AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION TO ALLOW CHL PLAYERS HIGHLIGHTS 2025 ACHA ANNUAL MEETING
Major Junior players now eligible to play in ACHA starting with 2025-2026 season
TROY, Mich. – (June 6, 2025) – The American Collegiate Hockey Association, the governing body for non-NCAA collegiate hockey in the United States, has announced that players from the Canadian Hockey League will be eligible to play Men’s ACHA hockey starting with the 2025-2026 next season.
At the 2025 ACHA Annual Meeting recently held in Nashville, Tenn., the ACHA Executive Board voted unanimously that players who have skated in one of the three CHL leagues — the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League — will be permitted to play men’s ACHA hockey effective Aug. 1, 2025, provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses prior to enrolling in college. The decision by the ACHA Executive Board was later ratified by each of the three ACHA Men’s Divisions in separate divisional meetings.
Previously, CHL players had been considered professionals and barred because of amateurism rules, in part because some CHL players have signed NHL entry-level contracts. The decision by the ACHA, which mirrors the policy recently enacted by the NCAA Division I Council, gives major junior players more higher education options as to where they choose to attend school and develop before embarking on a professional career.
“This is a positive development that we believe will provide student-athletes with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL,” said ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett. “With over 300 institutions of higher education that offer Men’s ACHA hockey in one form or another, this decision will also give CHL players and their families more options in choosing where to obtain their university degrees.”
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In addition to deciding to allow CHL players to play Men’s ACHA hockey, several other matters were discussed and voted upon at the 2025 ACHA Annual Meeting in Nashville. In Men’s Division I, the findings of a recent ACHA Strategic Planning analysis were presented to attendees which resulted in a healthy discussion as to how to improve the division by adopting minimum membership standards.
In Men’s Division II, the membership adjusted their post-season tournament format by adding an extra day after the conclusion of Pool Play games but before Semi Final games, beginning with the 2026 ACHA National Championships. Six new teams will be joining Men’s Division III in the 2025-2026 season.
Women’s Division I determined for the 2026 ACHA National Championships, it would continue to use the twelve-team format most recently used at the 2025 event. An additional referee system was also approved by Women’s Division I membership. In Women’s Division II, the membership adopted a policy whereby a team that wins three consecutive national championships is now required to apply for membership within Women’s Division I.
For more information about the ACHA, please contact ACHA Executive Director Craig Barnett at cbarnett@achahockey.org.
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ABOUT AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
The ACHA was founded in 1991 and is the national association for non-NCAA collegiate hockey throughout the United States. Our organization of more than 480 colleges and university-affiliated teams representing 46 states provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes the sport of Hockey nationwide. With approximately 13,000 players and coaches as well as countless volunteers and game officials, the ACHA has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade and continues to be a viable option for college bound student-athletes to continue playing competitive hockey nationwide. Headquartered in Troy, Mich., the ACHA’s primary mission is to support the growth of Collegiate Hockey while emphasizing academic performance, personal development, and opportunities for regional, national, and international competition. The ACHA identifies standards which serve to unite and regulate teams at the collegiate level and is entering its 35th season in September 2025. For more information, visit achahockey.org.
