Hockey powerbrokers unanimously push back against NCAA's five-year eligibility proposal

The NCAA received feedback from college hockey commissioners, coaches, and the NHL

In an unprecedented move, hockey’s power brokers sent a clear message to the NCAA last week regarding its controversial new five-year eligibility proposal.

The Division I Council is set to meet on Friday to sift through the feedback on the docket. As it stands, the NCAA’s plan would hand all athletes five years of eligibility, ticking the clock down from either their expected high school graduation date or their 19th birthday—whichever comes first.

If passed, this rule will send shockwaves through the entire collegiate landscape. But hockey will take the biggest hit. The sport relies on a unique junior hockey ecosystem, a proven model that gives prospects a place to develop until their age-20 season before ever stepping foot on a college campus.

Some players are ready earlier, but the data shows that the vast majority of NCAA hockey players age out of juniors before heading to school.

A massive packet of unified correspondence landed on the NCAA’s desk last week. The pushback included formal feedback from all six college hockey commissioners, the coaches’ association, the NHL, the USHL, the CHL, and USA Hockey.