Boston University sophomore Aiden Celebrini has no regrets over the decision he reached at 16 to maintain his college eligibility by skipping a chance to play for the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades.

And it makes no difference that college hockey wasn’t on his radar growing up in North Vancouver and regularly attending WHL games with his younger brother Macklin, the NHL’s draft’s No. 1 pick last summer.

“We didn’t know much about college hockey,” Celebrini said during the Frozen Four championship in St. Louis. “Going to Vancouver Giants games, that was always kind of our dream to play in the WHL and then eventually play in the NHL.”

It’s a dream Macklin has already achieved in completing his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks and after one year at BU. Aiden could well follow after being drafted by his hometown Canucks in 2023.

Last fall, the NCAA made a landmark eligibility decision to allow Canadian Hockey League players to compete at the college level. The ruling frees today’s players from the either-or choice the Celebrinis faced to either join the CHL team that drafted them or preserve their college eligibility as they did by playing at the Canadian Junior A or USHL levels — Aiden in Alberta and Macklin in Chicago.

“I’m kind of jealous,” Aiden Celebrini said. “I think it’s awesome that guys can experience both now because I think the WHL is a top league, and obviously the NCAA is also. It’s great to have that kind of pipeline now.”

While players will benefit most, the NCAA ruling has the potential to dramatically tilt North America’s junior hockey developmental landscape toward U.S. colleges in a fundamental altering of how prospects reach the NHL.

Paths to the NHL

The route for many has traditionally run through the CHL’s three leagues, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

The CHL remains the clear leader in having 839 players drafted from 2015-24, with the NCAA’s 74 a distant seventh. And yet, of those 74 college players, 63 were chosen in the first round, including two Canadians selected first overall (Celebrini and Michigan’s Owen Power in 2021).

College hockey players now make up about a third of NHL rosters, up from 20% in 2000, with Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf envisioning that number growing.

“I don’t think it’s that complicated. There’ll be an increasing number of NHLers that come from college,” Metcalf told The Associated Press at the Frozen Four. “(The CHL and USHL) will feed players up into college hockey. And college hockey will feed the players up to the NHL.”

College money

College sports awaits the final approval of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement that will change the economics across the NCAA and its hundreds of member schools by allowing revenue sharing. That, and the availability of NIL endorsement money, will provide college programs beyond football and basketball different resources to attract recruits.

A hot topic of discussion at the Frozen Four was the potential of hockey programs making six-figures offer to lure top-end CHL players, such as Medicine Hat forward Gavin McKenna, already projected to be No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.

“The better talent we can get into college hockey, the better it is for college hockey. So access to a new talent pool is a good thing,” said Western Michigan athletic director Dan Bartholomae, whose Broncos won their first title.

“We’re going to compete in that space,” he added of an athletic department in the midst of building a $500 million new downtown arena. “We could grow a little bit in the sport of hockey, and we’re planning to.”

WMU fans celebrate first-ever NCAA Ice Hockey National Championship win

A resized talent pool?

Questions include how much college hockey can expand, given the eight-figure price tag to launch a Division I program, and how the CHL and USHL adapt. CHL President Dan MacKenzie doesn’t expect his three leagues to take a back seat to anyone.

“The changes have been monumental, obviously. We’ve all been trying to get an handle on what’s going to happen,” he said. “What we’ve seen in those five months is the CHL basically get stronger.”

For proof, MacKenzie noted that 205 CHL alumni, representing more than 50% of NHL rosters, are currently competing in the playoffs. He also pointed to NHL Central Scouting having 170 CHL players included in their pre-draft rankings, the most ever.

Expansion is on the horizon, with the WHL preparing to launch two teams in British Columbia, which would increase the CHL’s total to 60.

“Every player is going to make a different decision,” MacKenzie said. “All we can do is try to run a whole bunch of great programs across our teams and leagues and let the chips fall, because we feel pretty confident that we’re going to be the destination for that player.”

