the gap year. Personal anecdotes, government sites, and even Harvard University suggest taking the gap year for a number of reasons. This might be the best part of the new eligibility rule.

Where this rule presents a major problem for NCAA programs is transfers and professional players. Aidan de la Gorgendiere would have had to make a decision on NCAA hockey in 2020 after his second season with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades after 110 WHL games and 33 points. I'm not certain that many NCAA teams would have been seeking de la Gorgendiere, and the five-year length of time for his eligibility means his 2025-26 season with the University of Nebraska-Omaha may not have happened. Clearly, that wouldn't be good.

For current students, the good news is that the new eligibility rules will not apply to them. The bad news is that students coming into university programs will see it applied to them. What this means is that even if a player shows up and is red-shirted all season long, one season of eligibility will be used. The new rules are strict about five years of eligibility in a five-year period, so it doesn't matter if a player is good enough for a roster spot because the clock is running.

The flip side is that coaches don't have to worry about burning a year of eligibility by dressing a player for one game, so younger players may get a shot if teams struggle. If there are kids who stand out in practice, they can be dressed for games at any time. Coaches are no longer planning for the future when it comes to recruiting players.

There are still a pile of questions that need to be answered when it comes to certain situations for hockey eligibility, but this new eligibility rule instituted by the NCAA will affect all sports. With exceptions only being made for pregnancies, military service, and religious missions, it seems the NCAA is set on ensuring that eligibility for any sport ends at the age of 24 for all athletes in all sports.

It will be a new landscape in American university sports when this five-in-five rule is finalized. Whether it changes the sports being played at the NCAA level is unknown at the moment, but time will answer that question as we find out how NCAA men's and women's hockey programs works under the new eligibility rules.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!