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Willander was named in the lawsuit as an example of a European player who had played professionally but was still allowed to join the NCAA
Published Aug 18, 2024 • Last updated 15 hours ago • 2 minute read
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Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander and his Boston University teammates celebrate a goal in early March. Photo by @TerrierHockey /x.com/TerrierHockey
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A class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday in New York is accusing the NCAA of boycotting Canadian Hockey League players from Division 1 competition — and Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander’s name is all over it.
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The lawsuit, which seeks to open NCAA hockey to Canada’s major-junior players, could potentially end college hockey’s longstanding ban on players deemed to be professionals.
The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Buffalo, N.Y., on behalf of Rylan Masterson, who lost his college eligibility two years ago when he appeared in two exhibition games for the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires at the age of 16.
The suit notes that NCAA bylaws allow the participation of professionals with the exception of men’s ice hockey and skiing. It also points out that players who competed professionally in Europe don’t face the same restrictions, citing Canucks top defensive prospect Tom Willander, a Boston University sophomore who appeared in two Swedish Elite League games for Rogle BK before joining the NCAA’s Terriers last year.
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Willander, 19, notched 25 points (3G, 24A) and had a team-leading plus-28 rating in his freshman season at Boston University.
The lawsuit argues Masterson and the class have “suffered injury the type the antitrust laws were intended to prevent” and calls the NCAA’s conduct “unlawful.”
If successful, the case could increase competition for college-age talent between North America’s two top producers of NHL draft-eligible players. And it could potentially create a talent drain among the CHL’s three associations — the Ontario, Quebec Major Junior and Western Hockey leagues — which could lose players at the junior prime age of 18 to the college ranks.
The CHL’s three associations are categorized as professional leagues under NCAA bylaws, barring their players from competition.
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CHL players receive a stipend of no more than $600 per month for living expenses, which is not considered as income for tax purposes. College players receive scholarships and now can earn money through endorsements and other use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
The suit lists 10 Division 1 schools, including the three closest to Fort Erie: Canisius, Niagara and the Rochester Institute of Technology. Other schools named range from Denver to Boston College. They were selected to show they follow the NCAA’s bylaws in barring current or former CHL players.
The attorneys, from the New York City firm of Freedman Normand Friedland, are asking a judge to certify the members of the class, which would include anyone who played in the CHL or for a Division I school since Aug. 12, 2020.
With files from The Associated Press
mraptis@postmedia.com
x.com/mike_raptis
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-prospect-tom-willander-named-in-lawsuit-challenging-ncaa-ban-of-major-junior-hockey-players