
Jude Herron was walking out of class and on his way to the rink when his cell phone rang.
His parents had news: the NCAA voted to allow CHL players to play Division 1 hockey. Most knew the rule was coming; it was just a matter of when.
Herron, a native of Fort Kent, Maine, was enrolled with South Kent’s 16-U team. He played on the 15O squad the year before. He was the captain.
Earlier in 2024, he was drafted in the sixth round of the USHL Phase 1 Draft by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. He also was picked in the eighth round of the QMJHL Entry Draft by the Charlottetown Islanders.
Usually, when a New Englander was drafted into the QMJHL, it was met with a chuckle. The overwhelming majority of New Englanders yearn to play college hockey, so the QMJHL, which is a part of the CHL and has the regional rights to local players, never was in the cards.
Herron, however, was somewhat different.