The challenge for the USA Hockey-backed USHL is somewhat different in staying competitive while maintaining its objectives of growing the game across American and developing U.S.-born talent.

The initial fallout from the NCAA ruling led to two teams, Youngstown and Muskegon, being rejected in their bid to leave the USHL and join the OHL. All 16 teams have since committed to remaining in the USHL next year.

Commissioner Glenn Hefferan dismissed the potential of a lawsuit by noting the USHL has anti-trust protections. He instead foresees a future in which the USHL and CHL forge closer bonds, with the potential of inter-league preseason games on the horizon.

Canada vs. USA

A bigger concern is the NCAA’s change in eligibility rules leading to Canadians potentially displacing Americans on college rosters. Hefferan and USA Hockey executive director Pat Kelleher both said they’d like to see the U.S. Congress cap the number of international players on college teams.

Hockey East’s Metcalf dismissed that proposal outright.

“My immediate reaction is that’s the opposite direction we’re going in,” Metcalf said. “College hockey is interested in getting the best players they can from where ever they’re from.”

In the meantime, the NHL is monitoring developments and might eventually need to weigh in, with input from the NHL Players’ Association.

Currently, NHL teams retain the draft rights to players for 30 days after they leave college. By comparison, teams hold CHL players’ right for two seasons after being drafted.

One benefit NHL teams have in drafting college players is, once signed those players can be sent directly to the minors. CHL players must be returned to their CHL teams until their eligibility expires.

“The NCAA made whatever decision, and we’re all going to have to adjust,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We’re going to have to talk to the union and understand how we think it works based on the current rule and what maybe we need to modify to be reflective of the way we think things would flow best.”

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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt.- The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) announced that former Norwich Ice Hockey broadcaster George Commo will receive the 2025 Jim Fullerton Award.

The AHCA presents this annual award, “Named in honor of the former Brown University hockey coach and ACHA spiritual leader, this award recognizes an individual who loves the purity of our sport. Whether a coach, administrator, trainer, official, journalist, or simply a fan, the recipient exemplifies Jim Fullerton, who gave as much as he received and never stopped caring about the direction in which our game was heading.”  

Commo will add the Jim Fullerton Award to a lengthy list of accolades, including winning Vermont Sportscaster of the Year eleven times, enshrinement in the Vermont Principals’ Association (VPA) Hall of Fame, the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Norwich University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Rice Memorial High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, Commo has received the Warner Fusselle Award for Excellence in Broadcasting by baseball’s New York Penn League and the Monahan & Wallace Media Award by the ECAC Sports Information Directors Association.

After a lengthy career commentating various athletic events for the University of Vermont, Commo joined WDEV Radio in 1998. He became the play-by-play voice for Norwich Ice Hockey until his retirement after the 2022-23 season, calling numerous conference and NCAA tournament games, including all four runs to the National Championship for men’s ice hockey.

The AHCA will present the award to Commo at a luncheon on Wednesday afternoon at Vermont National Country Club.

Full AHCA Release
 

Each week, the Record (using a script in R) randomly selects a student at the College for our One in Two Thousand feature, excluding current Record board members. This week, Katherine Kang ’27 discussed her hometown of Amherst, Mass., love of crossword puzzles, and advice for first-years. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Tess Halpern (TH): You’re on the ice hockey team. When did you start playing?

Katherine Kang (KK): I started playing when I was maybe four or five. My dad and brother both played, so it just naturally happened. I played all through elementary school, middle school, and high school. I live in Amherst, which is kind of far from anything super competitive, so I was driving out to Eastern Mass a lot. Then I got recruited to play here.

TH: How do you stay connected with your team during the off-season?

KK: I would say they’re definitely my best friends, and I spend the most time with them. It is weird, since you just naturally see people less out of season, but we still have lifts and workouts, and weekends are very team-based.

TH: You mentioned you’re from Amherst. How do people there feel about you going to the College?

