A Calgary Flames prospect may be one of the first NHL-drafted junior prospects to commit to college hockey since the NCAA changed their eligibility guidelines last year.

On Tuesday, Grand Forks Herald reporter Brad Elliott Schlossman, a tremendous source for college hockey news, reported that Everett Silvertips defenceman Eric Jamieson has committed to the University of Denver Pioneers for the 2025-26 season.

A Calgary kid, Jamieson came up through local minor hockey and attended the Edge School. He was selected by the Silvertips in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft and has been with the club since 2021-22.  Jamieson was selected by the Flames in the sixth round, 177th overall, in 2024 in his second year of draft eligibility. He’s currently in his third full season with Everett and currently serves as co-captain alongside Seattle Kraken prospect Kaden Hammell.

Jamieson is in the midst of a really strong season. A big (6’3″, 203 pounds), reliable defensive blueliner, he was entrusted by Everett’s coaches with playing alongside 15-year-old Landon DuPont this season as the exceptional status youngster moved into the WHL. It’s worked tremendously well, with DuPont thriving offensively while Jamieson has taken care of the defensive side of things and experienced a career year offensively, too. One of the WHL’s leaders in plus/minus, it’s hard to imagine this season going better for Jamieson. He’s a key player on the WHL’s best team.

So let’s explain a problem for Jamieson (and the Flames) that college hockey could solve. Jamieson was born in 2005. The 2025-26 season will be his 20-year-old season, so he would have some options:

Could Jamieson return to junior? Sure! But after the heights he’s experienced this season – and potentially will experience in the playoffs – would Jamieson have any left to accomplish or be challenged playing against kids in the WHL? Perhaps not.

Could Jamieson go pro with the Flames organization? Sure! But where would he fit in? Of the eight blueliners currently on the Wranglers’ roster, four are under contract for next season and two more will likely be restricted free agents this summer. Add in Etienne Morin, whose entry-level deal kicks in next season, and suddenly there aren’t a lot of spots in the AHL.

In that case, if the choice is between playing with Rapid City in the ECHL or going to the University of Denver, a really good program, to play against some high-end college competition, perhaps the NCAA route would be the best way to further Jamieson’s development.

The Flames don’t need to rush Jamieson into the pro ranks and he furthers his education, and it provides both team and player with the maximum amount of flexibility moving forward. Under the terms of the CBA, since Jamieson was drafted as a 19-year-old and commits to college during his first year after being drafted, the Flames would hold his rights until the Aug. 15 following the graduation of his college class.

Prior to this season, players who played in the Canadian Hockey League were considered professionals, and so once you suited up in the WHL, OHL or QMJHL, you weren’t eligible to play in the NCAA. That rule was amended this season, and so we’ve started to see a steady flow of older junior players – usually in their overage seasons – committing to NCAA teams.

The Pioneers declined to comment on Jamieson’s potential commitment – the standard NCAA procedure is to not comment until all the paperwork is complete – but typically Schlossmann’s reporting can be taken to the bank and we’re not inclined to doubt him.

We’ll have more on this story as it develops.