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PHOTOS BY College Hockey Inc. 46 // SEPTEMBER 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM REG BROWN typically entered the summer break with the Boston College men's college hockey roster finalized for the following season. Sometimes, even sooner than that. But, entering his fifth season as the head coach at his alma mater, Brown didn't put the finishing touches on his roster until late July, a little more than a month before classes began for the fall semester. The landscape of college hockey has expe- rienced a seismic shift over the past five years with a handful of rules changes, including an age-based eligibility model beginning this academic year, while new transfer portal reg- ulations, changes in junior hockey, and play- ers gaining financial benefits have also gone into effect in recent years. "The last two years have been insane, because now we're operating under much, much different rules," said Brown, who served as an assistant coach and associ- ate head coach under Boston College Hall of Fame coach Jerry York from 2004-18. "Hopefully, everyone will get used to the new norm and we'll see some of the kids committing earlier to college programs than they did this year." The age-based eligibility model gives players five seasons to play. Looser trans- fer portal regulations created freer player movement to seek better opportunities. And players can now profit financially through name, image & likeness and revenue shar- ing opportunities. "There's been more change in all of col- lege athletics and college hockey in par- ticular in the past five years than there's been in the previous 100 years, and they've all been significant changes," said Sean Hogan, the executive director of College Hockey, Inc. " With the transfer portal, guys who are at one school can go to a dif- ferent school, and everybody's recruiting classes kind of shift over the summer. But that's also kind of a good thing for a player navigating junior hockey." The age-based eligibility rule might be the most confusing of the new changes to col- lege hockey. For players turning 19 on Sept. 1st or later, eligibility begins the following fall. But for players born Aug. 31 or earlier, the eligibility clock begins that same Fall. Players will then have five years for NCAA Division I athletics after they turn 19 years old. If players enroll full-time in college ear- A Changing Landscape Evolving Rules And Fresh Pathways Are Redefining College Hockey // By Jim Leitner