Overview
- The Division I Cabinet announced the adjustment on June 5, replacing language that would have begun the five‑year clock at expected high school graduation.
- Under the modified proposal an athlete’s clock would start on initial full‑time college enrollment or at the start of the academic year following their 19th birthday, and athletes would still get five seasons of competition within five years.
- College hockey commissioners, junior leagues, the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association lobbied for the change because many hockey prospects delay college to play junior or prep seasons and would have lost eligibility under the earlier draft.
- The Cabinet said implementation models for currently enrolled players and prospects will be updated, schools must submit waiver requests by July 31, and a formal vote is expected at late‑June NCAA meetings.
- The revision aims to standardize eligibility rules to reduce discretionary waivers while keeping sport‑specific development paths intact and the final rule, if adopted, would take effect for the 2026–27 school year.