Family Resources

In June 2026, the NCAA Division I Cabinet adopted an age-based eligibility model. Every athlete gets a five-year window to play up to five seasons.

• The clock starts at the earlier of two dates: first full-time college enrollment, or the start of the academic year after the player's 19th birthday.
• Once the clock starts, it runs. Sitting out, transferring, or injury does not stop it.
• Redshirts and most waivers are gone. Narrow exceptions remain for active military service, official religious missions, and pregnancy.
• Players first enrolling in 2026-27, and current players with eligibility left, get whichever rule helps them more. Players enrolling in fall 2027 or later fall under the new model only.

What it means for hockey

Most Division I freshmen arrive at 20 or 21 after years of junior hockey. Under the new model, junior seasons played after the clock starts count against college eligibility.

When to leave junior and when to enroll is now one of the biggest decisions in a player's career. Get it wrong and you lose college seasons you can never get back.

Starting in 2025-26, players from the OHL, WHL, and QMJHL can keep NCAA Division I eligibility. The condition is simple. The CHL team may cover only actual and necessary expenses.

• Allowed: housing, meals, equipment, travel, sports medical care, and education costs.
• Not allowed: cash stipends beyond meal and incidental allowances, signing bonuses, performance bonuses, and car allowances.
• Keep a record of every benefit your player receives. The NCAA can review it.

The CHL is now a real college path. It is also a path with paperwork. We review every junior agreement before your player signs.

In April 2026, the Division I Cabinet changed its rules. Prospects can now sign with an agent before enrolling in college without losing eligibility. The change starts with prospects enrolling in 2026-27.

Your player no longer needs to wait. He can have professional representation through junior hockey and into college.

• Signing an NHL entry-level contract, including a conditional one.
• Signing an AHL contract, or any contract that pays more than actual and necessary expenses.

Being drafted by an NHL team does not end eligibility. Signing does.

Rosters are smaller

Division I programs that opted into the House settlement have a 26-player roster cap and can offer up to 26 scholarships. Fewer spots make timing and fit matter more.

• Choose programs for ice time, coaching, and development, not the logo on the jersey.
• Keep grades strong. College admissions still matter.
• Know the eligibility clock early. It is tied to your player's 19th birthday and his first college enrollment.

• League and team selection across the USHL, CHL, BCHL, NAHL, and Canadian Junior A.
• Read every tender and junior agreement before signing. One bad clause can cost college eligibility.
• Count the seasons. Junior seasons played after the clock starts use up college eligibility.

• Time the commitment around the five-year eligibility clock.
• Smaller rosters make fit matter more. Look at the depth chart, not just the program.
• Structure NIL so it pays without putting eligibility at risk.

• Talk to more than one agent before you decide.
• Pick someone who shares your family's goals and values.
• Ask for references from current clients and their families, and call them.
• Confirm certifications and any state athlete agent registration where required.
• No agent can guarantee a scholarship or a roster spot. Walk away from anyone who promises one.

• How many clients do you represent, and how many does each agent handle?
• Who will we actually talk to week to week?
• Which coaches and general managers do you work with at my player's level?
• How do you get paid, and when?
• What happens if we decide to leave?
• How will you protect his NCAA eligibility?

Rules change often. These are the sources we check, and the ones you should too.

• We map your player's eligibility clock before he picks a junior team.
• We weigh the CHL, the USHL, and other junior paths against his college timeline.
• We review junior agreements for anything that puts eligibility at risk.
• We lead college outreach and represent him through NIL and school negotiations.