5 NCAA Freshmen Who Might Want to Return to Junior
The NCAA path doesn’t suit every player, and several former Canadian Hockey League (CHL) prospects may find greater success by returning to junior hockey. When Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff left the CHL to test themselves in the NCAA, fans feared that more top talent might follow, draining junior teams. Team executives, however, remained calm.
“We’re not going to probably know the full impacts of this rule change in player movement trends for at least a year or two, maybe three,” said CHL President Dan MacKenzie in July while the new rules were still rolling out.
Only a month into the season, patterns are already emerging. Rylan Gould, who joined Michigan Tech after producing a point per game with the Swift Current Broncos, managed just one goal in six NCAA appearances. He later returned to the Western Hockey League (WHL), joining the Everett Silvertips after a trade from Swift Current.
“There was always going to be the possibility of some of these guys coming back,” said Broncos General Manager Chad Leslie. “We made sure it was open-ended; guys knew they had the opportunity to come back.”
The NCAA experiment isn’t for everyone, and CHL clubs have indicated they’re ready to welcome returning players whose college plans don’t go as expected. Although much can change in the months ahead, these situations highlight five players who might benefit from heading back to their junior teams.
Author’s Summary
Some CHL alumni testing the NCAA waters are discovering the transition challenging, and returning to junior teams could help them regain confidence and playing rhythm.