"New world order" for prospects in CHL, USHL, and NCAA a key focus for NHL to figure out

TORONTO, Ontario – The NHL hosted two days of meetings between junior hockey’s major stakeholders last week in New York. 

Over the two-day summit, representatives from USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League, Western Hockey League, Quebec Maritimes Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the United States Hockey League met to discuss the future of player development below the NHL and the changing landscape after CHL players became eligible to play in the NCAA this season, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. 

That landmark decision, combined with new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rules that allow players to be compensated in college hockey has led to a massive shuffling of talent, most notably presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft Gavin McKenna leaving the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers to play his draft year at Penn State.

The most notable shuffle has been CHL players joining the NCAA, but there’s also been a trickle-down effect of players leaving the USHL or National Team Development Program to play in the CHL without fear of losing their college eligibility. 

J.P. Hurlbert, for example, left the NTDP after his under-17 season to join the Kamloops Blazers since he could make the move and keep his college eligibility as a University of Michigan commit. 

Daly said the player movement and the immediate impacts are being closely watched by the NHL, but also cautioned that the NHL believes that there will be some self-levelling after the initial rush and more normalization. 

In fact, when asked if some of the CHL teams are in trouble, Daly pushed back. 

“If you ask the CHL constituency, they think they are positioned pretty well in the new world order,” Daly said. “And they’re not wrong. They’re going to get a lot more US-born players and they are going to get a lot of Canadian-born hockey players who previously went south of the border. So, I think they’ll be fine.”

But what about the USHL? The league’s calling card used to be its position as a gateway to college hockey, which is why Canadian players and past top picks like Adam Fantilli and Owen Power played in the USHL instead of the CHL. With that benefit gone, the USHL lost its biggest selling point. 

“I would say if I have any concerns about how these dynamics can play out, I think it’s keeping the USHL upright,” Daly said. “I think Tier-I junior hockey is important to the United States, so hopefully we find a solution.”

It comes with an interesting backdrop, because on a front-facing level USA Hockey is being bodied by the CHL when it comes to development decisions. The first CHL USA Prospects Challenge last fall was a blowout for the CHL, and this season, the current NTDP roster has struggled mightily against USHL and NCAA competition heading into the second edition of that showcase later this month. 

Daly also said, multiple times, there’s some time to see how all of this plays out, to figure out the new normal. But it’s also pretty clear that in the haves and have-nots of hockey’s “new world order,” one league in particular, might need the most outside help keeping up.