Of all the major league sports in North America, the National Hockey League has the largest number of Canadian teams. With such a large Canadian audience and following, players and athletic staff began to debate if Canadians and American players were receiving the same amount of support and development to prepare for the major leagues.
For decades, most American NHL players, apart from extremely high draft picks, would go to play collegiate hockey in the U.S. to prepare for the League. On the other side of the border, Canadians would play in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) junior league for extra development.
Many believed the Juniors were more intense and yielded better quality players like Sidney Crosby, Tie Domi, and Patrick Kane. Yet as hockey grew and received more funding in the United States, collegiate programs made the gradual progress necessary to keep up with the Juniors. Since 2018, the United States’ university system has established strong hockey programs where players such as Matthew Knies, Macklin Celebrini, and Riley Leonard were able to gain recognition.
The divide between the collegiate or Juniors’ route has been the topic of discussion stemming from the NHL. In the past five years, the hockey community has debated whether or not Canadians should be able to play collegiate hockey in the United States since Canadian universities do not have athletic programs to the same caliber as Americans.
In November of 2024, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) met and voted to put the debate to rest. Hockey fans across North America waited with bated breath, and the NCAA agreed to lift restrictions preventing Juniors players from playing college hockey in the United States.
The new regulations going into effect Aug. 1, 2025, stated that players who played in the CHL could commit to play Division I or Division II hockey at an American university, provided they did not sign an NHL contract before returning to CHL play. CHL players can enter as freshman student-athletes before they turn 20.
While the regulation changes were phenomenal for Canadian players wanting to step foot into the world of collegiate hockey, many Americans disapproved of the changes. Because many hockey players enter the CHL around age 16, many held the belief that CHL players would play four years of CHL hockey then go to the NCAA programs, where their talent would outshine Americans who did not get the extensive Juniors experience in addition to collegiate play. However, many collegiate teams were thrilled with the changes, especially for programs that would benefit from recruiting Canadian players to add additional talent to their teams.
17-year-old Gavin McKenna, born Dec. 20, 2007, is a prime example of the divided beliefs of both sides. The Canadian left winger previously played three seasons for the Western Hockey League (WHL) CHL affiliate the Medicine Hat Tigers. While in the CHL, McKenna received the 2024 Rookie of the Year Award and the 2025 Player of the Year Award. Many Canadians believed he was a sure-shot for the Juniors-to-Majors pipeline that made Canadian hockey so dominant, so his decision to commit to play hockey at Penn State shocked the hockey community.
According to NHL affiliates at Penn State’s first home game, there were over 50 NHL scouts in attendance, setting a new record. The hockey world knew they were there primarily to watch McKenna play, and he has emerged as the consensus No. 1 Overall Draft Pick for the 2026 NHL Draft. While the young player and his accolades are impressive, he will likely leave the Penn State program after one year of play. Many Americans disapproved of the move because they believe McKenna is the first in a long line of players who will milk the NCAA hockey program for one or two years before going to the Draft. If there is one thing American hockey culture refuses to budge on, it is the loyalty to a collegiate program, something the new regulations may diminish.
The current season of collegiate hockey will be one for the books, and the hockey community all across North America is watching closely to see how the season will play out. Allowing CHL players to enter the world of American collegiate hockey is a decision with both prominent advantages and disadvantages, and the unprecedented 2025-2026 season will yield interesting results as championships are won and players are drafted.