WHL player pledges to NCAA, challenging old eligibility rules

The landscape of junior hockey in Canada could soon change dramatically.

According to an ESPN report, a WHL player has committed to an NCAA school and is ready to challenge NCAA eligibility rules. Under current rules, a player who plays even one game in the CHL is ineligible for the highest level of college hockey.

Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead is the player in question, and according to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, the school is Arizona State. Whitehead will play for the Pats this season before joining Arizona State in 2025-26 if his commitment is honored.

This isn’t the first challenge to NCAA rules this year. In mid-August, a lawyer representing Rylan Masterson filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, accusing it of illegally boycotting CHL players. Masterson was deemed ineligible despite never playing a regular-season game for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Instead, he played in just two exhibition games.

Whitehead’s case and career, however, are quite different. Whitehead has played nearly 200 WHL games over the past four seasons, all with the Regina Pats. If he completes a full 2024-25 season with Regina, he could have more than 250 games under his belt.

Whitehead is from Palmer, Alaska. His Pats will face the Wheat Kings in an exhibition game tonight at 7 p.m.