CHL grads to NCAA ranks


By
January 30, 2025

Adrian Gedye of Pinnacle Hockey Management is one family advisor/certified player agent whose clients are taking full advantage of the new rule that makes Canadian Hockey League players eligible to play for Division 1, National Collegiate Athletic Association programs effective the ’25-26 season.

Jackson Parsons

In fact, it was during the second week of this past November, just one day after the NCAA made the eligibility ruling to allow major junior players past and present to be permitted to play at the Division 1 level, that long time Pinnacle client — and one of the top goalies in the Ontario Hockey League — Jackson Parsons of the Kitchener Rangers committed to Clarkson University ahead of the ’25-26 campaign.

And just two weeks later, another established Pinnacle client and top goalie in the Quebec Maritimes Jr. Hockey League, Jacob Steinman of the Halifax Mooseheads, became the first ever player from the ‘Q’ to commit to NCAA D1 when he accepted an offer from Bowling Green State University.

And just recently, Gedye and his Pinnacle Hockey Management group confirmed three more commitments — high scoring forward Zach Filak of the Sarnia Sting to the University of Vermont, Sudbury Wolves starting goalie Nate Krawchuk to RPI University, and Brantford Bulldogs defence prospect Camron Hankai to Bowling Green.

“It has been a very exciting and rewarding time for our major junior clients, their families and my agency,” Gedye relayed to Hockey News North and Hockey News Windsor. “The players deserve all the credit for continuing to shine and for continuing to put all the hard work and dedication in.”

Zach Filak

Gedye noted that he and his staff made sure to be informed of the changes ahead of the landmark NCAA ruling.

“Myself and Pinnacle’s head of player development and agent/advisor Evan Gedye and our head of goaltending Chris MacDougall made sure throughout the NCAA coaching meetings, deliberations and voting on the eligibility rule changes, that we stayed in touch with many of the D1 schools coaching staffs so we were prepared for the change and ahead of the curve for our clients.

“It really makes the schools jobs easier to know that our top players want to play Division 1 hockey, qualify academically and are elite players who can help these teams be successful. We send off transcripts, coach and on and off ice trainer references and a lot of video to push top schools to get in and watch our clients play live, and hopefully commit to them.

 “I believe it’s a positive change and NCAA D1 hockey will have access to all the top players in Canada regardless of the junior leagues they play in. Our focus on the major junior front has been on our 2004 birth year graduating players and that is probably where 95 per cent of the schools’ focus is on right now. But make no mistake, the goal of our 2004 birth year clients is to get an National Hockey League contract this season … but this is one hell of a Plan B. 

Gedye added that, “the trickle down effect will also improve the quality of many NCAA D3 hockey programs also. We are in discussions about  our 2005 to 2007 birth date OHL’ers for one to three years down the road.

“We want to continue to stay ahead of the NCAA landscape and continue to lead on the major junior front,” Gedye continued. “We also are continuing to push for our elite junior players in the NOJHL, CCHL and OJHL and are very proud of players like Daniel Vasic who received a commitment from Lake Superior State University while he was with the Blind River Beavers.”

(From a partnership standpoint, Pinnacle Hockey Management is one of four agencies that Hockey News North and Hockey News Windsor endorses. Others are David Maciuk of JDM Sports, Bryan Pearse of Rising Athletes Advisory and Kevin Cain of Cain Hockey Management.)

Meanwhile, OHL commissioner  Bryan Crawford is totally on board and up to date with the big change in NCAA rules.

“This is a landmark decision that gives OHL players additional avenues and opportunities to pursue their hockey, academic and life goals upon graduation from our league. It also opens the OHL’s doors to talented young student athletes with NCAA aspirations, providing them the opportunity to take their game to the next level in the number one development league in the world,” Crawford began.

“The OHL will continue to maintain a high standard as the leading supplier of talent to the National Hockey League while emphasizing the same blend of on-ice excellence with an off-ice commitment to character development and academics that has made the League what it is today.

“Through this transition, our league will continue to honour its commitments through the OHL Scholarship and Development Program to players as they play out their years of eligibility, setting 20 and 21 year old graduates up for success as they embark on new challenges both on the ice and in the classroom,” summed up Crawford.


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