Four youth hockey programs from New England have been selected for the USA Hockey Development League, the new initiative that promises to reshape the American hockey development pathway.
The Boston Junior Eagles, based in Wellesley, along with Exeter, N.H.’s Seacoast Spartans, Stamford, Conn.’s Mid Fairfield Rangers, and Woonsocket, R.I.’s Junior Mounties, have been invited to join the league when it drops the puck in 2027-28. The league is for players in the 14- to 17-year-old range.
The so-called DL promises to develop the next wave of players — about 700 of them — beyond the National Team Development Program (NTDP) and United States Hockey League (USHL), the highest-level stops before college hockey in USA Hockey’s preferred pipeline.
USA Hockey announced the teams on a YouTube podcast stream.
“There was no real clear direction for the top 2 percent of players in the United States,” said Bob Mancini, USA Hockey’s assistant executive director of hockey development. “Especially at the 14-to-17-year-[old] age group, we had to have programming in place so both players and their parents understood what that path may be.”
In areas where high school and prep school hockey dominates the landscape, Mancini added, that path is clear. In areas where Tier I travel hockey is seen as the top option for college-bound talent — as in, mostly everywhere outside of New England and Minnesota — the scene is muddled, and, some observers say, watered down.
Travel hockey is no longer for the best players — it’s for the best players who can pay for it. There are too many Tier I, or AAA, programs, and mediocre operators are mixed in with programs that maintain an elite standard. Parents sometimes struggle to learn the difference.
League commissioner and USA Hockey director of player development Scott Paluch, a former Boston College assistant coach, said teams were selected based on a combination of team performance, history of player advancement, excellence in operations and facilities, and geographic representation across the country.
USA Hockey intended to pick 32 Tier 1 junior boys’ teams from around the country, in the 15U and 17U age classifications.
They wound up with 29 for the initial launch, including the Junior Eagles, who were widely viewed as an obvious fit.
The Junior Eagles, whose U18 squad made the USA Hockey national championship game last April, have approximately 650 players spread across 39 teams. Five recent alums are in the National Team Development Program, a slew of current players have committed to Hockey East men’s and women’s programs, and their recent NHL alumni include the Minnesota Wild’s Matt Boldy (of Millis), and the San Jose Sharks’ Will Smith (Lexington).
“We’re excited as an organization just to be selected,” Junior Eagles director of hockey operations David Hymovitz said, adding that he was slightly disappointed to see no other teams from Massachusetts make the initial cut: “I think there were some other deserving teams.”
Hymovitz said the Eagles would meet tomorrow to finalize their plans. Programs had approximately 48 hours from the announcement to confirm they were joining.
Those that were not selected include the new Masters Academy (which doesn’t have its own rink) and Lovell Academy (which does).
Teams will play a 55-game season, 35 of which must be against league opponents. Playing multiple games in one day is prohibited. They will schedule their own games and will compete for a Development League championship.
“These teams will compete in a consistent game and scheduling format that will enhance player development,” Paluch said.
The other programs that were invited: Jr. Coyotes (Ariz.); Anaheim Jr. Ducks and Los Angeles Jr. Kings (Calif.); Colorado Thunderbirds and Okanagan Hockey Colorado (Colo.); Chicago Mission and Reapers Hockey Association (Ill.); Culver Academies (Ind.); Compuware, Fox Motors, HB Hockey Club, and Little Caesars (Mich.); Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minn.); St. Louis AAA Blues (Mo.); North Jersey Avalanche, Rockets Hockey Club, and Wolfpack Hockey Club (N.J.); BK Selects and Buffalo Jr. Sabres (N.Y.); Philadelphia Jr. Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Pa.); Ohio Blue Jackets (Ohio); Nashville Jr. Predators (Tenn.); Dallas Stars Elite (Texas); and Madison Capitols (Wis.).
USA Hockey sees it as the next major step forward in American youth hockey, following the creation of the National Team Development Program in 1996 and American Development Model in 2009.
Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on BlueSky at mattyports.bsky.social.