The litany of lawsuits brought against the NCAA on behalf of student athletes has irreversibly changed the college sports landscape, and now a new proposed class-action lawsuit might bring even more change to college hockey in the United States.

When word began to circulate earlier this year that there was the potential for NCAA hockey programs to begin granting eligibility to former CHL players, it represented a seismic shift in the conversation about how hockey players could pursue their development.

The argument in favour of such a change is simple: Given the amount of money now being paid to athletes in most NCAA sports — including hockey, of course — on what grounds can the organization continue to legally deny ex-CHLers eligibility? When I talked to a number of NCAA coaches on this sub