Tier 3 New Teams and Teams Switching Leagues

[Barclay Donaldson]

Are you tired of trying to figure out which team is where as battle lines are drawn in the junior hockey world? We'll try to help you and update the list with sources as they come in.

EHL
There was an announced list of locations with teams for the 2018-2019 year. EHL Announces Expansion
Only a handful of the teams were added, including a handful of unannounced teams. Official alignment released 2018-19 League Alignment

• NC Force. News article: NC Force Announce Head Coach
  
• New Jersey 87's. News article: 87's Set To Join EHL in 2018-2019
• Team Maryland. News article: Team Maryland Expands Into Junior Hockey
• Lehigh Valley Jr. Rebels. No news article

USPHL
The East Division of the NA3HL USPHL Announces Premier Division Expansion For the 2018-2019 Season With Six New Teams - Great Lakes Conference

• Metro Jets
• Wooster Oilers: previously joined then left USPHL during MNJHL absorption
  
• Southern Tier Express
• Pittsburgh Vengeance U18AAA and U16AAA Join the USPHL
  
• Lansing Wolves
• Toledo Cherokee

• Twin City Thunder: USPHL Adds the Newly Formed Twin City Thunder to Their Premier North Division
• Dodge County Wildcats: Dodge County Wildcats Join USPHL

NA3HL

• Milwaukee Power: Point Mallard Ducks relocated. News article: Point Mallard Ducks purchased and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Rochester Rivermen: Replaces Roc City Royals. News article: NA3HL team announced in Scottsville, New York

Click to read more...

 

[kij]

No articles for the switches yet, but with all teams taken off the website and considering that USPHL has a much more dynamic footprint in the Michigan area it does make sense for those teams to switch. More news should be out by the end of the month and if not, we can just expect some of these expansion teams to have failed to make it off the ground. Hard to build a team for the end of August when you start in May or later.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

The NA3 website is usually pretty reliable when it comes to them taking down the teams when they leave the league. Happened well before Butte and Billings went under last year. Also makes geographic sense because they're all in the same division.

For the EHL, it's gonna be hard to say. The league does a good job making sure the league parity and quality remains high. Some smart moves like relocating the teams like Oilers-Chiefs so they don't have to build from scratch. That and some organizations already have teams i.e. CT Chiefs, Team Maryland, NJ 87's. But the NC Force could have a tough time since they only have a handful of youth teams and are starting from scratch with no roster. They are also 10 minutes away from the well-established USPHL Carolina Eagles. Pineville, NC faces the same problems except it's the powerhouse Charlotte Rush.

Should make for an interesting summer. I'm sure the TJHN's Death Pool won't run short on stories to put out.

 

[kij]

TJHN has plenty of stories on the back burner, minor and less interesting stories, but stories to run nonetheless.

I do not agree with EHL expansion into the south, it is without a doubt USA Hockey pushing a turf war on the USPHL. The EHL made a name for itself by having strong teams through and through, all within driving distance of major airports, and almost all the NCAA D3 hockey schools in the nation, save for the MIAC, WIAC, and NCHC in the Midwest.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

EHL as definitely being pressured by USA Hockey to expand outside their northeastern base. EHL does a great job getting a lot D3 commits, certainly more than both USP Premier and NA3 teams, let alone the joke of the RMJHL. The fact that there are locations right next to where there are established USPHL teams is confirmation of this.

They are also allowing Team Maryland to snag an NA franchise and fund it using the USPHL method of making a profit on other teams in the organization. No teams on the East Coast are gonna gets fans save for former minor league cities. It’s a gong show and just re-upping the turf war.

 

[kij]

Let's not count out Maryland just yet, they MAY be able to draw in a crowd. As far as siphoning off money from the youth teams, do you have proof of this? Most NAHL teams own NA3HL teams and use that revenue to stay afloat it is not a new thing. Austin owns North Iowa and Rochester, Topeka formerly owned Atlanta and College station, Brookings owns Alexandria and La Crosse. The old Chicago Hitmen used to openly fund the NAHL team through multiple tier 3 teams.

