NHL and NHLPA Express Concerns over Potential NCAA Five-Year Eligibility Limit
The league and union say the proposal would disrupt hockey’s development pipeline as junior leagues, USA Hockey and college coaches also object.
- On Tuesday, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly announced the NHL and NHLPA oppose a potential NCAA rule change granting athletes five years of eligibility from high school graduation or their 19th birthday.
- The so-called "five in five" rule would disrupt the hockey development path, where players often spend time in the Canadian Hockey League or USHL before college, compounding recent landscape changes.
- Ron Hainsey, NHLPA assistant executive director, warned the system would be "in shock," while Commissioner Gary Bettman and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh expressed concerns that one-size-fits-all solutions unfairly disadvantage specific sports.
- Daly spoke last week to NCAA President Charlie Baker, joining a coalition including USA Hockey and the USHL that has raised concerns about the impact of the proposed eligibility changes.
- Although Baker dislikes sport-specific solutions, Walsh plans to discuss the situation further, as stakeholders continue monitoring potential developments that could affect the broader hockey ecosystem.
16 Articles
16 Articles
NHL and NHLPA express concerns over potential NCAA five-year eligibility limit
The NHL and NHL Players' Association expressed concerns about the potential NCAA eligibility change that would give athletes five years of eligibility from their high school graduation or 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
How the NCAA's 5-in-5 Eligibility Proposal Impacts Youth and College Hockey
On May 22, the Division I Cabinet proposed and discussed an age-based eligibility model (i.e., the 5-in-5 proposal) that would give student-athletes five years of eligibility, beginning either the academic year after turning 19 or upon graduation from high school, whichever happens first.[1]The proposed age-based model is outlined as follows: Student-athletes whose fourth season of collegiate eligibility was completed by spring 2026: no addition…

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