NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is getting plaudits after the NCAA reportedly decided to adopt hockey’s preferred eligibility model. Many believe the decision will help protect the sport’s player-development system.

The discussion grew after college hockey insider Mike McMahon reported that the NCAA Division I Cabinet had reviewed the hockey model and was expected to approve a rule in which a player’s eligibility clock would start either after their 19th birthday or after college enrollment.

Under the proposal, high school graduation would no longer determine eligibility. After McMahon’s report, NHL insider Frank Seravalli praised Daly for helping lead the process behind the scenes.

“Chalk this up as a big win for hockey world with the foundation laid by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly,” Seravalli wrote on X. “He let NCAA president Charlie Baker know in no uncertain terms how big this was for the hockey ecosystem.”

The praise comes after weeks of efforts by the NHL and several major hockey organizations to oppose an NCAA proposal. That proposal would have given athletes five years of eligibility starting from either their high school graduation or their 19th birthday, whichever came first.

Bill Daly publicly said that the NHL had shared its concerns directly with NCAA leaders.

“We’re not in favor of the change, and we’ve made the NCAA aware of it,” Daly said before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.

According to Bill Daly, the NHL worked with the Canadian Hockey League, the United States Hockey League, USA Hockey, and the College Coaches Association to raise concerns. 

They believed a single eligibility rule could hurt hockey’s development system, where many players spend extra years in junior hockey or prep programs before starting college.

NHL and NHLPA Warned Against a One-Size-Fits-All Solution

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association both opposed the original proposal. They said hockey develops players differently from sports like football, basketball, and baseball.

As per Bill Daly, NCAA President Charlie Baker understood their concerns but preferred rules that apply to all sports. Daly hoped the NCAA would take hockey’s concerns into account.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also spoke against the proposal. He warned that one rule for every sport could create problems.

“I hope that a one-size-fitting-all solution, which disadvantages some sports over others, isn’t the way they go because I think that would be unfair to us," he said, as per Times Union.

NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey agreed that the change could cause major disruption across the hockey development system. 

The NCAA’s reported decision to adopt hockey’s preferred model suggests that those concerns were taken seriously. While officials still need to finalize the details, many people in hockey see the decision as a big win for the sport.

What are your thoughts? Did Bill Daly play a key role in helping convince the NCAA to adopt a hockey-friendly eligibility model that protects the sport’s development system? Comment on your opinion. 

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Sijo Paul