By Christian Storms
When the United States Supreme Court ruled that college athletes could benefit from their name, image and likeness, the landscape of amateur and professional sports changed forever.
First, it truly began with football and basketball, but that impact is now truly being felt in the hockey world. While there has always been a faithful pipeline of hockey players believing the route through the NCAA is the best development model for a successful career in the National Hockey League, there has been an influx in athletes making the leap to the collegiate ranks with six-figure numbers heading into bank accounts.
Prior to the 2025-26 season, the path to the NCAA did not include athletes coming from the Canadian Hockey League, but this season and going forward, those players will be allowed to compete in college hockey. While the CHL has lost a few players — including top talents such as Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff — more players have decided to take their talents back to the CHL now knowing the NCAA path is still an option.
Leading the move to the CHL from the United States Hockey League are several draft eligible players for this upcoming season, and at the top of that list are some notable European prospects heading to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Atop that list is the best Latvian prospect in over a decade and likely the nation’s first first-round selection since Zemgus Girgensons in 2012, centerman Olivers Murnieks.
Murnieks is a physically mature center coming in at 6-foot-1 and nearly 200 pounds, while also playing an equally mature two-way game that could provide middle-six upside. Competing for the Sioux City Musketeers, Murnieks provided 15 goals and 20 assists for 35 points over 52 games in the USHL
Making the jump to the QMJHL, Murnieks will be playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs, joining a team that was captained part of the year by fellow Latvian Eriks Mateiko. Murnieks should see a jump in his offensive production moving into the QMJHL and that along with his two-way game will increase his draft stock.
While Murnieks is not committed to a team in the NCAA, his move to Saint John still leaves every option open for his path to the NHL.
Also headed to the QMJHL are Russians Yegor Shilov and Alexei Vlasov, both leaving the USHL for the Victoriaville Tigres. With commitments to the NCAA, the new ruling has allowed them to flee the USHL for an opportunity in the CHL.
The 6-foot-1 Shilov had a productive offensive season with the Green Bay Gamblers, posting 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 39 games. The centerman has a great offensive toolkit to go along with great vision and is poised for more offensive success in the QMJHL.
Vlasov joins the Tigres with Shilov, adding more high-end skill to the worst team in the QMJHL from last season. Unlike Shilov, Vlasov is undersized at 5-foot-9 and plays more off-puck, needing good teammates to help facilitate his game.
Vlasov scored 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 51 games for the Sioux Falls Stampede last season in the USHL and joining the Tigres he should be relied upon to bring an offensive boost.
While Murnieks and the Russians might be choosing the QMJHL because the option is now open with an NCAA pathway still possible or just greener pastures in their eyes of development, several Canadians are returning home for major junior hockey and the NCAA on the table.
Among those Canadians coming back home to play in the CHL with an NCAA commitment is Callum Croskery. The 6-foot, left-handed defenseman was a solid member of the blue line for the Chicago Steel, but is now headed back to Canada to play for the Soo Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League.
Croskery goes from the second worst team in the USHL to a playoff team in the OHL with several openings on the left side of the defense. The jump will give him an opportunity in the top four going against high end forwards every night, sharpening his game prior to the draft.
In Croskery’s case, the move puts him in a much better situation for his draft season and should look more favorable on his game.
Not only did Croskery leave the ailing Chicago Steel, but Alexander Hage — younger brother of Montreal Canadiens first-rounder and University of Michigan forward Michael Hage — and Adam Valenti all left the organization.
Hage will be joining the Niagara IceDogs for one season before he makes the jump to the NCAA, while Valentini originally intended to play for the Kitchener Rangers before pulling the plug a week before training camp to join the Michigan Wolverines in the NCAA a year early.
For the 5-foot-8 Hage, he will join an IceDogs team that will have plenty of scouting eyeballs with high end prospects Ryan Roobroeck and Braidy Wassilyn. Hage is not nearly the highly touted prospect his brother was, and that’s no surprise with his low production of 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points in 37 games for the Steel.
Valentini may have burned some bridges and momentarily hurt his draft stock by pulling the plug so late on Kitchener, but that could all be forgiven if he manages to carve out a role at the University of Michigan.
The undersized, but extremely talented Valentini joins an already loaded freshman class for the Wolverines and could either hurt his draft stock by playing poorly early in the NCAA or solidify himself as a first-round talent.
Valentini led the Steel in scoring with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points in 58 games, certainly not dominating the league, but the elite puck skills and strong skating is certainly there for success in the NCAA. However, the physicality could be a question and being a late joining freshman might make it harder for him to carve out a top-six role, whereas he would have certainly been granted every opportunity to be the star in Kitchener.
As some Canadians feel betrayed by Valentini teasing the CHL with his talent, more Americans will have to watch their top talent flock north of the border.
Nikita Klepov just helped the United States capture its first title at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and instead of coming back to the USHL with the Sioux City Musketeers he is headed to the Saginaw Spirit. The 6-foot winger posted 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 59 games and then had a goal and five assists for six points in five games at the Hlinka.
Klepov is similar to Vlasov, but on a larger frame that is more involved in each aspect of the game. He will join a Saginaw squad that is in need of replacing a lot of talent and he will have plenty to give.
Caden Harvey is another member of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup squad that will be heading to the OHL and playing with the Windsor Spitfires. The 6-foot-1 strong skating center spent much of his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 16U squad and played some games with the Waterloo Blackhawks and US National Development Team.
The attribute that stands out for Harvey is his above-average shot, coupled with a strong transition game that will be useful on a Spitfires roster that could do damage in the OHL playoffs. Those skills will be on display with a Windsor team that has had players selected in the first round the last two drafts.
While Harvey just featured in five games for the USNTDP, having no real commitment, J.P. Hurlbert leaving the program to spend his draft year with the Kamloops Blazers is the American comparison to the Valentini betrayal.
Hurlbert was one of the top talents on the U-17 team this past year, scoring 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 56 games at the program. Hurlbert is a force to be reckoned with in the offensive zone and he made the decision to join a Blazers squad that missed the WHL playoffs.
Hurlbert will provide an offensive spark that will catch many eyes and with the Blazers he will be the star of the show, while nothing is promised at the program which has been in decline for several years now.
Among all the movements with players worrying about which situation might be best for their development heading into the most important season of their hockey careers, the very best player in the USHL is staying put.
Returning to the Clark Cup Champion Muskegon Lumberjacks is playoff MVP Tynan Lawrence, the two-way Canadian center that torched the league at 16 with 25 goals and 29 assists for 54 points in 56 games. He then went on to score 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 14 games to win the Clark Cup.
Lawrence has the speed for the NHL, the vision and playmaking, the puck skills and release to score, and most importantly the brain to be a top five selection in the draft.
He could have very easily joined the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the QMJHL, providing an opportunity to prove himself in another league. However, he felt it was best to return to the program that has produced several first rounders in recent years and will join that list next June barring a catastrophe.
While moving to the QMJHL or staying in the USHL shouldn’t make a difference for a player of Lawrence’s caliber, it could be the difference for a prospect trying to increase their draft stock and development into an NHL player. So, moving forward, it should be expected that more and more athletes jump from team to team, just hoping to achieve their dreams.