Amid NCAA rule changes, U Sports has plenty to offer

By Mitchell Fox

Matthew Kinash hasn’t followed the most traditional path as a high-level Canadian hockey player, but he’s followed one that has best suited him.

After playing minor hockey in Edmonton and three years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Kinash moved on to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, playing for the University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks and the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. The now Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold forward has continuously pursued his hockey dream, even if he’s not always at the top of the prospects lists.

Kinash, who is currently pursuing his master’s in business administration (MBA) at TMU, said when he was growing up, there was an understanding that players who went to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL)—composed of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL)—would go from there to the pros, while “late bloomers” like himself would go through Junior A leagues to the NCAA. Now, players in leagues like the AJHL are losing that advantage.

“A lot of Junior A players won’t have the same opportunity as I did,” said Kinash. “I don’t think I would have got the opportunity to play in the NCAA if they were taking WHL and OHL kids.”

Kinash’s unique path has allowed him to see the benefits of both NCAA Division 1 (D1) and U Sports hockey, which he says are similar. However, an anticipated shift in the Canadian hockey landscape means U Sports will have to find its place with a new array of unconventional pipelines.

“I don’t think I would have got the opportunity to play in the NCAA if they were taking WHL and OHL kids”

On Nov. 7, 2024, the NCAA announced a change to the league’s rules surrounding the ineligibility of former CHL players. Previously, the NCAA did not allow players from the CHL to enter under the basis that a stipend they earned made them professionals.

As players began filing lawsuits against the NCAA for barring them from entry, the league strode towards changing the rules. The result: starting Aug. 1 of this year, CHL players will be able to play in the NCAA, reaping the benefits of high-level hockey and NHL speculation from an earlier age.

For CHL players not heading straight to the pros, U Sports has offered a great alternative after a strong junior career. Now, teams like the Bold are ready to feel the blow of opportunities opening elsewhere.

“Ultimately, it makes the job a little bit tougher because now you’re not only competing with the U Sports teams that want the same players as you,” said Bold assistant coach Michael Fine. “Now, you’ve got D1 programs in the mix who can offer a lot and provide things that maybe U Sports can’t at certain levels.”

As many OHL and WHL players go South, Fine says the men’s hockey program—led by Director of Recruitment Doug Hollinsky—will use their connections and access to programs such as InStat to look at players in Europe, a greater variety of Junior A teams and beyond while still trying to land top CHL prospects.

“In terms of recruiting moving forward, [we’ve] just got to get creative and find that next gem of a player from maybe a league that most people don’t look at for talent,” he said.

“U Sports is still going to find their players, just maybe initially not the pedigree that they normally would have”

For those familiar with being at the top of the U Sports level, there is an understanding that the NCAA rule changes will come with repercussions, but Canadian schools will find their way.

Gardiner MacDougall is the former head coach of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds, who have won five of the last seven U Cup championships, including a historic undefeated season last year. Now coaching in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats, MacDougall sees the NCAA rule changes presenting “a big, big change” in options for young players.

“It’s going to open up a lot more players to come to the CHL which is outstanding. In regards to U Sports, it’s probably going to limit the number of, or the option of, some players,” he said. “You’re seeing it already.”

The players who most often make the move from the CHL to U Sports are overage players—20-year-olds—who are past their NHL draft eligibility. Many CHL overage players have already made NCAA commitments for next year, including the Erie Otters’ Pano Fimis, Barrie Colts’ Owen Van Steensel and the Wildcats’ Markus Vidicek.

MacDougall said UNB predominantly recruited players from the CHL over the last few years, though there were a few successful Junior A players to go through their ranks. Now, more of those players will likely find opportunities at the U Sports level.

“U Sports is still going to find their players, just maybe initially not the pedigree that they normally would have,” he said.

MacDougall said it is going to take a few years for things to settle across the hockey landscape. He says the NCAA is currently the much-desired “magic potion” for junior players but different programs across U Sports and the NCAA have their own approaches and appeals.

“There’s lots of U Sports schools that would be better than some of the NCAA schools…whether it’s the total hockey experience or a combination of hockey and academics,” he said.

Unlike Kinash, UNB alumnus Jason Willms followed the traditional CHL-to-U Sports path, moving on from an illustrious OHL career with the Barrie Colts and London Knights to the Reds, where he won two U Cups as part of MacDougall’s team.

He is also an example of a U Sports player turning pro. After short stints in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the International Central European (ICE) Hockey League in Europe, Willms currently plays for the Herlev Eagles in the Metal Ligaen, Denmark’s top hockey league.

