That's a semi-pro league for 16-21 year olds. Once you play in that league you can't play NCAA hockey. Some of those guys are also on NHL developmental contexts. There's 3 leagues at that level in Canada and they have a cross-league championship at the end of the year. In Canadian areas that have those teams, they'll have followers similar to how we follow college teams, though not in the same number of people.
That's pretty accurate but juniors is not semi pro, the North American semi pro leagues are the AHL, ECHL, FHL, NAHL, and SPHL. Juniors are 16-20 and they are separate from the previously mentioned North American pro hockey structure. In fact North American junior hockey has it's own hierarchy the three leagues spoke of, WHL (league that trim is talking about), CHL, and QMJHL are the major leagues and the two USHL and NAHL are a step lower and they retain college eligibility. You mentioned the players on NHL developmental contracts but there are some on full blown NHL contracts.
Anyway, were all talking around the same thing, the NCAA is not the enemy, in this case anyway, and there's no racist structure holding down the poor black kids who want to make some cash; well no one but the NFL anyway.