The Arizona State Sun Devils have landed a historic commitment in Braxton Whitehead, who currently plays in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Regina Pats. This morning, Whitehead verbally announced his commitment to ASU despite the NCAA ban, which prevents major junior players from playing varsity college hockey in the United States. It also wasn’t just ASU in the mix for Whitehead, as Mike McMahon of the College Hockey News says up to five teams were looking to add him to their squad, but ASU got their guy.
Whether or not this gets done, it’s fair to mention that both ASU and Whitehead are confident the restrictions will be lifted, and he’ll be able to start the 2025-26 season with the Sun Devils.
Arizona State Atop the List for Whitehead
“[ASU’s] slogan is ‘Be the Tradition’ and I think they love the idea of me being a trailblazer throughout all this and paving the way with NCAA and CHL relations,” Whitehead told Wyshynski. “I’m very hopeful that [the rules] will turn over before the 2025-2026 season.”
Born in Palmer, Alaska, Whitehead has played with the Regina Pats for the past four seasons and will play his fifth and final during the 2024-25 season. Last season, the 20-year-old had his best season yet, notching 17 goals and 52 points in 52 games. Since their arrival in Division I in the NCAA and, most recently, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) this summer, head coach Greg Powers has put ASU in a position to succeed.
Powers, who has been head coach at Arizona State since 2010, has seen plenty of talent come through the system, with some notable ones including Joey Daccord and Josh Doan.
What Do the NCAA Rules Say?
While we’ve all seen what happened with Utah Hockey Club defenseman Artem Duda’s attempt to play at the University of Maine and how that played out, what do the NCAA rules say about Whitehead’s case? NCAA Bylaw 12.2.3.2 states that “an individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever competed on a professional team.”
In August, Ontario Hockey League (OHL) player Rylan Masterson challenged the rule and filed a proposed class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Western New York against the NCAA and ten universities for what the suit termed a “group boycott” of Canadian junior players.
Masterson’s lawsuit allowed Whitehead to follow in his footsteps and laid the groundwork for what could make a historic signing in the world of junior hockey. “I kind of hit the lottery with the timing of all that’s going on right now,” Whitehead told Wyshynski. “I think [the suit] gave me that extra step just to put myself out there and try something that’s never been done before.”
While rumors swirled, Whitehead announced the move to his teammates Thursday before he made it public on Friday morning. “I know my teammates really well, and they’re always supportive of pursuing new things. Once I kind of got the jitters out of the way, they were all just really happy,” Whitehead told Wyshynski, adding that there’s interest among some of them to “follow in [his] footsteps” to NCAA commitments.
As mentioned, both ASU and Whitehead are confident this will be done in time for the 2025-26 season, which would allow him to play for the Sun Devils.
Arizona State Continuing to Grow
It seems the Sun Devils are getting bigger and bigger every year. First, they secured a state-of-the-art barn in Mullett Arena, joined the NCHC, and now potentially have Whitehead for the 2025-26 season. Arizona State has plenty of talent throughout the roster, which adds to the list. It should be lots of fun to watch as they take on plenty of prominent opponents this season, including Denver University, Michigan University, and Minnesota Duluth University.
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