“I remember when I turned pro, feeling a special sense of pride and wanting to showcase our league”

After last year’s U Cup victory, Willms posted on X that the undefeated Reds should play against the NCAA champion, something he still stands by now. Nevertheless, Willms said that while he had “the best years” of his life at UNB, he likely would have tried to pursue the NCAA route if that opportunity had been available at the end of his OHL career.

“I definitely understand all the new players now who are at least taking their time to field and see what the interest is from NCAA schools,” he added. “It’s not a knock on U Sports on any level saying that. It’s just the reality that it’s pretty tough to compete with [that opportunity].”

To Willms, U Sports and everything he achieved there offers a “springboard to professional hockey,” as at 20 years old, he probably wasn’t ready to be a professional player. Now, he is glad to represent U Sports as an alumnus and show people that the league does present pro opportunities.

“I remember when I turned pro, feeling a special sense of pride and wanting to showcase our league,” he said. “I think there is, amongst players in U Sports, a tremendous amount of pride to go play in it. And I don’t think that stops even once we graduate.”

For many players, the U Sports path is about playing hockey and building toward a professional career. But many also take the path for its educational prospects and what might come next after hockey. 

Kinash said that, during his time in the NCAA, there were signs of the league becoming more focused on being a business. In 2021, the league changed its transfer portal rules to allow players to move between schools more freely. That same year, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals became available to players. Kinash wasn’t surprised by more changes to bring big names, skill and money to the league in the form of CHLers.

“I could see this coming for a little while where the NCAA…put a priority on getting the best players and not really caring about their college experience,” he said. 

“We have engineers on our team missing practices because they have to go to class, otherwise they won’t pass. In the NCAA, you don’t really see that”

Nonetheless, he said while the top undrafted talent from the CHL will turn their heads to the NCAA, he doesn’t think the impact on U Sports hockey will be as significant as some think. 

“[The NCAA is] going to get numerous guys who would have played U Sports but not nearly as many as you would think. They’re mostly trying to scalp the top-end prospects so they can sell more tickets at their NCAA games,” he said. “Those players wouldn’t be going to U Sports anyways, they’re going to try to play in the AHL or NHL right off the bat.”

Kinash also highlighted a difference in how the two leagues approach the concept of a student-athlete, which could influence players one way or the other. He said U Sports emphasizes its players as students first and athletes second, while his experience in the NCAA saw those priorities swapped.

“We have engineers on our team missing practices because they have to go to class, otherwise they won’t pass. In the NCAA, you don’t really see that,” he added. 

U Sports still has legs to stand on in attracting student-athletes and its next task is to prove that.

While MacDougall says the top U Sports teams could “certainly hold their own” against many NCAA teams on the ice, he highlights the differences in operations between the NCAA and U Sports as a crutch going forward. The NCAA has full-time executives in charge of league operations, officiating, marketing and much more, while U Sports and the leagues within the NCAA do not. To him, the league needs to be open-minded.  

“It’s [about] how much universities want to put into hockey, to grow the sport,” he said. “Do we want to just sit and let the status quo and let things happen? Or do you want to be proactive?”

When it comes to recruiting, the Bold understand a creative approach. Along with bringing in Utah Hockey Club second-round NHL Draft pick Artem Duda last year, the Bold have recruited Russian players such as Daniil Grigorev and Slava Melikov, who they brought in as a rare recruit from overseas and the Maritime Junior Hockey League respectively.

“I’ve never been at TMU and been like, ‘Wow, this was a lot different when I was playing hockey in this [other] league”

On Jan. 4, the Bold hosted the OJHL 20’s Selects as part of a spotlight tour. With less availability of CHL stars, teams like the Bold will turn to the OJHL. Fine said Bold head coach Johnny Duco was “ahead of the curve” in setting up the game. He said it was “a great opportunity” to showcase all TMU has to offer, while meeting the OJHL’s top 20-year-old talent. 

“We’ll probably see some of those guys in our colours and in our lineup in the near future,” he added.

As the new rules set in, players are going to have different options going forward and U Sports is going to have to adjust. For Kinash, the Canadian university system has a lot to offer on a similar level to the NCAA—including in the competitive level of hockey, the student-athlete experience and the education. He wanted to pursue his MBA, which made the choice to go to TMU a “no-brainer” for him.

As for being a hockey player, he says the treatment—including easy travel, nice hotels on the road and support staff—is “tier one.”

“I’ve never been at TMU and been like, ‘Wow, this was a lot different when I was playing hockey in this [other] league. It’s never even crossed my mind,’” he said. “This is college hockey.”