Calgary Hitmen Make Groundbreaking Move Four Games Into Playoff Series

The NCAA and CHL recently made rule changes about players being able to play in both leagues in their career rather than having to choose one path or another, and now, we've seen a groundbreaking move.

According to reports, Aidan Park, formerly of the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers has now officially joined the Calgary Hitmen, who are locked at 2-2 in their WHL Playoffs Series with the Lethbridge Hurricanes after an OT winner on Wednesday night.

That's only half of the interesting part however, as the 19-year old is committed to the University of Michigan, and with the new agreement on full display, he'll be heading there next season.

This comes on the back of players like Henry Mews and potentially Gavin McKenna heading from the CHL to the NCAA, showing just how things have changed so drastically in the past few weeks.

A fan on social media commented on how strange the timing of this move was, but it was then clarified that Calgary have owned his rights since the 2021 US draft, so this is perfectly legal and will be a major upgrade for the Hitmen.

In 55 games with the Gamblers this past season, Park posted an impressive 33 goals and 66 points, and with the combination of good size and skill, he'll be a huge boost for a team that's already 6-2 early in the WHL Playoffs.

This may be the first move of this kind that we've seen, but it certainly won't be the last with the way the new rules around junior hockey in North America have been constructed, and if it leads to success with the Hitmen, expect to see it more and more moving forward.