Regina Pats’ Braxton Whitehead commits to Arizona State, despite NCAA rule

Regina Pats forward Braxton Whitehead has verbally committed to join Arizona State University’s NCAA D-I men’s hockey program for the 2025-26 season.

This comes despite the ban still in place by the NCAA not allowing major junior players to play varsity college hockey in the United States.

Mike McMahon of the College Hockey News reported that the Sun Devils were not the only team looking to get Whitehead, saying five schools offered scholarships to the 20-year-old.

This is the first player from the Canadian Hockey League to announce a commitment to an NCAA program since Rylan Masterson proposed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA and 10 universities. The lawsuit alleges the governing body and schools like the University of Denver and Boston University of violating antitrust laws by not allowing CHLers to play in the NCAA. The suit would force the NCAA to change its current rule.

The policy has been in place for close to a half-century. NCAA bylaw 12.2.3.2.4 specifically states that the NCAA considers CHL players to be deemed “professionals.” This is due to some players across the Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League being under NHL contracts while still be playing junior, with players also receiving a few hundred bucks per month, depending on their age and level of experience.

Whitehead, who plans on returning to the Pats this season, told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski that he and ASU hope the rules change prior to the fall of 2025.

“[ASU’s] slogan is ‘Be the Tradition,'” Whitehead said. “I think they love the idea of me being a trailblazer throughout all this and paving the way with NCAA and CHL relations. I’m very hopeful that [the rules] will turn over before the 2025-26 season.”

There has been no public comment from Arizona State, as the NCAA reportedly doesn’t allow programs to publicly discuss players before they’ve officially signed.

It is another step in the ongoing conversation about altering the development of hockey players in North America. The growing support for allowing CHL players to join the NCAA ranks consistently cites how collegiate athletes are compensated with NIL deals and how some Olympic athletes are paid for their performances on the international stage before returning to college.

In May of this year, during the annual NCAA Ice Hockey meetings in Naples, Florida, coaches formed a committee to “monitor legal challenges to the rule.” The committee is made up of each of the six conference commissioners, one coach from each conference and American Hockey Coaches Association director Forrest Karr. Reports coming out of the meeting stated that only 15-20 percent of coaches were willing to change the bylaw, making past major junior players eligible to play in the NCAA.

The NCAA also conducted a review of its bylaws earlier this year, turning the decision over to D-I coaches. After a vote, it was determined the current policy of not allowing CHL players into the NCAA ranks would continue.