Former Red Deer Rebels captain loving life in the NCAA

“I just thought playing against bigger, stronger, and older players would help out my game a ton. As well, just the resources North Dakota has, like the gym and everything, I thought it was a great spot,” Josephson said.

“Red Deer is a top-notch program. They instill a lot of the same things that North Dakota does, like playing a 200-foot game, the details, and how to compete. Red Deer has great coaches and management. The Rebels are a huge part of getting me here.”

Josephson’s decision came after the NCAA made a rule change allowing Canadian Hockey League players to play college hockey in the United States beginning in the 2025-26 season.

The rule change led to a seismic shift in junior hockey, especially when Medicine Hat Tigers star Gavin McKenna decided to go to play for Penn State University around the same time Josephson came to his decision.

Most recently, Vancouver Giants defenceman Ryan Lin, who’s expected to be a top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, announced earlier this month he’s committed to the University of Denver. The 17-year-old was the captain of the Giants.

Meanwhile, Red Deer Rebels owner, president, and general manager Brent Sutter said at his season-ending media availability earlier this month that the NCAA rule change has changed junior hockey.

He said your 16-17-year-old players have to be your best players now because elite 20-year-olds are hard to come by. Many of the WHL’s top players have departed before their 20-year-old seasons.

“With the times it’s changed. The opportunities for the players now are greater with being able to go another route,” Sutter said. “But from a general manager’s perspective, it changes the way we run our business.

“You look at it a different way as a manager than you did before, because when you signed kids before, you were committed to them because it affected their NCAA eligibility, now it doesn’t. You’re trying to put the best team on the ice as much as you can, and that’s where it’s important now from a coaching perspective. [The coaches] have to understand that there’s direction coming from up top because of certain things. They have to adapt to that because what you have in your lineup today might not be what it’s going to look like tomorrow.”

Sutter added that you never truly know what’s going to happen throughout an offseason.

“Who would have thought Ollie was going to leave on August 10 last year? None of us thought that, then all of a sudden, bang,” Sutter added. “Who knows what the summer’s going to bring?”

Josephson said his move to the NCAA has helped develop his overall game.

“I think it’s definitely harder when you’ve got to play against bigger, stronger, and faster guys. I think it’s helped with just being able to make plays faster, make faster reads, and helps develop you with the physical side of the game. It’s helped my game a lot,” Josephson said.

This season, Josephson appeared in 38 games, where he notched six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. He primarily served as the team’s third centreman, but also moved up the lineup at times.

The 19-year-old from Victoria, B.C. suffered a lower-body injury during the National Collegiate Hockey Conference semifinals.

He then returned for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Hockey Frozen Four in Las Vegas in hopes of winning a championship in his rookie campaign.

However, North Dakota was knocked out by the Wisconsin Badgers 2-1 in the semifinals. Wisconsin went on to play Denver in the championship, with Denver coming out on top.

“I think we played well this season. We’ve been consistent all year, and there haven’t been too many ups and downs,” he said, adding the crowds in college hockey have been fun to play in front of.

“It’s pretty cool, you never really get used to it even after playing a full year. It’s really special, especially here in North Dakota. We get close to 11,000 every game, so it’s an honour to get to play in front of that every night.”

Josephson said he’ll return to North Dakota next season.

by Ian Gustafson

Former Red Deer Rebels captain loving life in the NCAA

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