Loosening a restriction on paid players playing college hockey has meant a change of leagues by Brendan Dunphy, who was playing for the 91原创 91原创 of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), but has now moved to the Wenatchee Wild of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Dunphy is one of several BCHL players to make the switch after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA ) ended a policy that excluded players from the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which includes the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. They were considered semi-professional players, because they get a modest amount amount of spending money, as little as $50 a week.

Because the BCHL, considered an amateur hockey league, doesn't pay players, it has been a stepping stone for Canadian and American hockey players before they commit to the NCAA, which regulates student athletics among more than 1,000 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University in Canada.

Under the , "players may participate in the CHL without jeopardizing their NCAA Division I hockey eligibility provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses for their participation." 

On Nov. 7, Western Hockey League commissioner Dan Near said the NCAA decision "creates opportunity for the brightest elite hockey players in Western Canada and the Western U.S. to now choose the WHL as the preferred destination for their development from the age of 16 to 20, without fear of compromising their NCAA eligibility."

Prior to Nov. 7, a player suiting up in any of the three CHL leagues would not be able to play at the NCAA level.

Here is the updated 'BCHL and USHL players moving to the CHL because of the NCAA eligibility change' list.

This version includes the guys who don't count because they are not committed to an NCAA school and therefore could have moved to the CHL in any year.

Let me know if I'm鈥�

鈥� BCHL_Alberta (@BCHL_Alberta)

BCHL teams have lost more than 20 players since the change.

Shortly after the announcement, Dunphy, who is committed to play for the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Huskies, an NCAA Division I team, signed with the Wenatchee WHL team.

Regina Pats, which had the WHL rights to Dunphy, traded him to Wenatchee in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2027 WHL Prospects Draft.

Dunphy, a left-handed 6鈥�6鈥� defenceman from San Deigo, Calif., with dual citizenship in both the USA and Canada, was in his second season of junior hockey with the BCHL, playing 68 games for the 91原创 91原创 and posting 12 points (two goals and 10 assists).

When he started with 91原创, then-head coach Burt Henderson said "Dunphy鈥檚 towering presence and ability to contribute on both ends of the ice make him a key addition to our defence."

A Friday, Nov. 22 said less than four per cent of the league has left for the CHL since the NCAA rule change was implemented.

"Since the rule change has been in place, our teams have replaced players that left for the CHL with highly skilled athletes from other leagues with college aspirations," the statement said.

READ ALSO: BCHL hit hard by player departures following new NCAA rules

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