On Monday, reports emerged of plans to change the American Hockey League’s (AHL) eligibility rules as part of the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
And if approved, it could have a major impact on NHL franchises.
See the original article to see the embedded media.
As Ryan Kennedy of Hockey newsThe next collective agreement could include a rule allowing AHL eligibility for 19-year-old Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players:
As it currently stands, CHL eligible players must be 20 years old as of December 31 of the selected calendar year or have played four years in junior in order to be eligible to play professional hockey at the AHL level . Unless 18 or 19 year old players play more than nine games at the NHL level, they must be returned to their CHL team, which retains their rights until age 20.
If a CHL-eligible player plays more than nine games at the NHL level, their entry-level contract (ELC) kicks in.
Why would this rule change be so important?
Well, for one thing, it would have a significant impact on the CHL. The CHL builds on its current agreement with the NHL to keep high-end talent in the league, attract crowds and increase revenue. If the “slide rule” – the ability of NHL organizations to reinstate 18 and 19 year old players to their CHL teams and “slide” their ELC to age 20 – is changed To exclude 19-year-old players, many players will choose to either play in the NCAA or play for their parent club’s NHL or AHL team, thereby losing out on CHL talent and revenue.
This also affects NHL clubs quite significantly. This could be good news for high-end prospects who essentially are. losing a year of junior development that they don’t need, and that incentivizes NHL clubs to have those players on their NHL rosters.
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Take Pittsburgh Penguins defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke for example. The 18-year-old (born May 8) was the Penguins’ 44th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, and he was very impressive in training camp, nearly winning a nine-game “tryout.” Eventually, he was sent back to his WHL team, the Kamloops Blazers, where he signed up. two goals and five points in six gamesand he is not eligible for activation to the NHL roster until his junior season is completed.
Hypothetically, if the rule goes into effect next season… this would not be the case, which we will explain later – Brunicke would be eligible to begin his professional hockey career with the Penguins organization a year early instead of spending another season in junior hockey, where he likely has little left to gain in terms of development.
But things could get complicated for mid-level prospects and those who aren’t ready to make the jump to the NHL.
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If this is the case for a player, he would essentially burn a year of his ELC while he was still in a “development” year (unless he is not in the NCAA). So, unless some changes are also made to the ELCs, this could present some risks for NHL clubs.
Additionally, bringing a player into AHL and ELC eligibility too early could potentially accelerate and, at times, delay prospects’ development as a whole. This is something teams should be wary of.
Overall, this proposed rule change is definitely an intriguing idea for some of the league’s top prospects. There’s a good chance other changes — including some changes to the NCAA’s eligibility requirements — will accompany it as well.
But this could be exciting news for hockey fans, who might get a chance to see some of the league’s best young talent, even if just a little sooner.
The current collective agreement will expire on September 15, 2026, so the new rules will not come into effect until after that date. Negotiations on the new collective agreement are expected to begin in early 2025.
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