KK: It’s funny. I should’ve anticipated more that people would find it so shocking that I’m from Amherst. Like, last year, during First Days, when I was meeting everyone, I think I probably said it 700 times. Then, I got the “Oh my god, Amherst!” Or, you know, “Why Williams?” So I definitely had to develop a “bit” for that, like a little line. But, my entire neighborhood at home is Amherst professors, or people who work at Amherst, so they’re always making fun of me when I’m wearing Williams merch. 

TH: What’s an obscure hobby you have?

KK: One thing about me is that I love a good crossword puzzle like The New York Times mini. I do that every morning when I wake up and try to finish it quicker than the day before. I have books of crossword puzzles that I can just spend hours on. Oh my gosh, it’s such a procrastination thing. 

TH: Do you play the Record crossword? 

KK: I do, yes. I like that it’s tailored to Williams in some ways, and includes little niche things that people wouldn’t know about, like Late Night. No one knows what Snar is outside of Williams.

TH: I’m so notoriously bad at crosswords.

KK: They’re pretty hard. I’m always impressed by people who can make crosswords.

TH: What are you majoring in?

KK: Literally just this morning, I finished declaring my major, so officially I can say I’m gonna be an environmental studies and French double major with a concentration in public health. 

TH: Congratulations! What’s your favorite French class you’ve taken at the College? 

KK: Probably anything with Brian Martin. He is just a joy of a human being and so encouraging. I love French, and he just makes you feel so confident and happy to be there.

TH: Since I’m a first-year, I’m wondering if you have any advice as someone who is nearing the end of your sophomore year.

KK: When I first got here, I had literally no idea what I wanted to study or do on campus. I think I spent a lot of my first year really worried about that, having this existential dread of “Who am I here?” But I would say, just keep taking classes that you genuinely find interesting, and you will find something that you’re really passionate about. Having just declared my major, I never thought that, by the end of my sophomore year, I would actually have found something I’m really interested in. But genuinely, even though everyone says it, you will figure it out. I was so sick of hearing that, but I really found it to be true. 

TH: That’s great advice. Did you go to Spring Fling? What did you think?

KK: So, I hadn’t heard of Del Water Gap, but he was much better than I was expecting. And the rain was timed perfectly. I watched the student performances from inside, and then the rain stopped just as Del Water Gap was coming on stage. As soon as his performance ended, it started raining again. I was like, “Wow. Couldn’t have planned it any better.”

TH: Speaking of weather, Williamstown fall or spring?

KK: I would have to say spring. The fall weather is elite, but spring — coming out of season, no more preseason — is a time where you can really just have fun and enjoy it.

TH: What’s your favorite spot on Spring Street?

KK: Probably Spring Street Market for the vibes, but Papa C’s for some nice, affordable food. I’m notorious for going into Spring Street Market and not even buying anything and just doing work there. Vibes are good there, I’d say. 

TH: What’s your favorite order from ’82 Grill or Fresh-n-Go?

KK: Well, fun fact: I have never been through the Whitmans’ line for lunch. Every single day that I’ve been here, I have ordered from Fresh-n-Go for lunch, and it’s been consistently the same thing. It’s a little weird: a grain bowl with turkey, egg salad, and all the toppings. It’s just one thing I know is consistent, and I can count on. [Laughs.] I’m a person of habit.

TH: That’s a great answer. What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?

KK: I think, a lot of times, it’s hard with teams because it can get very insular. I love my team more than anything, and I would still love to meet other people and be close with them. My roommate is on the women’s soccer team, and we’ve just gotten so close — that’s been amazing to have. I wish more people knew that I’m not just on a hockey team. I really do like having a wide variety of friends. 

LONDON — A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson has been told he will not face any charges, British prosecutors said Tuesday.

Johnson played for the Nottingham Panthers and died shortly after his neck had been sliced in a collision with Sheffield Steelers defenseman Matt Petgrave during a game on Oct. 28, 2023.

