USPHL 2015-16 Thread

Dec 13, 2010
976
5
Figure we might as well get this started with some teams making signings already and the first showcase of the year in 4 days...

http://www.usphl.com/news_article/show/509315?referrer_id=1576352

Charlotte Rush join the Elite and Empire (rebranded as USPHL 3?) but this is the part that really got me interested..

The Premier Division is the top Tier of the USPHL League structure. The Elite and the USPHL 3 (formerly Empire) Divisions are both USA Hockey Tier III Junior Leagues. The U18 and U16 Divisions are Tier I youth hockey divisions. All five divisions are sanctioned by USA Hockey.

It only says Elite and 3 are USA Hockey Tier III leagues and has the Premier separate...

http://www.usphl.com/news_article/show/509805?referrer_id=1576352

and here's the schedule for the first showcase of the year
 

mattkaminski15

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
284
0
Chicago
Figure we might as well get this started with some teams making signings already and the first showcase of the year in 4 days...

http://www.usphl.com/news_article/show/509315?referrer_id=1576352

Charlotte Rush join the Elite and Empire (rebranded as USPHL 3?) but this is the part that really got me interested..



It only says Elite and 3 are USA Hockey Tier III leagues and has the Premier separate...

http://www.usphl.com/news_article/show/509805?referrer_id=1576352

and here's the schedule for the first showcase of the year

where does the new usphl mid-west fit in? does it look like it's better or worse than elite and 3? or better than one but not the other.
 
Dec 13, 2010
976
5
where does the new usphl mid-west fit in? does it look like it's better or worse than elite and 3? or better than one but not the other.

couldn't give you a fair answer without seeing the rosters first. The MnJHL, where most of those teams came from, looked closer to the 3 this past season.
 

PowerPlays

Registered User
Aug 15, 2014
35
0
It does sound like they are separating the Premier from the other Tier 3's. Premier didn't play in the Tier 3 national's. I think it's good for the East. NA3 will probably take a lot of the MN league players due to location. USPHL showcase is this weekend. Will watch on FastHockey. Syracuse is new in place of Bay State.
 

DTalbot

Registered User
Jun 28, 2015
14
0
Greater Boston
The renaming of the Empire division to USP3 and the fact that USA Hockey crowned two tier III champions and the Premier division didn't participate in the tournament got me thinking...

Could the Premier division be trying to be on level with at least the NAHL if not the USHL? The fewer number of teams and the fact most of the teams also have Elite division teams.

Could the Midwest division become the USPHL's tier II along with the Elite division and then USP3 obviously being the third tier?

I have heard for years in the greater Boston area from people involved in junior hockey that the eastern teams feel like they were treated like second class citizens by USA Hockey. Could they be trying to strengthen USA Hockey by making it so there are two leagues at each of the higher levels or is forming the Midwest division payback for the NAHL being allowed to go further and further east?

The whole organization from what I have seen seems to be solid and well run and has 3 additional feeder leagues to develop their own talent.
 
Dec 13, 2010
976
5
When I heard about the renaming of Empire to USP3 I instantly thought it was just a slight at the NAHL/NA3HL. Marketing more than anything..makes your USP3 look on the same level as NA3 (it's not).

Anyone who caught a good number of Premier games last season would say that the top teams were on par or better than the top NAHL teams. For me, the expansion to the Midwest looks like just a big response to the NAHL coming East, plus a way for the league to make a little money while the Premier looks to find a way out of Tier III. Not sure if it'll ever happen but you know the goal is to bring the Premier league out of Tier III.
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
will never happen as the reliance on tuition is like crack to these guys. And it goes up and up and up every year. Maybe by NAHL moving east and having a real junior merit based model and not tuition based will finally slow down the ever rising tuition ,showcase , money from parents model. Sure hope so.
 

PowerPlays

Registered User
Aug 15, 2014
35
0
The USPHL Premier costs less dollars per season then some AAA teams in the mid-west/west. I'm talking thousands less...
If the NJ Hitmen went to the Tier 3 championships last season it would of been a blowout. Of course, that would of been my prediction. A waste of money for the Hitmen, and not much fun for anyone else.
I'm going to route for the Islanders Hockey Club this season :):hockey::cheers::handclap:
 

RJB

Registered User
Nov 2, 2013
63
0
The USPHL Premier costs less dollars per season then some AAA teams in the mid-west/west. I'm talking thousands less...
If the NJ Hitmen went to the Tier 3 championships last season it would of been a blowout. Of course, that would of been my prediction. A waste of money for the Hitmen, and not much fun for anyone else.
I'm going to route for the Islanders Hockey Club this season :):hockey::cheers::handclap:

What are the typical costs in the USPHL? How do they differ between those of the WSHL ($8Kish) and other leagues
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
What???

