Wednesday night, as I sat in the parking lot of a rink while one of my kids practiced, I was drafting a post about the two Bemidji State players with professional experience who received NCAA clearance on their eligibility just a few weeks ago.
As it turns out, my timing couldn’t have been better.
It was reported Wednesday night that Arizona State landed a commitment from Jack Beck, whose brother Noah Beck was a standout for the Sun Devils (and previously Clarkson). Jack Beck spent all of last season in the ECHL and AHL, becoming the third player with professional hockey on his résumé to get NCAA-approved eligibility.
How did we get here?
When I first heard about Connor McClennon and Hudson Thornton being cleared to play at Bemidji State last month, I assumed it had to be a clerical error by the NCAA.
A few years ago, Austen Swankler was granted eligibility despite playing a full OHL season — before the rule change. The NCAA later admitted it made an error but didn’t retroactively revoke Swankler’s eligibility since he went through the process in good faith and provided accurate information.
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