Arizona State Prepares to Benefit from NCAA Rule Change – Hockey Writers – College Hockey

On Nov. 7, 2024, The NCAA Division 1 Council made a major change in college hockey. The council voted to allow Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players to be eligible to play for US colleges starting Aug. 1, 2025. With the expansion of the NCAA, athletes benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), the state of collegiate sports in the US has begun. With this in mind, it’s time to highlight the benefits of the rule change for Arizona State University’s NCAA D1 hockey team.

Braxton Whitehead Now in the Mix for the Sun Devils

On September 13, 2024, Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead announced on his X account that he had committed to Arizona State with the intention of playing early in the 2025-26 season. Currently, the 20-year-old has recorded nine points in 16 games in Regina this season. He averaged a point per game last season in 52 games for the Pats.

Related: Arizona State Lands Historic Commitment With Braxton Whitehead

“[ASU’s] The motto is ‘Be the Tradition’ and I think they like the idea of ​​me being a leader in all of this and paving the way for the NCAA and CHL relationship,” Whitehead said when he committed to becoming a Sun Devil. “I’m very hopeful that [the rules] he will turn around before the 2025-26 season. “

Whitehead’s hopes have already paid off for him. Now, the 5-foot-10, 163-pounder is ready to cash in on any NIL deals he can find in the desert.

“I think pretty soon I’ll sign my NIL and go from there,” Whitehead said. “This has just happened, so even for me this is strange information. I don’t know how all the college commitments work because everyone I know here in Canada is always signing AHL and NHL deals… so I’m really excited to do this program.”

At the team’s first media availability since the news broke, ASU coach Greg Powers shared his thoughts on the rule change.

“Good. It’s going to be good,” said Powers. “I won’t say the names until it’s signed, but I can tell you that this is the child you just asked about. [Whitehead] He won’t be the only CHL player on the roster next year.”

The Pats franchise has produced a long list of NHL talent including these current players: Seattle Kraken forwards Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stevenson, and Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard. Having a program that has recently produced this level of talent will certainly benefit the Powers team.

True North Origin on Arizona State’s roster

In accordance with QuantHockey, 64.8% of CHL players are Canadian. The Sun Devils have seven skaters on their roster from Canada. Those are sophomore defenseman Noah Beck, sophomore forwards Ty and Dylan Jackson, sophomore goalie Chase Hamm, freshman defenseman Sam Court, junior forward Ryan Alexander and sophomore forward Lukas Sillinger.

Therefore, since Canada is one of, if not the, strongest country/countries in hockey, the addition of CHL players (especially Canadians) in college hockey will promote better competition and level of play for Arizona State.

NCAA May Produce More NHL Talent

Looking at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft alone, 88 CHL players were drafted (the highest margin since 2017). In comparison, 57 NCAA players were selected from last year’s list. While the draft does not guarantee that a prospect will make it to the NHL, it is a promising sign that the college hockey market can continue to grow.

For reference, here is a list of ASU players drafted in the NHL.

Listed as Sun Devils: forward Josh Doan (Arizona Coyotes’ 2021 second-round pick), defenseman Ty Murchison (Philadelphia Flyers’ 2021 fifth-round pick), goaltender Cole Brady (New Jersey Devils’ 2019 first-round pick fifth), forward Demetrios Koumontzis (2018 fourth-round pick of the Calgary Flames), forward Ryan O’Reilly (2018 fourth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings) and goaltender Joey Daccord (2015 seventh-round pick of the Ottawa Senators) .

Draft players who passed on Arizona State: defenseman Noah Beck (St. Louis Blues’ 2020 seventh-round pick), forward Cruz Lucius (Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022 fourth-round pick), Artem Shlaine ( New Jersey Devils’ 2020 fifth-round pick ) Alex Young (2020 seventh-round pick of the San Jose Sharks), Robert Mastrosimone (2020 second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings) and Jack Becker (fourth-round pick of the Boston Bruins of 2015).

Currently, Beck, Murchison, Shlaine and Lucius are all Sun Devils. ASU freshman forward Cullen Potter is expected to join the draft list at the end of this season.

Overall, the move to allow CHL players into college hockey will not only help Arizona State, but all colleges within the United States.

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