One of the most important factors in the power structure of junior hockey is about to be challenged in court. A former player is suing the NCAA over their rules rendering CHL players ineligible.
The lawsuit, filed in Buffalo on behalf of Rylan Masterson by the firm of Freedman Normand Friedland, challenges the NCAA’s ban on CHL players (those who have played in the WHL, OHL, or QMJHL).
Right now, the restrictions on players who’ve played in Canada’s top junior leagues are extremely severe. In Masterson’s example, he lost his eligibility to play NCAA by playing in just two exhibition games with the Windsor Spitfires when he was 16 years old.
The rules are actually even more stringent than that. Players cannot attend a CHL camp for longer than 48 hours at the team’s expense and retain their eligibility.
Under the current NCAA rules, the CHL’s three leagues are classified as professional leagues, barring anyone who plays in them from competing in the NCAA. The lawsuit, however, points out examples of players who have played in different professional leagues who have been allowed to play in the NCAA, including Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander, who played professional games in Sweden before joining Boston University last season.
The lawsuit refers to this ban on CHL players as a “boycott” and an “illegal conspiracy”. The suit also alleges the ban on CHL players violates U.S. anti-trust laws. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Masterson never played a regular season game with the Spitfires or anywhere else in the OHL. He has spent the last three seasons with the Fort Erie Meteors of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
