Calgary Flames Draft Pick Makes Jump From CHL To NCAA In Rare Move

There's a lot changing in college sports these days, most of it not for the better. College hockey is in a somewhat unique position because the sport hasn't been impacted by NIL to the degree that football and basketball have — in fact, Western Michigan just won the national championship without spending a dime of NIL money — but there have been other changes that are a good thing for the future of the sport.

The biggest was the NCAA's decision to allow players with major junior experience playing in the CHL (which is made up of three leagues: the WHL, the OHL, and the QMJHL), to play college hockey after decades of them being considered professionals.

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Some players have already announced intentions to make the jump from major junior to the NCAA. Still, The Hockey News noted that those players were overwhelmingly older players who wouldn't be able to find a spot on the major junior teams anyway.

That's why it was newsworthy when Calgary Flames prospect Henry Mews announced his plan to leave the CHL and attend Michigan starting next season.

By the way, how weird is it seeing a Michigan bucket without a cage? It's weird, right?

Mews is only 19-years-old, which means he had another season in the OHL, where he played two and a half seasons with the Ottawa 67's before getting traded to the Sudbury Wolves this season, a move that was reportedly made because the 67's knew Mews planned on becoming a Wolverine.

The third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft is regarded as a solid puck-moving defenseman, and his decision to jump to college hockey is a big win for the NCAA, while it's a bad sign for the Canadian junior ranks.

Now that he's made the move, it probably wouldn't be too big of a surprise to see other high-end junior players follow suit.