TJHN has written about USA Hockey’s proposed development league for the past year. Now, the details are becoming more clear as they seek to approve the proposal at the annual winter meeting starting tomorrow.
Hidden within ninety seven pages of rule changes and rewrites put up for approval, the former National Development League is now the USA Hockey Development League, and its organizational proposals begin on page sixty five. Microsoft Word – Congress Meeting Amendments June 2025 (6-10-25 B.W).docx
Lets be absolutely clear, USA Hockey is not responsible for all of the development of great players coming from the United States for the last thirty years. USA Hockey does not develop any players outside of the National Development Program. It is AAA, and Junior teams, and staff that do the developing of the overwhelming majority of players moving on to the highest levels.
USA Hockey is a rule making political body that is continuing its policy of devisiveness, and over reaching its authority based upon what it thinks is a good idea.
The proposal would see a joint sub-committe made up of the Player Development Committee and Youth Council having oversight of the proposed league. A youth council with its own political agendas, and affiliations to programs that can be impacted by the proposed league.
As always, the devil is in the details. Lets look at the composition of how teams are built in this league;
“A Development League team may roster and play up to two (2) non-US citizens on that Development League team
(excluding goalies, who must be US citizens) provided that the player(s) have previously been registered with USA Hockey and played on a USA Hockey team.” Page 68.
Doesnt this fly in the face of what a USA Hockey Development League should be? If it is about American players, why would any import players be allowed at all? This is nothing more than giving the teams who are politically connected within USA Hockey their cake and allowing them to eat it.
“Programs participating in the NDL that also field Tier I teams may not field 15O and 16U Tier I teams in addition to their 15U and 17U NDL teams during the same season.” Page 71.
Meaning that if your organization is in the USAHDL, you cannot have secondary teams that play Tier 1. This essentially makes the USAHDL the Tier 1 league and everyone else is Tier 2 AAA.
“Development League teams are not eligible to participate in any USA Hockey National Championships. Team and player eligibility to participate in any NDL playoff or championship will be governed by the USA Hockey National Development League Guidebook rather than Section IX of the USA Hockey Rules and Regulations. The League
Commissioner will decide any question on the eligibility of a player, team or coach to participate in any NDL playoff or championship based on the National Development League Guidebook. Should a player, team or coach be declared ineligible to compete in any NDL playoff or championship by a final decision of the League Commissioner, the player, team or coach may appeal its ineligibility to the DL joint sub-committeeUSA Hockey Player Development Committee. Upon receipt of any such appeal the DL joint sub-committeePlayer Development Committee shall render a decision as soon as possible. Notwithstanding Bylaw 10.F.(1)(b), the decision of the DL joint sub committeePlayer Development Committee shall be final.” Pages 71 and 72.
That section makes it clear that only USAHDL teams can participate in their playoffs, and the USA Hockey National Championships for AAA Tier 1 and Tier 2 are left beneath the USAHDL.
“Player Recruitment, Player Agreements and Tryouts.
National Development League teams/programs may recruit and sign players to Player
Agreements according to the following timeline:
a) January 15th-January 31st: Year 1 NDL Only – Early Signing Period for any player.
b) January 15th-January 31st: Subsequent Years – Early Signing Period for NDL teams
to sign their returning players.
c) February 1st – End of February: NDL Open Signing Period.
d) March 1st – End of National Championships: Blackout Period (no signing of players).
e) End of National Championships – 48 hours after National Championships – NDL Open
Signing Period resumes
i.
Players participating in the USA Hockey National Championships may be signed to an
NDL player agreement once that player’s team has been eliminated from National
Championship medal games.
ii. NDL teams (as well as Tier I teams) may begin player tryouts and signing of
players 48 hours after the last game of the National Championships.
f) NDL teams are required to release any NDL team player from his Player Agreement
without any financial penalty if the player is signing with the NDTP or a USHL team
prior to that NDL team’s first game. If a player seeks to leave an NDL team after that
team’s first game to play with the NDTP or a USHL team the player must satisfy any
financial obligation to the NDL team or the player and NDL team may reach a mutual
agreement on any financial obligation of the player to the NDL team.
