As we approach the new year, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our loyal readers for making 2025 another strong year for The Junior Hockey News. Your continued support has been tremendous. Without your engagement, information sharing, feedback, and tips from across the junior hockey landscape, much of what we do here simply would not be possible.
One of the things that has always set TJHN apart is our commitment to listening to our readers. Throughout 2025, many of you have asked for deeper, more transparent coverage of the pay-to-play junior hockey landscape. We have taken that feedback seriously.
Beginning in January 2026, TJHN will introduce a brand-new monthly ranking feature focused specifically on pay-to-play junior hockey teams.
This new feature will include teams from:
- The USPHL Premier
- The EHL
- The NA3HL
- Canadian Junior A organizations operating under a pay-to-play model
When appropriate, we will also include teams from the GMHL and NJHL, ensuring that our coverage reflects the full scope of the pay-to-play environment across North America.
These rankings will be data-driven and grounded in the same principles that guide our other evaluations. Teams will be assessed based on:
- Strength of league
- Strength of schedule
- Volume and quality of college hockey commitments for the 2026 class
Because of the sheer number of teams that fall under the pay-to-play umbrella, this will be our most comprehensive ranking project to date. Unlike our combined Tier II rankings, which feature twenty teams each month, this new ranking will expand to fifty teams per month, providing readers with a much broader and more useful snapshot of the landscape.
In addition to this new feature, we are also planning to bring back the USHL/CHL combined rankings in 2026, giving readers a clearer picture of how the top development leagues continue to stack up side by side.
As the world of junior hockey continues to evolve, The Junior Hockey News will continue to evolve with it. We are currently exploring opportunities to add new writers and launch additional podcasts, with the goal of delivering more diverse perspectives, deeper analysis, and expanded coverage for our audience.
Once again, thank you to everyone who supported TJHN throughout 2025. We look forward to continuing to serve the junior hockey community in 2026 and beyond.
Joseph Kolodziej – Publisher
