The new CHL agreement with the NCAA which allowed CHL players to be eligible for the NCAA marked a new era of college hockey, and the start of a new chapter for some of the best players in the country to display their skills. Some of the CHL's most prestigious talent, from first round picks in the 2025 draft, to future first overall pixcks in the 2026 NHL draft, have already made the leap over to the NCAA, and some serious cash has already been handed out.
However, it was one 17-year-old kid from Whitehorse which changed the landscape indefinitely, as the Medicine Hat Tigers Gavin McKenna signed a $700k NIL deal with the Penn State Nittany Lions, paving the way for some of North America's best hockey players to earn what they are really worth.
The NCAA have produced their fair share of NHL talent over the years, some including Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, and Cale Makar, however that list is about to get a whole lot longer, and the Everett Silvertips Landon DuPont could be the next in line to make the jump to the NCAA. Picking up recent draft picks like Porter Martone and Jackson Smith was already a good statement for the NCAA that it is now the most desired league to play in for junior hockey players, but after McKenna's deal was announced, their pull became a whole lot stronger. Managing to pull in one of hockey's most anticipated prospects of all time couldn't have sent a better message, and what is stopping them from poaching even more of the greatest upcoming talents?
With McKenna setting the bar, and finally showing what junior hockey players are really worth, it isn't crazy to think that some of the CHL's best upcoming talent like the likes of DuPont and Maddox Schultz could make their individual moves to the NCAA, and DuPont looks like the perfect player to add to the ever-growing list of fresh NCAA talent.
With how college hockey programs are evolving, and how finances and monetary gain are becoming massive within the game at the college level, DuPont is another player who could be enticed by the recent activity in college hockey. As a proven elite defenseman and a player who is destined to be a potential first overall pick in the future, he would be another player who sets the tone for NCAA hockey in the future.
Who knows how good some of the NHL's best players could have been if this rule came into effect earlier, but as of now, it was the perfect time to make a statement. First it was McKenna, then came Martone -- who's to say DuPont isn't next? With how things are going, DuPont may already have college life on his mind at only 16.