Major Development Could Benefit One of Two New Maple Leafs Draft Picks

A major development in recent years has been the expansion and popularity of the NCAA. The development programs in the U.S. have done a fantastic job with providing the NHL with superb talent and it's starting to affect the CHL.

Slowly but surely, top Canadian and CHL players are now taking offers from the NCAA and taking their talents across the border. Perhaps the biggest loss for the CHL took place earlier this week when Gavin McKenna decided to commit to Penn State, leaving behind the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL.

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler dropped some important information yesterday that multiple groups were discussing changing the longstanding age of eligibility for CHL players when it came to entry into the AHL.

CHL players can't play in the AHL until they're 20-years-old, which is essentially 2 full seasons after being drafted. With this new change, instead of having to choose between NHL or going back to the juniors, the AHL could be a destination for some top prospects.

Wheeler discussed that they were looking at changing the age to 19 but it was something that the NHL and the CHL had to come to terms with, which was later confirmed by Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.

Seravalli explained that under the new CBA, NHL teams will allow one 19-year-old the ability to play in the AHL starting in 2026-27. 18-year-olds remain ineligible but that would allow them to get fast-tracked one year earlier and give them a head start on their professional careers.

When it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs that would mean CHL players that they drafted in this summer's draft will be eligible to join the Toronto Marlies ahead of the 2026-27 season. That includes Tinus-Luc Koblar, Tyler Hopkins, Harry Nansi, Rylan Fellinger, and Matthew Hlacar.

The two most likely candidates, if any, would certainly be Koblar and Hopkins, the Leafs' 2nd and 3rd round picks, respectively.

Had the rule been implemented for this upcoming season, the Leafs could have given prospect Ben Danford a ticket to the Marlies. However, he will now likely be sent back to Oshawa to finish out his junior career before looking to make in-roads in 2026-27 with the big club.