USA Hockey Development League: 29 Programs Picked for 2027-28

USA Hockey Development League: 29 Programs Picked for 2027-28

USA Hockey named 29 programs in 19 states to its new Development League for 15U and 17U players, starting fall 2027. The full list, the format, who was left out and what it means for families.

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USA Hockey has drawn the map for the top of its youth pyramid. The governing body named 29 programs across 19 states to the new USA Hockey Development League, a national tier for 15U and 17U boys teams that begins play in fall 2027. More than 80 organizations applied, and the league had been designed for 32, so three slots went unfilled at launch.

Each program fields one 15U team and one 17U team, which works out to 58 teams. USA Hockey says the DL is aimed at the top 2 percent of players in the 14-to-17 age range and will feed the USHL, NAHL, the National Team Development Program, college hockey and beyond. It is the federation's third major development initiative, after the NTDP in 1996 and the American Development Model in 2009.

The 29 USA Hockey Development League Programs

By state, per Let's Play Hockey and Rinkhive:

Michigan (4): Compuware, Fox Motors, HB Hockey Club (HoneyBaked), Little Caesars
New Jersey (3): North Jersey Avalanche, Rockets Hockey Club, Wolfpack Hockey Club
California (2): Anaheim Jr. Ducks, Los Angeles Jr. Kings
Colorado (2): Colorado Thunderbirds, Okanagan Hockey Colorado
Illinois (2): Chicago Mission, Reapers Hockey Association
New York (2): BK Selects, Buffalo Jr. Sabres
Pennsylvania (2): Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
One each: Jr. Coyotes (AZ), Mid Fairfield (CT), Culver Academies (IN), Boston Jr. Eagles (MA), Shattuck-St. Mary's (MN), St. Louis AAA Blues (MO), Seacoast Spartans (NH), Ohio Blue Jackets (OH), Jr. Mounties (RI), Nashville Jr. Predators (TN), Dallas Stars Elite (TX), Madison Capitols (WI)

Nine of the 29 carry NHL club branding and two are boarding schools, as Youth Sports Business Report noted. Nashville and Dallas are the only Sun Belt programs. No Florida program made the list.

Who Was Left Out

Selection weighed regular-season and postseason results, player advancement history, operations, leadership, facilities, stability and geography. In Michigan, that still meant leaving out Belle Tire, Victory Honda and the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies, according to Rinkhive. In New England, The Boston Globe reported that the new Masters Academy and Lovell Academy were not selected. Those programs now have two seasons to decide what they are without the DL label.

USA Hockey vice president Kris Knauss, who co-chairs the DL subcommittee, said in the announcement that "the DL is the next evolution of player development in the United States."

How the Development League Will Work

Scott Paluch, USA Hockey's director of player development since 2022, is the league's first commissioner. He coached Bowling Green for seven seasons, spent eight as an assistant at Boston College (including the 2001 national title), and led the U.S. to gold at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games. Erin Mensay, USA Hockey's manager of member services, is the registrar in charge of rosters and player movement.

DL teams will play about 60 percent of their regular-season games against other DL programs, per Let's Play Hockey, and every program commits to ADM age-group guidelines. USA Hockey has described it as something other than a traditional league: programs keep their local schedules, and the federation has not announced standings or a national championship. The first day of the inaugural season is August 1, 2027.

What It Means for Hockey Families

For the 29 programs, selection is a recruiting advantage. For everyone else at the Tier 1 level, the question is whether top 15U and 17U players will migrate toward DL rosters the way top basketball players chase shoe-circuit teams. Girls' hockey is not affected for now; the DL is boys-only, and USA Hockey says female registration is on track to pass 100,000 this season.

Parents with 2010 to 2012 birth-year players should expect DL tryout information from these programs in spring 2027. USA Hockey keeps its FAQ at usahockey.com/developmentleague. Follow the pathway on BallerTube's youth hockey page and upload your game tape to the ice hockey channel.