The NCAA Division I Council on Thursday approved a rule allowing players with Canadian Hockey League experience to compete at U.S. colleges starting next season, a landmark decision that has the potential to shake up the NHL’s two biggest sources of developmental talent.

The decision, which takes effect Aug. 1, lifts the NCAA’s long-standing ban on CHL players who were previously considered professionals because they received a stipend of up to $600 per month for living expenses.

Approval was expected after the council tabled a proposal to lift the ban last month. Players competing on major youth ice hockey teams or professional teams may retain NCAA eligibility as long as they are not paid more than actual and necessary expenses.

The decision also applies to skiing, bringing both into line with NCAA eligibility rules for other sports.

In doing so, the council opened the door to a major change in the way players approaching their 16th birthday decide where to play. Instead of having to choose between one or the other, CHL players can now play NCAA hockey when they become eligible for college.

The decision has the potential to cost the CHL top 18+ talent or flood American college rosters with Canadians.

The NCAA ruling follows a class-action lawsuit filed Aug. 13 in U.S. District Court in Buffalo, New York, challenging the banning of players from the CHL’s Western Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Riley Masterson of Fort Erie, Ont., who lost his college eligibility two years ago when, at age 16, he appeared in two exhibition games for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires. Lists 10 Division I hockey programs, which were selected to demonstrate that they follow NCAA bylaws by excluding current or former CHL players.

In a separate development in September, Braxton Whitehead said he had verbally committed to Arizona State, making him the first CHL player to try to play hockey at the US Division I college level. Whitehead, 20, said who plans to play this season for the WHL Regina Pats before playing for the Sun Devils in 2025-26.

Stipends received by CHL players are not considered income for tax purposes. Meanwhile, college players receive scholarships and can now earn money through endorsements and other uses of their name, image or likeness.

The eligibility change could also affect the USHL, which previously attracted players who declined to compete in the CHL to maintain their college eligibility. Two recent No. 1 NHL draft picks, San Jose forward Macklin Celebrini and Buffalo Sabers defenseman Owen Power, played in the USHL.

Since its inception, the USHL’s development model has been “intentionally aligned with the student-athlete experience,” the league wrote in a statement in response to the NCAA’s decision. “The USHL remains the world’s premier development pathway. All aspects of the league are focused on preparing athletes for college and professional hockey, including academic, character and on-ice development.