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PrivacyNorth America Junior A Hockey
North America Junior A Hockey
Junior A Hockey leagues are across Canada and the United States. Junior A was referred to as Tier II Junior A in the 1970s.(to separate it from Major Junior A). It provides an opportunity for players 16-21 to develop their hockey skills. There are a number of leagues across Canada, governed by the Canadian Junior Hockey League, that compete for the national championship each year. Junior A teams are considered amateur by the NCAA, thus players intending to go to American universities tend to choose this route rather than play in the CHL. Some leagues that refer to themselves as Junior A operate outside the control of the CJHL and Hockey Canada. Presently, the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League in Ontario is an example of this. For more information on the leagues, contact information and the seasonal championships, follow the links below under Canadian Junior A Hockey Leagues.
In the United States, junior hockey under control of USA Hockey realigned into three divisions, doing away with JuniorA and Junior B designations. In addition there are independent Junior hockey leagues in the United States.
Junior hockey in the United States is a stepping stone for young players to develop skills, for further hockey pursuits including NCAA schools. Use the links below to get further information on the leagues, past champions and contact information.
Canadian Junior A Hockey League
The Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), is an association of Canadian Junior A ice hockey leagues and teams. Teams belonging to this association compete yearly for the Junior A Championship of Canada. There are a number of Junior A hockey leagues located in Canada. The list below provides contact information or previous championship information on each of these.
Canadian Junior A Hockey Leagues - National Championship
Each league across Canada sends their championship club to a regional qualifier, playing for the right to represent the region at the national championship tournament.
- The BCHL Champions take on the AJHL Champions Championships for the Doyle Cup and the title of Pacific Champion.
- The SJHL Champions take on the MJHL Champions for the Anavet Cup and the title of Western Champion.
- Until 1999 the British Columbia/Alberta Interprovincial Champions and the Saskatchewan/Manitoba Interprovincial Champions played each other for the Abbott Cup
- From 2013-2017 the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL and MJHL played for the Western Canada Cup in a tournament format
- The SIJHL, NOJHL and OJHL Champions plus the Host Team battle it out for the Dudley Hewitt Cup and the title of Central Champion.
- LHJAAAQ, CJHL, and MJAHL Champions plus the Host Team, play for the Fred Page Cup and the title of Eastern Champion.
The Pacific, Western, Central and Easterns Champions, plus a Host Team, advance to play for the Junior A Championship.
Canadian Independent Junior A Leagues
| British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League (GMHL) Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League (MMJHL) |
Junior Hockey Leagues - United States
USA Hockey (sanctioned) Leagues
For 2007 - 08 season USA Hockey as a sanctioning body revised the alignment of leagues within the United States to include a three tiered Junior A structure. The Eastern Junior Hockey League and Atlantic Junior Hockey League had been involved in a pilot program for this status for the 2006 - 07 season. A number of previous Junior B leagues leagues were granted this designation. The Jr. A classifications were as follows: Tier I – USHL, have all expenses paid while maintaining college eligibility. Tier II – NAHL, players pay for room and board only. Tier III – Eastern Hockey League, Eastern Hockey League Premier, , Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League and North American 3 Hockey League.were tuition driven (players pay to play and also pay room and board) The USA Junior A Hockey scene had undergone a major shuffling in he summer of 2003 with the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and America West Hockey League (AWHL) merging under the NAHL name. This follows upon the previous year's realignment of Junior A hockey in the United States to a two tiered structure, with the United States Hockey League (USHL) becoming the only Tier 1 ranked Junior A hockey league. In 2013 USA Hockey did awway with Junior A/B classification with all teams playing under the three tier system. Since the initial realignment some leagues have begun, some have folded. The Eastern Hockey League left the USA Hockey umbrella for the 2022-23 season, leaving one league in each classification.
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Current Uniited States USA Hockey Sanctioned Junior Leagues Tier I - United States Hockey League (USHL)Tier II - North American Hockey League (NAHL) Tier III - North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) |
Eastern Hockey League
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Tier III - Eastern Hockey League (EHL) (Jr A) Tier III - Eastern Hockey League Premier (EHLP) (Jr B) |
United Hockey Union (sanctioned) Leagues
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The United Hockey Union (UHU), founded in 2012, is a group of ice hockey leagues in North America. The UHU is overseen and insured by the Amateur Athletic Union. Neither body is recognized by USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, or the International Ice Hockey Federation. In 2011, the AAU expressed interest in sanctioning junior ice hockey leagues. Until this time, USA Hockey was the only governing body of ice hockey in the United States. In the summer of 2011, the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) defected from USA Hockey to join the AAU. In 2012, they were joined by the Northern States Junior Hockey League (NSHL) and the Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL). At this point, their partnership, under AAU supervision, was named the United Hockey Union. A number of leagues joined and left with two leagues being currently sanctioned, the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) and the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League(CPJHL) both which have suspended operations at this time. |
United States Premier Hockey League
During the 2012 - 13 season, several organizations within the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) decided to form their own league and created the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). The original Tier III junior teams were categorized in the Premier Division when the USPHL absorbed the Empire Junior Hockey League (becoming the Empire Division) and the newly formed Eastern Elite Hockey League (becoming the Elite Division). From 2013 to 2017, USA Hockey sanctioned the Premier, Elite, Empire, Midwest, and USP3 Divisions as Tier III junior leagues. During the 2014 - 15 season, the USPHL announced the creation of a Midwest Division to begin in the 2015 - 16 season adding several teams from the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) causing the MnJHL to disband for the following season. On March 10, 2015, the USPHL also added the entire Midwest Junior Hockey League to its new Midwest Division for the 2015 - 16 season. In December 2016, the USPHL announced the addition of six organizations from the Eastern Hockey League for the 2017 - 18 season, The USPHL added a highe - level junior league named the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) for the 2017 - 18 season. The NCDC was seeking free to play Tier II junior league sanctioning, but was denied by USA Hockey. In response, the USPHL junior level leagues withdrew from USA Hockey sanctioning altogether.
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Current United States Premier Hockey League National Collegiate Development Conference (NDDC)United States Premier Hockey League Premier Division (USPHLP) United States Premier Hockey League Elite Division (USPHLE) |
Previous Junior Leagues (Junior A/B)
Junior leagues, particularly in the United States seem to come and go, merging wiith existing leagues or simply creating a new governing body and leagues. Below is a list of some of these leagues that we have had pages on at one time or another. Links are direct to championship information only.
United States Junior A Hockey Tier II Championship
The Gold Cup was the final competition between all the USA Hockey Tier II sanctioned leagues, to declare an overall champion. In 2003 with the USHL becoming a Tier I league the cup was played for between the NAHL and AWHL. With the merger of the leagues, the Gold Cup became a league championship. See the previous Gold Cup champions with the link below.
Tier II Junior Championship (USA Hockey)