Avalanche Will Become Seventh Member Of Canada Division
Saint-Lazare, Que., Dec. 13, 2024 – The United States Premier Hockey League announced today that the St-Lazare Avalanche will field a junior hockey team in the USPHL Premier Conference for the 2025-26 season, playing out of Saint-Lazare, Quebec. Former NHL player Shawn Anderson, who currently owns the USPHL Premier’s Hawkesbury Knights, will also own the Avalanche.
Just 35 miles from downtown Montreal, Saint Lazare thrives on hockey, with minor leagues, scholastic hockey, and academies surrounding it. As the seventh team joining the Premier’s Canada Division, the Avalanche will expand junior hockey playing opportunities in a region that loves hockey.
“I am excited about this opportunity to bring another team to the Canada Division of the USPHL Premier,” said Avalanche Owner Shawn Anderson. “I am ecstatic about the USPHL Premier and its future in Canada. The Premier league prioritizes advancement into conferences like the USPHL’s National Collegiate Development Conference or directly to the NCAA / ACHA / AAU schools. We are currently in the process of selecting our staff for the Avalanche. Like the Hawkesbury Knights this year, the Avalanche plan to be highly competitive come the start of the 2025-26 season next September.”
“The Canada Division has been an outstanding success in Year 1, and the Hawkesbury Knights proved right away they were going to be a top-notch, first-class organization through the hard work of Shawn Anderson and his staff,” said USPHL Deputy Commissioner Tony Zasowski. “We anticipate that Shawn will build yet another strong and highly competitive organization just outside the hockey hub in Montreal.”
About The United States Premier Hockey League
Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 8-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada. Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), a tuition-free junior hockey division and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement. Our youth and midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 8U through 18U teams. The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey all-time including over 4,200 into NCAA college hockey, with more than 550 advancing to NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 18 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams. For more information visit usphl.com.
