I do not see this supplanting USHL but I guarantee the will pass all the other Tier 2 leagues within a few years. 10-15 years down who knows.

Perhaps a local plays in the USPHL, features and then does a year out west.

Perhaps they combine leagues? RG pretty good with the exit strategies you know!!

"All the other Tier 2 leagues"? Here is the breakdown for junior in the U.S. for you:

Tier 1 - USHL

Tier 2 - NAHL

Tier 3- Every other league in the country


The USPHL announced that they would be moving to Tier 2 and granting free-to-play opportunities. Then they actually met with USA Hockey and applied. They were denied. So now, they are leaving USA Hockey and going independent.

USPHL will never surpass or be able to hang with the NAHL, and it certainly will never be in the same stratosphere as the USHL, despite how desperately hard they are trying to paint that false picture in the heads of youth parents. News flash: Vesey, Eichel, Sanford, none of them ever played in the USPHL. They played in the old EJHL, which was a great league before the greedy owners blew it up for self-gain.

So, what you're saying is that because they played in the EJ in 2011/12 and the USPHL was formed in 2012 that it was dramatically different experience?.

League wasn't better and if it was only because things have become diluted. I believe those aforementioned players stayed local because they were younger and playing up. They chose that route because it made the most dense for each of them at that particular time.

As for the NAHL. As things are constituted today, the top USPHL teams would be competitive in the NAHL. Now that it will be free, it will be free it assuredly will attract more talent and become competitive top to bottom.

"If genetics shows you are only going to be 5"9' then i would honestly set your goals realistically, D3 is where you will belong."

This is so true. Go watch a good D-3 team play and you will see some great players, some that look pretty old, some that can really skate, some that are pretty good...the whole gambit but one thing I noticed is almost every kid that can actually play he is undersized for his position by D-1 standards. Sure there are a few bigger kids but they have obvious holes in their game.

Well said. Sound like a NESCAC guy!

Sorry your kid got traded.

Canadien jr leagues (OHL, etc) have been holding these type of drafts forever.

Right, the difference though is those leagues have legitimate hockey players. These USPHL guys think they are going to sell tickets to their games

They aren't looking to raise money from ticket sales but from raising the tuition. Guess what? People will pay and so will you.