A man was arrested two weeks later and though South Yorkshire Police did not publicly identify him, Petgrave himself said in a crowdfunding appeal for legal fees that he was the subject of a police investigation.

On Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would not bring criminal charges against the man arrested following what it described as “a shocking and deeply upsetting incident.”

“The CPS and South Yorkshire Police have worked closely together to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought against the other ice hockey player involved,” Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Michael Quinn said.

“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offense and so there will not be a prosecution. Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”

After his arrest, Petgrave had been re-bailed several times while the investigation took place. His agent declined to comment Tuesday.

During the game, Johnson had skated with the puck into Sheffield’s defensive zone when Petgrave collided with another Panthers player nearby. Petgrave’s left skate elevated as he began to fall and the blade hit Johnson in the neck.

The native of Hibbing, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The death of the 29-year-old former Pittsburgh Penguins player sparked debate across the sport about improving safety for players.

Chicago Blackhawks saddened by Adam Johnson’s death from a skate cut: ‘You get a pit in your stomach’

Petgrave, a 33-year-old Canadian, had support from some of Johnson’s teammates. Victor Björkung had told a Swedish newspaper there “isn’t a chance that it’s deliberate.” Björkung had played the pass to Johnson and said he was traumatized by what he saw.

Johnson — one of the “import” players in the Elite Ice Hockey League — was in his first season at Nottingham after stints in Germany and a handful of games for the Penguins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.

Johnson was living with fiancée Ryan Wolfe and studying at Loughborough Business School.

The English Ice Hockey Association, which governs the sport below the Elite League, reacted to Johnson’s death by requiring all players in England to wear neck guards from the start of 2024.

Originally Published: April 29, 2025 at 12:38 PM CDT

GRAND FORKS — UND is bringing Zach Sandy home to North Dakota.

The former star goaltender from Fargo South-Shanley has committed to UND out of the NCAA transfer portal.

Sandy spent three years at Minnesota Duluth serving as the backup goaltender.

The 6-foot, 175-pound netminder is 2-2 with a 3.45 goals-against average and an .873 save percentage. Sandy started two games this season.

Sandy is expected to serve as UND’s third goaltender this season.

Sandy spent four years as the varsity goaltender for Fargo South-Shanley. He posted a .922 save percentage as a sophomore, .947 as a junior and .941 as a senior.

He helped South-Shanley reach the state championship game as a junior.

After high school, Sandy played one year for Minot in the North American Hockey League. He went 14-11-2 and posted a .932 save percentage.

Sandy mainly served as the third goaltender for Minnesota Duluth, but was thrust into a bigger role this season.

Sandy is close friends with UND senior forward Ben Strinden. They were high school classmates at Fargo Shanley.

When Sandy originally committed to Minnesota Duluth, he told The Forum: “We’ve always talked about what a great dream it would be if we could both play Division I hockey. And now seeing it unfold … we’ll still be best friends, even though we’ll be playing against each other. It’s all love at the end of the day.”

Now, they’ll be teammates again.

Sandy’s commitment rounds out UND’s goaltending group for 2025-26.

The Fighting Hawks received a commitment from Arizona State’s Gibson Homer out of the transfer portal. They’re also bringing in freshman Jan Špunar from the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Špunar is a finalist for the United States Hockey League’s Goaltender of the Year.

Committed recruit Caleb Heil of the USHL’s Madison Capitols will play one more year of junior hockey and come to campus in the fall of 2026.

UND sophomore Hobie Hedquist is expected to leave in the NCAA transfer portal, though he has not entered yet.

Last year’s starter, T.J. Semptimphelter, graduated and signed with the top minor-league affiliate of the New York Islanders. Last year’s third goalie, Kaleb Johnson, suffered a career-ending injury.

With all of that, the Fighting Hawks will turn over their entire goaltending group.

UND’s 2025-26 roster is inching toward completion.

The Fighting Hawks will likely add two forwards and one or two defensemen.

Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group

Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.