 

[kij]

Point Mallard Ducks purchased and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Point Mallard Ducks to Milwaukee. That South division is going to be a mess now.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Don't have proof, but Titans and Knights both have organizations that run down to the youth levels and both own their rinks. It would make sense that they spread out the money that they make on their teams throughout their organization, made easier by rink ownership and controlling rink rates, and reallocate them to their NAHL team. Probably on of the NCDC made passes at both of them offering to let them switch over since their method of financing their free to play teams are pretty similar.

Article came out by the way for the East Division jumping for the USPHL The Death Pool – Special Report – The NA3HL Death Spiral Begins

 

[PCSPounder]

Just a note: USPHL has heavy ties to that website. There's another site with stronger ties to NAHL and affiliates. Not that NA3 isn't a mess awaiting correction, nor is USA Hockey, just that there's at least two sides to the story.

Specifically where some USPHL teams are balking at a system where the Tier 3 parents pay for the free-to-play league. There's been turnover both ways.

There's still way too many P2P teams and too much incentive for willy-nilly expansion and EVERYONE is to blame.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Point Mallard Ducks purchased and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Point Mallard Ducks to Milwaukee. That South division is going to be a mess now.

New Divisions

Central Division (7 teams): Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts, La Crosse Freeze, Milwaukee Power, Peoria Mustangs, St. Louis Jr. Blues, Wausau RiverWolves, Wisconsin Whalers.

Coastal Division (6 teams): Cape Cod Islanders, L/A Nordiques, Long Beach Sharks, Maine Wild, New England Stars, Northeast Generals.

Frontier Division (7 teams): Bozeman Icedogs, Butte Cobras, Gillette Wild, Great Falls Americans, Helena Bighorns, Missoula Junior Bruins, Yellowstone Quake.

Northeast Division (5 teams): Binghamton Junior Senators, Niagara Falls PowerHawks, Oswego Stampede, Roc City Royals, Skylands Kings.

South Division (5 teams): Atlanta Capitals, College Station Spirit, Louisiana Drillers, Mid Cities Jr. Stars, Texas Brahmas.

West Division (7 teams): Alexandria Blizzard, Breezy Point North Stars, Granite City Lumberjacks, New Ulm Steel, North Iowa Bulls, Rochester Grizzlies, Willmar WarHawks.

NA3HL announces divisional alignment and events for 2018-19 season

 

[kij]

Down from 8 to 6 divisions, goodbye east and midwest divisions.

 

[kij]

Hate beating a dead horse here but the NA3HL Roc City Royals did not participate in the draft and their website is inexplicably down. RIP to another team.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Simply one less team to water down the junior hockey landscape. The news report for the NA3 teams leaving is out from the USPHL website and updated the list. USPHL Announces Premier Division Expansion For the 2018-2019 Season With Six New Teams - Great Lakes Conference

In addition, confirming the identity of at least one EHL team in a location not previously mentioned in the locations. Charleston Mariners of South Caroline. There's a comment about the list being all confirmed teams for the next year to date, meaning they are certainly still trying to get teams in considering most of their locations are still unfulfilled. They announced Boxford but East Coast Wizards are still there. They announced Aston but the Little Flyers remain there. 2018-19 TEAMS/TRYOUTS

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

USPHL unsurprisingly expands again and adds the Dodge County Wildcats in Minnesota, will be operated in line with their youth organization. Dodge County Wildcats Join USPHL and it's only 3-4 months until puck drops next season
Checking the USPHL website standings, there were some unannounced teams. Niagara Falls PowerHawks was listed on there, and they are still listed on the NA3 website and aren't yet unlisted like teams in the past. Looks like the Daytona Racers are renamed DME Sports Academy, same rink just name change and are taken over by the sports academy. USPHL Jr Hockey – DME Sports Academy . There's also a new Minnesota team called the Rum River Mallards, no news about them anywhere. Philadelphia Hockey Club also, they were announced with youth teams but I guess they're getting a junior team because they might as well.