Three Upstate NY College Hockey Programs Named in New Class-Action Lawsuit

Three college hockey programs in Upstate New York were among the ten named in a class-action lawsuit filed on Monday, August 12th.

Per a report from The Hockey News, the suit was filed by Freedman Normand Friedland LLP on behalf of former junior hockey player Rylan Masterson.

The suit names the NCAA as a defendant, as well as ten institutions with Division I college hockey programs. Three of the ten schools are in Upstate New York: Canisius (Buffalo), Niagara (Lewiston) and RIT (Rochester).

Here's more on the lawsuit:

Per The Hockey News, the suit alleges the NCAA is violating federal antitrust law by banning players who have appeared in a CHL exhibition or regular-season game.

Many sources familiar with the situation have shared this same general sentiment: it was only a matter of time before someone took this to court.

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As it currently stands, the pathway to play college hockey is fairly black-and-white. If you have played for a major junior hockey team within the Canadian Hockey League, which includes the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), you cannot play college hockey.

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This is because players in the CHL sign contracts to play for these teams, and receive a form of compensation (usually a stipend) as a result. The NCAA has stated that, because these players sign contracts, they are considered professionals, and have therefore lost their eligibility to play college hockey.

Meanwhile, players who play in non-CHL junior leagues, including the United States Hockey League (USHL), the North American Hockey League (NAHL), the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and others, are not considered professionals by the NCAA, and can therefore play college hockey at any time.

To make a long story short, this lawsuit has the chance to create seismic change within the college hockey landscape. The NCAA has already allowed players to be paid while in college through name, image and likeness agreements, a decision that may end up paving the way for major-junior players to make the jump to college hockey programs very soon.

More to come.