Ladies and Gentlemen, Moms and Dads, Boys and Girls… it’s that magical time of year again.
But before we dive into this year’s festivities, let’s take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane and revisit the absolutely enchanting Summer of 2025.
Who could ever forget the breathtaking expansion of AAA and Tier 3 hockey across North America? The endless optimism. The bold promises. The “this league is different” speeches. And, of course, the avalanche of credit card charges that many families now lovingly refer to as The Summer of Fraud.
Good times.
Blood was spilled. Dreams were crushed. Bank accounts were emptied. And league executives spent the next twelve months trying to explain how none of it was actually their fault.
Now here we are in mid-July 2026, and I feel like I’m standing outside my favorite childhood bakery. Before you even open the door, you can smell all the delicious treats waiting inside.
Only instead of fresh cinnamon buns…
…it’s the unmistakable aroma of hockey programs going bankrupt.
Let’s go inside, shall we?
Thirty-six teams folded during the Summer of 2025.
Take a moment to let that sink in.
I’d personally like to thank Chris and Rhea Reaves for what was probably well over a million visits to TJHN. Few people have generated more website traffic while insisting everything was perfectly fine. Hopefully the award ceremony was lovely.
Now for this year’s forecast.
TJHN is predicting that 70 pay-to-play teams across Tier 3, U18, U16, and the so-called “Academy” programs will disappear before the dust settles.
Why?
The reasons aren’t exactly complicated.
First, players are leaving the game, and parents have finally grown tired of paying luxury-car prices for bargain-bin hockey.
Second, Tier 2 expanded like someone handed it an unlimited credit card. Every new Tier 2 team comes at the expense of somebody below them, and a lot of Tier 3 and AAA programs are about to discover they’re the expense.
Third, organizations keep waiting until August while players chase every tryout camp from Boston to British Columbia hoping for that elusive Tier 2 call-up. Unfortunately, bills don’t accept hopes and dreams as payment. Teams either wait and run out of cash, or they start too early, lose players, and strand the families who already committed.
Either way…
Welcome to The Death Pool.
So let’s offer a sincere round of applause to the organizations that folded early instead of dragging families through another six weeks of false hope before pulling the plug.
Congratulations to:
- Wilkes-Barre U15
- North Shore Academy U16
- Maine Jr. Mariners U18
- Maine Jr. Mariners U16
- Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks U14
- Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks U16
…and judging by the smoke coming from the engine room, Danbury’s U18 team doesn’t appear to be far behind.
That’s eight teams in just the past few days.
And that’s only the East Coast.
Meanwhile, in what can only be described as the quietest demolition project of the offseason, the USPHL has effectively erased its 27-team Elite Division. Programs have either been promoted to Premier, converted into U18 AAA, or quietly escorted out the back door. At least one positive came from it—there’s finally one less “Elite” league confusing parents who thought they were signing up for the other Elite league.
Reports are also surfacing that nearly a dozen AAA programs in the Midwest are on life support, while Tier 3 tryout camps across North America continue disappearing faster than refundable deposits.
The bright spot?
Local carrot farmers are reporting record sales.
Apparently the old “sign with our Tier 3 team and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get a Tier 2 call-up” marketing campaign is still harvesting plenty of believers. The carrot-and-stick routine remains hockey’s most reliable recruiting strategy, and business is booming.
Now it gets interesting.
The next ten weeks should provide enough material to keep The Death Pool very, very busy.
Pop some popcorn.
Keep your receipts.
And, as always…
Do stick around.