Last season one team had a tuition (that doesnt include all the ancillary costs)
of over $12,000! Considering that this is a east coast league with very good proximity to other teams how can you even compare to some mid west aaa?

also add, apparel, housing, showcases and on top of all that, the audacity to charge additional for hotel stays (4 to a room). Ice times consistently in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week at WAY OFF PEAK hours.

Shows the inconsistency of this league, how one team can charge $12000 while another is $8000 and subsidies players. ITs not right.
And its no wonder they jam the rosters with over 30 kids and have healthy scratches every single game. Which is just great when a player has been told a school is coming to
see them play and he's a healthy scratch. Great support for $12000+
 
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PowerPlays

Registered User
Aug 15, 2014
35
0
Currently, the least expensive Colorado AAA team has raised their charges enormously over the past few years. Starting a few years back at $7500.00/$9500.00/$11,500.00 and this season $13,500. We traveled a far distance to play on the less expensive team. The teams closer to our home cost triple to play on-but now this cost of $13,500.00 is so high! I am not sure if the other teams have raised their fees as well-The cost of our old Colorado team is $4000.00 more then our USPHL Premier team cost! That goes for last year to-The Denver based AAA's charge $17,000-$25,000 or higher (so I hear). Insane or what?
Season is almost here :) :) :) :)
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
CT Rangers Premier show everything that's wrong with pay to play juniors.

Proving once again in black and white that the pocket book comes before the player

check out this article appearing in The junior hockey news about the CT Rangers Premier team of the USPHL,

http://thejuniorhockeynews.com/?p=43447

Really dissapointing behavior.
 
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PowerPlays

Registered User
Aug 15, 2014
35
0
I will read the article-but I think our current team is reasonably priced for everything we receive. The amount of ice time, coaching, off-ice workouts, and even busing-which is plenty more then last season-was reasonable for the price. The housing is what costs :amazed: Plenty of the USPHL premier players can play in the NAHL or USHL. This is the road they are taking-Let me read the article...
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
hey powerplay, just curious what is reasonable priced?

keep in mind USHL=$0 tuition
OHL =$0 tuition
BCHL=$0 tuition plus housing
NAHL= $0 tuition plus housing

While we are at it , just curious what you think is a fair income for Tier 3 junior hockey coach. All things considered, (summer teams, lessons, showcases , etc.)?

Than ask why is it that ONLY hockey has a setup where so many players DO NOT go from HS to college but rather are encourage to "age out" of juniors before
going on to college. Did you read that article? its truly eye opening and dissapointing.
 
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MiracleOnSkates

Registered User
Jan 12, 2014
91
0
Proving once again in black and white that the pocket book comes before the player

check out this article appearing in The junior hockey news about the CT Rangers Premier team of the USPHL,

http://thejuniorhockeynews.com/?p=43447

Really dissapointing behavior.

Just read the article. That's unbelievable, and I feel bad for the kid. Hopefully they change their restriction after seeing that article, I mean, as if their reputation wasn't bad enough, now it's even worse. They should be kicked out of the league for that behavior, to be completely honest.
 
Dec 13, 2010
976
5
hey powerplay, just curious what is reasonable priced?

keep in mind USHL=$0 tuition
OHL =$0 tuition
BCHL=$0 tuition plus housing
NAHL= $0 tuition plus housing

While we are at it , just curious what you think is a fair income for Tier 3 junior hockey coach. All things considered, (summer teams, lessons, showcases , etc.)?

Than ask why is it that ONLY hockey has a setup where so many players DO NOT go from HS to college but rather are encourage to "age out" of juniors before
going on to college. Did you read that article? its truly eye opening and dissapointing.

You do understand that there's no comparison between the USPHL and these leagues though, right? You don't pay to play in the USHL because those teams are in towns/cities where they can effectively market and gain a crowd. USPHL teams are located in places where the crowd is essentially college scouts and the handful of local kids' family.

If the USPHL didn't charge tuition they would steal every East Coast kid from the USHL in two seconds. Believe me, the percentage of kids from Boston who want to go live in Nebraska is essentially 0. Unfortunately, not only are you paying much much more in ice time (think about what ice costs on Long Island compared to say...Dubuque) but you're playing in a market where people are just not interested in paying to watch amateur hockey. It's a sad reality but where the USHL, NAHL, OHL, etc. etc. are taking in a few thousand at the gate each night your average USPHL team is lucky to break $200.

