USA Hockey Development League Update – USA Hockey

USA Hockey Development League Update  USA Hockey

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey announced today the programs invited to be a part of the USA Hockey Development League, which will begin play in 2027-28.  "The DL is the next evolution of player development in the United States, and we are thrilled to provide another pathway for players to reach the USHL, NAHL, college hockey and the NHL," said Kris Knauss, vice president of USA Hockey and co-chair of the DL Joint Subcommittee. "We had more than 80 applicants from around the country and narrowing that group was a difficult process. We're grateful to every program that made an application, and we're excited to get started and build toward the inaugural season." The USA Hockey Development League is a national framework of high-performance youth hockey programs, each fielding one 15U team and one 17U team.

DL programs identify, train and develop players from across the country to advance to junior hockey, including the USHL and the NAHL, as well as USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, college hockey and the NHL. “I'd like to thank all the members of the DL Joint Subcommittee who worked tirelessly to reach this milestone," said Keith Barrett, vice president of USA Hockey and co-chair of the DL Joint Subcommittee. "We’re excited to continue building towards the inaugural DL season." The programs invited