Junior hockey saw a seismic shift on Nov. 7 when the NCAA announced that effective Aug. 1, 2025, players with Canadian Hockey League experience were now eligible to play Division I college hockey.
As of this writing, 37 players have left their BCHL clubs to join a team in either the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, or Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League since the decision came down. With these players looking to ply their trade outside of the BCHL while maintaining their U.S. college hockey eligibility, I wondered if there were any patterns or commonalities among them.
In crunching the numbers, a few things become clear. The Chilliwack Chiefs lost the most players, with five moving to CHL teams since November. Meanwhile, Nanaimo and West Kelowna saw four leave while Brooks and Vernon each had three players depart.
Of the 37 players, 12 don’t have an NCAA commitment, so it’s impossible to say whether they moved suddenly because Major Junior players became eligible to play college hockey. However, they may have signed in the BCHL in the first place to maintain their college eligibility, so there’s a chance they commit to schools now that they can as a CHL player.
Sixteen of the players who left the BCHL went to the QMJHL while a dozen signed in the WHL and nine are now in the OHL. Fifteen are 2006-born players in their 18-year-old seasons, 12 are 2005-born players, seven are 2007-born players, and two are 16-year-olds, born in 2008.
Of the 16 players who moved to the QMJHL, half of them hail from Québec, two are from Ontario, and the others are from Latvia, New York, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ohio, and Rhode Island. Six of the nine players who signed in the OHL are from Ontario while the other three respectively call Indiana, Maine, and New Jersey home.
As for the 12 WHL signees, six are from British Columbia, two each are from California and Saskatchewan, and one each hails from Alberta and Manitoba.
2005-born forward Patrick Murphy and 2004-born forward Keaton Dowhaniuk are also a couple of outliers. Murphy left Cranbrook to sign with Chicoutimi on Dec. 4 but returned to the Bucks after putting up one assist in four games for the Saguenéens. He had two assists in his first game back with Cranbrook on New Year’s Eve.
Dowhaniuk was waived and released by the WHL’s Prince George Cougars on Oct. 5 and joined the Vernon Vipers. He had a goal and four assists in 11 games for the Snakes before being signed by the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL.
What’s unique about Dowhaniuk is that it’s not like he just up and decided to play Major Junior hockey when the NCAA changed its rule about eligibility. He played 228 games for Prince George over parts of six seasons and is now committed to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks for this fall. He is the only 20-year-old player to leave a BCHL team to sign in the CHL so far this season.
These facts and stats come from confirmed transfers on Elite Prospects as of Jan. 2, 2025.
Major Junior players join BCHL clubs
Although much has been made about players leaving the BCHL to sign with CHL teams, the movement is actually a two-way street. As of Jan. 2, 11 players have signed with a BCHL team after starting the season playing Major Junior hockey.
The ages range from 2004 to 2008-born players, with three of the 11 being players in their 20-year-old year. Two players are 2005-born players, four are 2006-born, and there are one each of 2007 and 2008-born.
Seven of the 11 are from the WHL and four are from the QMJHL, and none of them have an NCAA commitment, but that could change with them now playing in the heavily scouted BCHL.
All four players who left the QMJHL to sign in the BCHL are from Québec. Three of the former WHLers are from B.C., two are Saskatchewanians, and one each is from Alberta and Germany.
Photo credit: Island Images Photography
