A high-level Canadian Western Hockey League (WHL) player has made his NCAA commitment. Defenseman Ryan Lin of the Vancouver Giants is headed to Denver in 2026-27 along with his expected first-round NHL draft credentials. The collegiate hockey world was not so much stunned that Denver continued to add to their riches of defensive standouts, but that Denver Hockey appeared to land the top prospect without the immediate guarantee of huge NIL payments.
I’ve seen a lot of people who are saying “OH NIL”
Without knowing the details, but knowing DU’s program well, I can tell you David Carle is not in the business of buying players. This kid chose Denver solely for hockey reasons. https://t.co/UOGfaBFuBb
— Colby Cohen (@ColbyCohen36) April 3, 2026
Lin obviously made the choice for development in the Denver program, rather than a quick buck. Plus, as a potential first-round pick in this summer’s NHL Draft, Lin will earn a decent, though not staggering, amount of cash on his entry-level NHL contract, whenever that ends up getting signed.
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟯: #𝗖𝗝𝟮𝟬 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗶𝗼
Rising junior @Johnson1Carson announced on Thursday that he will be back with the Crimson and Gold next season.
✍️: https://t.co/hFScf6x8ju#GoPios pic.twitter.com/pHGWP0TQIp— Denver Men’s Basketball (@DU_MensHoops) March 12, 2026
DU’s basketball guard Carson Johnson, the reigning Summit League Player of the Year, is also returning to Denver next season for the Pioneers’ first season in the West Coast Conference. He easily could have secured a six-figure payday somewhere else. His reason for returning is based on two things. First, competing at a higher level in the WCC. Second, lightly recruited, he publicly cited his loyalty to a coach and program that believed in him when nobody else did.
It’s widely known that neither program – DU men’s hockey and basketball – has the appetite nor desire to enter six-figure bidding wars for student-athletes against the Power Four. Case in point – presumptive #1 overall pick in this summer’s NHL Draft, Gavin McKenna, was seriously considering choosing Denver over the likes of Penn State and Michigan State before ultimately choosing the big NIL guarantee with the Nittany Lions (McKenna’s college career was cut short by the UMD Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament). While Denver certainly could have benefited from McKenna’s speed and skill, David Carle’s program has elected to build a strong culture that prioritizes the program’s success over individual accolades, knowing that this strategy goes hand-in-hand with top-tier player development. Hard to argue with the results.
The University of Denver did opt in to ‘revenue sharing’ via the recent House Settlement, and it is unclear at this point how that will impact teams or individual players at DU. David Carle has been clear and consistent with his program’s culture, that revenue sharing will be spread across his team evenly, rather than used to target star players who would get an uneven share of those payouts.
It is well known that DU basketball will have some additional funds available for its student-athletes in revenue sharing, but the sum is likely to make players stay comfortable in Denver rather than generate life-changing income.
As for the prospect of mid-major basketball success, the current NIL turmoil will likely hinge on a coaching staff’s ability to retain one or two key players, identify and develop prospects before they peak, and quickly build a program as the season progresses. All the teams in the WCC will face the same challenges. DU could actually thrive in the chaos where nearly every program is undergoing a rebuild at the same time.
Are Lin and Johnson outliers? Or, is there a trend among athletes who value development, culture, and school experience more than a paycheck – and bypass in some cases, life-changing money to join a program or stay in the program? It is too early to tell. For now, Lin and Johnson are outliers, rare gems, in an ever-changing, chaotic landscape.
And the story may not end here…it has also been reported that Everett Silvertips (WHL) exceptional status defenseman Landon DuPont, a candidate to go #1 overall at the 2027 NHL Draft, is strongly considering committing to Denver for the 2027-2028 season. The Pioneers are reportedly mainly competing against Michigan, their Frozen Four opponent, for DuPont’s commitment. Stay tuned…
Good news on both fronts.
Still, NIL is tugging at the heart (or purse) strings of the best players. It is ruining college sports.
I will never disparage a player who takes the money when it’s offered. They have to look out for themselves. Knees blow, sometimes development doesn’t occur as expected. Nothing is a guarantee except the money in the bank. I can’t blame any student athlete for accepting the money if offered.
Agreed. The point is there are a number of variables in addition to money that drive decision making.
Dunker here. I’m a college basketball fan who has read hundreds of articles lately about kids being recruited, the portal, and NIL’s. None of them use the term student-athlete anymore or talk about graduation rates or even progressing academically. Glad DU has not fallen into that group.
Enjoy this DU Golden age while it lasts…
I’ve I’ve learned anything in my many years of life, is that money almost always wins in the end.
Hopefully, DU can keep pace with the big fish, but it’s going to be an uphill battle…
I thought for sure that CJ20 was gone. I have more respect for the type of person that he must be off the court because we’ve seen what he can do on the court and I can’t imagine what kind of money he could have brought in. Can’t wait to see who they are able to bring in to be next to him and what the Pios can do in the WCC next year.