Report: U SPORTS sit-out period for pro players to be removed

Credit: Steven Ellis

An interesting development in the ever-changing world of college hockey in North America.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, U SPORTS, the governing body of the highest form of athletic competition among Canadian universities, will remove its rule requiring former professional hockey players to sit out for a calendar year before playing at the university level.

Currently, players who competed at the pro level for at least one entire season had to wait a full 365 days before being eligible to play collegiately in Canada. If athletes who had just come out of junior, turned pro, quit, and returned to university that same season, they could immediately play in the U SPORTS ranks.

According to Dreger, players who have only been playing in the pro game for one to two years could immediately be added to university rosters this coming fall.

The move to allow a more immediate turnaround for athletes looking to continue their education while still playing an advanced form of hockey will give them more of an incentive to return to university. As Dreger writes, some players who spent time as pros—whether it be the ECHL or AHL—would instead give the game up altogether than sit out for the year.

The decision could stem from the possibility that collegiate teams across Canada might be on the verge of losing potential athletes, thanks to the NCAA’s recent ruling allowing players from the Canadian Hockey League to compete in its ranks, starting next season.

U SPORTS has become synonymous with receiving players who have aged out of major junior and didn’t receive offers to play college hockey in the U.S., or weren’t good enough to go straight to pro. However, with the new NCAA guidelines, those athletes can play out their junior careers and still have the opportunity to play at the highest level of college hockey.

The new rule in Canada would make it less likely for 20- and 21-year-olds to give up the game, instead finishing up their schooling while playing hockey at the university level.