The NCAA Divison I-Council voted on Thursday to allow Canadian Hockey League players to become eligible to play college hockey beginning on August 1, 2025. According to the ruling, recruiting of these players can begin immediately, but players cannot appear on rosters until August. Discussions around a potential ruling on CHL player eligibility have long been discussed, and the decision has sent shockwaves throughout college hockey.

Whether it is a program like Penn State or a smaller Division I school, the recruiting landscape has changed for the foreseeable future. Programs can now openly recruit players who never had a chance to play collegiate hockey.

When rumors about a potential vote circulated, Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky was asked about the potential impact a decision to allow CHL players eligibility would have on his program. Due to the uncertainty regarding a ruling at the time, Gadowksy said he “did not want to get too far ahead of the skis” and preferred to wait until a decision was officially handed down.

Now that a decision has officially come down from the NCAA, Gadowsky opened up about potential impacts and changes to his program’s recruiting strategy.

“It’s a pool of players that we feel we need to look at,” Gadowsky said. “I don’t think I’m doing my job if we’re not.”

While this decision adds more players to an already large pool of potential Divison I players, Gadowsky argued it’s not a certainty that CHL players will automatically succeed in collegiate hockey simply because of where they played before making the jump.

“I don’t think it’s automatic that these players coming from the CHL are going to be successful in college,” Gadowsky said. “I don’t feel that way, but I do believe there’s plenty of good ones that would do that. We have to do our job with the new pool of players.”

As for a recruiting strategy, it has yet to be determined just how much will change for Gadowsky and his staff other than dealing with a larger pool of talent. In the end, Gadowksy believes these players must be a good fit for the program.

“We’re not just going to take anybody because he played in the CHL, but we’re certainly going to take the ones that are a really good fit for Penn State,” Gadowksy said. “It’s not just a matter of his numbers, it’s a matter of the type of person and how you think he’s going to fit in the locker room.”

It’s not just the coaching and recruiting staff that will experience the ripple effect of this landmark ruling, either. Current Division I players and recruits alike will now have to battle a larger pool of players for spots both in recruiting classes and on rosters.

Players around the United States competing in both high school and leagues like the United States Hockey League will have further competition in the form of CHL players. Jimmy Dowd Jr., a veteran of Penn State hockey, offered his view on the new recruiting landscape.

“It’s gonna be super interesting with the new CHL rule,” Dowd said. “Obviously, I’m out of here after this year, so it’s not gonna affect me. But there are kids who are in high school and committed, and it’s kind of a wake-up call. There are 200 more kids who now have eligibility.”

With this decision coming down in-season and schools being unable to add CHL players to their rosters until August, it is unlikely we will see any major movement regarding players making the jump. After the conclusion of both the CHL and NCAA season, all bets are off.

“They’re playing somewhere else right now, and they don’t want to let them go, it’s new that way,” Gadowsky said. “I think there’s going to be a lot more flurry of activity after the season.”