What does Thursday's injunction on graduating seniors receiving a fifth year mean for college hockey?

On Thursday, an Ohio judge granted 24 NCAA basketball players who exhausted their fourth season of eligibility this past year a temporary injunction allowing them to receive a fifth year of eligibility and immediately enter the transfer portal to explore roster opportunities.

The ruling found that the NCAA unfairly excluded those players from its new age-based eligibility model by failing to grandfather in athletes who graduated in 2026.

For now, the injunction applies only to the 24 basketball players who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit. However, the decision could pave the way for all graduating seniors who would otherwise qualify for a fifth season under the new rules to receive that additional year of eligibility.

Attorney Darren Heitner, one of the lead attorneys representing the players, celebrated the ruling on X, writing, “THE FIRST BATTLE IS WON.”

He also said:

“We have more interest than we can handle at the moment and plan to include athletes beyond basketball in the near future.”