NCAA about-face is good news for prep and college hockey
· Yahoo Sports
Lobbying efforts by the conference commissioners of college hockey, officials from USA Hockey and even the NHL seem to have swayed the NCAA to make a vital change to their soon-to-be-implemented “5 in 5” rule on college sports eligibility.
In a memo sent to schools on Friday, the NCAA announced a small change to the rule that is good news for potential college hockey players looking to play juniors following high school. The change came after several big names in the hockey world, including NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, urged the NCAA to protect the current American development model.
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“I give a ton of credit to our commissioners and our administration for our programs in college hockey for continuing to fight and continuing to work for what we feel is a great thing for college hockey and for hockey in general, from the NHL all the way down,” said Nick Oliver, who in April was named the men’s head coach at St. Cloud State.
As originally proposed, the new rule would allow student-athletes five years to play five seasons of college sports, with the clock starting at their high school graduation or their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
The change, which was pushed for by many in the hockey world, as well as representatives from the U.S. service academies, the clock will now start at high school graduation or at their 19th birthday, whichever comes later.
The NCAA Division I Cabinet, which has been the driving force behind the rules change, said additional clarification will be coming during the week of June 8.
“There was gonna be a ton of collateral damage with the bottleneck of players and lost eligibility. That was a really big concern,” said Glen Hefferan, commissioner of the United States Hockey League, which is the top American junior hockey option for players. “I just think our model works so well, why are you breaking it?”
Among the biggest concerns with the earlier start to the eligibility clock was the potential for more top-level Minnesota high school hockey players leaving the prep ranks sooner. Oliver, who won a state title for Roseau in 2007, is hopeful the small change to the wording of 5 in 5 will be good for those who seek a traditional route from high school to college hockey.
“I think it puts a lot of people’s minds at ease, knowing that there’s a distinct plan and a distinct finish line in sight. I think it slows everything down for young players,” Oliver said. “That’s what I’m most excited about, especially here in our state. Minnesota high school hockey is and will continue to be a great development path.”
The rules change is expected to be finalized by the NCAA in late June and will go into effect for the 2026-27 school year.
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