There are always going to be incidents like that when you pay to play a sport unfortunately. Not a good look for that organization or the league. Of course, you also have parents that understand the benefits of having their kid play his home games at Merrimack College instead of Amarillo, Texas.
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
if there's NO comparison to these leagues then don't you think its time the USPHL stop spouting BS about being as good as tier 1 and 2 ? Can't have it both ways.
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
hey miracleonskates, unfortunately it's not unbelievable . it's 100% true and very typical of this league. Because at the end of the day its about how much not how far.
 
Dec 13, 2010
976
5
if there's NO comparison to these leagues then don't you think its time the USPHL stop spouting BS about being as good as tier 1 and 2 ? Can't have it both ways.

No comparison in terms of the location/financial structure. If you're going to act like the talent on the ice isn't in the same class as the NAHL you're better off just reading the commitments lists over and over until you realize you're wrong

This isolated incident isn't typical of the league. If it was you'd hear about it more than one time in the three year history.
 

MiracleOnSkates

Registered User
Jan 12, 2014
91
0
No comparison in terms of the location/financial structure. If you're going to act like the talent on the ice isn't in the same class as the NAHL you're better off just reading the commitments lists over and over until you realize you're wrong

This isolated incident isn't typical of the league. If it was you'd hear about it more than one time in the three year history.

Agreed. Just the fact that the USPHL completely destroyed every other league in T3 shows that. I can without a doubt say that the Hitmen and BJB and maybe even IHC would be able to beat most of the top NAHL teams if not all of them, and I think it's just the organization that is very shady and typical to get in trouble. Haven't heard many good things at all about CT.
 

PowerPlays

Registered User
Aug 15, 2014
35
0
No comparison in terms of the location/financial structure. If you're going to act like the talent on the ice isn't in the same class as the NAHL you're better off just reading the commitments lists over and over until you realize you're wrong

This isolated incident isn't typical of the league. If it was you'd hear about it more than one time in the three year history.

I agree with district9 on everything. The commit list of the USPHL speak for itself. Look at the stats. Also, playing in MA vs NE? Big difference if you are from the east. A reasonable team price was asked-if anything is reasonable these days?? I would think 7000-9000/season was somewhat reasonable for what you get - plus extra for housing (that's where it starts to add up). Depends what other costs (teams etc) you compare it to.

The biggest question right now is does a good player stay on a good team -if that player is getting very limited playing time or being scratched every few games ? Simple being scratched because the team has to many good players to pick from-or do they move to a team who could use them-and play? I've always been one for playing and development regardless of being on a winning team. However, how does a player get a commit if he's playing a few shifts a period or getting scratched?? Not going to happen-so do you stay hoping next year is better or do you get out ?

Few people asking me that question. Including myself. Thanks for any help.
 

PowerPlays

Registered User
Aug 15, 2014
35
0
Oh-and yes if the USPHL didn't charge tuition every player in the USHL & NAHL would be lined up to play on the east coast. For sure-except for those rare few who grew up in the mid-west. The goal is college. It's happening in the USPHL at the same percentages as the NAHL. We did the math. So, if a player has the funds to stay on the east-why not? Why complain? If the outcome is college then all was a success.
 
Dec 13, 2010
976
5
The other thing to remember about USPHL vs NAHL is that where the NAHL relies on the money they bring in at the gate (product on the ice) the USPHL teams rely on their commitments and developing players to market themselves. I'm not saying that every/any USPHL team is better at developing talent than every/any NAHL team--definitely don't twist those words--but when you don't have an owner reminding you that a losing record = less money at the gate you're going to start trying to figure out how to WIN and not DEVELOP or it's your job. I think a lot of parents are starting to understand that too and see that teams in the USPHL that aren't just the top 2 (BJB/NJH) are taking average players and getting them D1 commitments.

There are seriously so many benefits to both leagues. It's about fit for your son and the needs of your family. Can't afford a $10k tuition? Okay, then this league isn't for you. Fall in love with an organization/coach and have the money (which, let's be honest, a lot of hockey families on the East Coast do)? USPHL is the right spot.
 

jliebs

Registered User
Aug 26, 2014
62
0
hey district9 i've heard of this type of thing at least for each of the past three seasons.
If it's happening to your kid, once is more than enough to point it out to all and its wrong if it happens once or if it happens 30 times. This league is a money grab. Everyone knows it .
 

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