The NCAA has added to its recruiting rules and regulations, addressing the issues of verbal commitments and the recruiting of players before their sophomore year of high school. 

On the men’s side, there can be no recruiting conversations before January 1st of the prospect’s 10th-grade year. Prospects may visit schools without coach participation in their visit before Jan. 1. 

Prospects may begin having recruiting discussions and make unofficial visits to campuses with a program’s coach participating in the visit after Jan. 1 of the prospect’s 10th-grade year. 

Beginning on Aug. 1 prior to a prospect’s junior year, prospects may make verbal commitments and made official visits to campus (visit paid for by the school). 

Prospects may begin the National Letter of Intent process in their 12th-grade year, which is the binding contract between player’s athletic participation and the program’s athletic financial aid for the player for one academic year.

The men’s rules will not go into effect until May 1, and there is still time for programs to wrap up their commitments before the deadline. 

The rules and regulation regarding the women’s side of the puck have not been publicized yet, but a source close to the situation said that the NCAA will vote at the end of April, and if the proposal passes, it will go into effect immediately. 

Proposals on the table that could shift the landscape of commitments in women’s hockey according to the source include prohibiting a staff member from receiving a phone call from a prospect prior to June 15 before the prospect’s junior season, and no oral offers of financial aid until Aug. 1 prior to a prospect’s junior season. The financial aid piece of the proposal could be amended to June 15 prior to the prospect’s junior season.

Note: After this piece's publication, the NCAA adopted a set of rules that will apply to sports other than football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and softball. 

According to the NCAA, "the proposal for most sports would allow communication — either from or to a coach — June 15 after the sophomore year of high school and would allow visits beginning Aug. 1 before the junior year of high school."

Click here for full release from NCAA.