WHL scholarships will pay for U.S. tuition, potentially taking away from U Sports

Following the United States (U.S.) National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) decision to allow Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players eligibility on November 7, it was unclear how some CHL leagues would respond. The Western Hockey League (WHL) has a long-standing history of sending WHL graduates to post-secondary.

When entering the WHL, some players will sign onto the WHL scholarship program. For every year an athlete plays in the WHL, they will receive one year of post-secondary education paid for. This includes textbooks, mandatory fees, and tuition. Considering the typical WHL career is four seasons long, a player could have their whole degree covered.

Why this scholarship was beneficial for U Sports

Previously, WHL players could not play in NCAA, as they were considered professional players. This used to conflict with the NCAA’s amateur clause. The biggest impact from this change will be felt at the Tier Two level in Canada. Their top players who were preserving their NCAA eligibility are now free to join the CHL as they finish high school.

With the recent NCAA rule change, CHL players are able to commit to division one (D1) colleges, and they already have. Seven WHL players have committed to various NCAA colleges within a week of finding out they were eligible.

Traditionally those players might have decided to join U Sports, as is common with former CHL players. A big reason for this decision was their scholarship.

Considering they had the funds and couldn’t join NCAA, why wouldn’t they get their degree and play hockey in Canada at the same time?

“It’d be a way for me to develop my career as a player, and as a person [while getting] my degree at the same time. There was really no downside to it,” Brett Hyland from the Golden Bears hockey team said.

The WHL provides clarification on the scholarship

The WHL scholarship applies to any North American post-secondary institution. However, a degree in Canada is far less expensive than a degree in the U.S. — leaving people to wonder “will the scholarship change?”

“As of now and dating back many years, WHL Scholarship benefits have been available to players to attend any post-secondary or career-enhancing institution of choice in Canada or the United States” Taylor Rocca, director of PR and brand communications for the WHL said.

Meaning as of now, there are no plans to change the scholarship, despite the increase in cost for the WHL.

Since its creation in the 1993-94 season, the WHL has spent over $25 million dollars on post-secondary education. The estimated cost is now $2.5 million a year to send around 350 to 400 players to school.

A potential reason for the scholarship remaining static is that the NCAA spends millions on scholarships themselves. Particularly, men’s hockey see’s some of the highest investments from D1 schools. Top level players from the CHL will certainly be offered scholarships from the NCAA. This will limit the need for WHL scholarships.

What does this mean for current teams?

When the news first broke of the NCAA rule change, it was believed that the scholarship program would change to reflect it. Adding to the belief that U Sports would not see a huge decline in competition.

While that belief remains the same, it cannot be taken as definite as before. Seven players committing to D1 schools in a week was unexpected.

The unique thing about this situation is that those players were competing with athletes from U.S. development leagues. The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the premiere development league for future NCAA players.

With fewer USHL athletes heading to NCAA, they might decide to get their degree and play hockey in Canada. This rule change will increase the competition in the CHL and the NCAA. Top level players from each league not making it into NCAA, are the ones looking at U Sports.

The Bears’ roster currently has 20 former WHL players. In future years this could change to reflect a more dynamic shift between leagues.