Rule change brings players to the Mooseheads, Eagles who used to stay away

When 16-year-old Will Bent logged on to Instagram one day last June, the Boston-area native was tagged in a post that originated a country away. Bent, who wasn’t familiar with Halifax or Nova Scotia, learned he’d been drafted by the Halifax Mooseheads.

“It was funny,” he said. “I didn’t really know it at first, so I laughed and my parents were like, ‘Oh my God, you got drafted there.’ It’s huge.”

Initially, Bent wasn’t interested in playing for the Mooseheads as he had already committed to playing for Providence College in Rhode Island in 2027-28. However, a rule change in November opened up a pathway for Bent to join the Mooseheads in early January. He became the fourth player to join the team under the revised eligibility rules.

The Mooseheads, who are in a rebuilding phase this season, have benefitted from the addition of new players without having to trade away existing players or future draft picks. General Manager Cam Russell is excited about the rule change and anticipates more players will be looking to join the team in the future.

With the NCAA rule change allowing players to retain their eligibility even after playing in the Canadian Hockey League, the landscape of player recruitment is shifting. Russell believes that NCAA schools will likely want players to exhaust their major junior eligibility before heading south, which could impact the average age of players on NCAA rosters.

The Mooseheads have taken proactive steps to scout talent in the New England area, hiring two additional scouts to cover the region. This move aligns with the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League draft, where players from New England are eligible to be selected.

Cape Breton Eagles, the Mooseheads’ provincial rivals, have also capitalized on the NCAA rule change by recruiting players like Andrew Brown from the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League. Eagles General Manager Sylvain Couturier has been in talks with several players who plan to join the team next season, demonstrating the impact of the rule change on player recruitment.

The influx of new talent from the NCAA rule change has injected excitement into the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and has the potential to elevate the level of competition in the league. With more players considering the CHL as a viable option for development, teams like the Mooseheads and Eagles are gearing up for a more competitive and dynamic future on the ice.