g) Player Agreements must be executed for all NDL players before they can be rostered
on an NDL team. NDL teams may offer Player Agreements and sign a maximum of
twenty (20) players to an NDL team.
h) An NDL team/ program must notify the NDL League Registrar of the name of any
players signed to a Player Agreement and the specific team that the player committed
to playing on within 24 hours after the signing of a Player Agreement.
i) Player Agreements offered by NDL teams/programs must provide information as
required in the National Development League Guidebook.
j) The execution of a Player Agreement by a player and parent binds and commits the
player to that NDL team for the entirety of the team’s playing season. Likewise, the
execution of a Player Agreement by an NDL team binds and commits that team to the
player and secures a roster position for that player on the signing team for the entire
applicable season. Any disputes between the player and the NDL team on the
application of a Player Agreement may be resolved in the sole discretion of the NDL
Commissioner as he/she deems proper under the circumstances, with the right to
appeal to the National Appeals Committee pursuant to Bylaw 10.E.
7.6.
Selection of Teams/Programs to Participate in the USA HockeyNational
Development League The specific criteria for team participation in the National
Development League, the application and selection process, the annual team assessment
due to the league, the number of teams in the League, the team operating requirements,
the periodic review of team/program performance, and the withdrawal and continuation
of teams within the League will be set out each season in the National Development
League Guidebook on or before January 1 of each year.
Except as specifically set forth in this Section III I of the USA Hockey RULES & REGULATIONS the
applicable Affiliate shall retain discipline authority over NDL teams and players.” Page 72.
That section gives USAHDL member teams priority in selecting players on a nation wide basis. Non members are at a clear disadvantage, and will essentially become chum to the selected sharks included in the USAHDL.
The United States has absolutely no problem developing players that move on to the USHL, CHL, NCAA and NHL. The development model is not broken, so what exactly is this USAHDL suppossed to fix? The allowing for import players at all flys in the face of its name and stated goals.
Why hasnt this proposed league been taken to a vote at the National level allowing for every USAH member to cast his vote?
Will there be thirty two teams or sixty four? A lot of very good teams, and very good development people will be left out in the cold with this proposed league.
With the USAHDL, comes a lot more money to be spent on “camps” that actually will look more like all of the useless junior camps. That means a lot more money coming in for these USAHDL teams. It also means expenses just went up for any parents who want to chase this newly created dream league.
When exactly will contracted players in this USAHDL be made public? Or will they remain private until the start of games allowing for the USAHDL teams to have “tryouts” and “camps” long after the teams have been picked?
Where is the transparency? Dont like what is being written here today? Take a look at page 80.
“(1) Tryouts for Tier I teams must be published and advertised. No youth Tier I or II team may recruit
or solicit players or offer hockey contracts to players for the following season, or hold development
camps, tryouts, player selections or any activity that could be construed as a tryout/solicitation or
recruitment for the following season, until 48 hours after the last game of Youth National
Championships (both Tier I and Tier II Nationals must be completed). For example, if the National
Tournament ends at 4 pm on Monday, tryouts can begin after 4 pm on Wednesday. Any violation of
this prohibition may subject the coach, team, program and/or responsible administrators to appropriate
discipline, or ineligibility of the team or coach, as determined by the Affiliate.”
That makes it absolutely clear, that “Tier I and Tier II” actually become Tier II and Tier III in the AAA environment. All in the name of development and keeping the NTDP relevant. Fairness? Where is that in these proposed changes?
The only changes from the January 2025 meeting on this USAHDL push the start back from the 2026-2027 season to the 2027-2028 season. Giving an additional year for everyone left out of the league some time to get used to the fact that their program is now not what it has been. Development_League_Proposals__all_proposals_included_as_of_1-9-26_v2.pdf
But hey, why should the paying members have a say? Why should the leaders of this divisive idea be arbitrarily picked without transparency? What is the criteria for membership in the new and special club called the USAHDL?
Another bad idea by USA Hockey to fix a system that is not broken. And they will wonder why so many teams will leave USAH for the USPHL when this takes place. Be careful what you wish for, the result will likely not be what you anticipate.
