Junior Hockey Rankings are absurd. The Tier System, put into place years ago by USA Hockey, has and remains to be outdated, only Tiering leagues and organizations based upon their Funding mechanisms (No Tuition vs Tuition based) and housing. It does not have to do with level of play.
For years, (until about 2010), the Eastern Junior Hockey League could be argued was the strongest Junior league in the United States, certainly surpassing the NAHL and rivalling the USHL. Yet because this league was on the East Coast and a tuition- based league, it was labelled Tier III. This league allowed Division 1 and Potential Pro players to stay close to home, rather than travel hours and hours away to the Middle of the country and pursue their hockey ambitions through a small (8-14 teams) high caliber league.
Charlie Coyle of the Boston Bruins was a first round NHL draft pick directly out of the EJHL. Other notable NHL alumni include Jack Eichel, Trevor Van Reimsdyk, Chris Kreider, Brian Dumoulin, Jimmy Vesey, Bill Guerin, Connor Clifton, Connor Garland and many many others. The Tier system didn’t work in 2011 and certainly does not work now.
My Hockey Rankings (at the Junior Level) puts the NAHL, a USA Hockey Tier II registered league, on the same level playing field as the NCDC, which USA Hockey said is NOT Tier II and only Self- Defines as Tier II even though a large portion of the league is Pay to Play.
Does anyone really believe the Austin Bruins (NAHL), with 7 NCAA Division 1 committed players so far in the 24-25 season, is near the same level as the Ogden Mustangs (NCDC) which had ZERO Division 1 players in 23-24 and only 1 in 24-25? NCDC COMMITMENTS BY YEAR | NCDC
Does anyone really believe that the Helena Bighorns of the NA3HL is the best Tier III junior team in the United States? Helena had 2 players commit to NCAA schools in 23-24 and so far has ZERO ACHA or NCAA placements in 24-25. College Commitments | North American Tier III Hockey League | NA3HL . College Commitments are not everything, I know, but the eyeball test of College Coaches is saying only a handful of players on that roster has the ability to help their roster. Apples to Apples and compare it to other teams that My Hockey Rankings places at the same level.
One example would be the NH Avalanche. Helena is currently ranked 6 spots higher than the NH Avalanche in the EHL, which has 4 NCAA Commits on their roster and placed 17 players into NCAA hockey in 23-24 (which is more players than all of Helena’s division placed COMBINED). 2023-24 NCAA Commitments
The EHL (and USPHL before it) left USA Hockey in many ways due to this outdated and unbalanced Tier structure. My Hockey Rankings and other websites (notably The Junior Hockey News) produce Rankings each year for their respective websites. They either use a Strength of Schedule metric or in some cases the “Eye Ball Test” to reach their opinions. Both of these websites operate as businesses and are funded by advertising on their sites. Oftentimes leagues and owners of leagues. These leagues (NAHL, NCDC, EHL, USPHL, NA3HL) do not have any crossover play, so the comparison is based on strength of schedule only within your league and scouting only games within your league.
My Thanksgiving wish is to End All Junior Hockey Rankings that are not based on crossover play and encourage more inter-league competition. Junior Hockey fans would LOVE to see it, and now, from Major Junior on down to Jr. B, everyone is eligible to play NCAA Hockey. In recent years, we have seen some crossover play (due to special circumstances and necessity) and the results have painted a much different picture than My Hockey Rankings and other websites. Some examples include:
- In the COVID season (2020-21) when out of state play was restricted, the NJ 87s EHL Premier played the NJ Titans NA3HL team. The 87s EHLP won the contests but were not allowed to report the scores on any website.
- The Boston Dogs (aka Terriers) left the EHL in November 2024 sitting in 3rd place in their DIVISION and immediately joined the NCDC. The “Dogs” had never won a playoff game in the EHL and only operated for roughly 16 months. All their 23-24 college placements were to NCAA Division II or III hockey. They immediately joined the NCDC with roughly the exact same roster as they had in the EHL the week prior and played Thunder Hockey Club (sitting in a playoff spot at 10-8 on the season) and played them to a 4-1 final. Boston Dogs @ Thunder Hockey Club Friday, November 15, 2024 | NCDC
- The Walpole Express (EHL- Tier III) played the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (NOJHL – Tier II) at an EHL showcase in 2018-19. Kirkland Lake won the game 3-2. Guest Team at Express Hockey Club – 2018-19 Regular Season
- The Hawkesbury Hawks (CCHL) and Maine Nordiques (NAHL) scrimmaged each other in the Pre- Season in 24-25. An advisor predicted Maine would win 15-0… the games were 2-1 and 3-1 contests with Maine winning both (see below)
Crossover play, tournaments and showcases. Bring back the WoodChuck Tournament! Lets get back to this in 2025. It is my Thanksgiving Wish. Teams and Leagues can not be intimidated by the results. Compete and get after it. That will give us a clearer picture of where teams and leagues fall…. Certainly more so than any My Hockey Rankings will. Maybe this is a pipedream, but college coaches and Junior fans would love to see it.
Shoot me an email if interested- scoringconcepts@gmail.com
BY Andrew Trimble
Andrew Trimble is the General Manager and Co- Owner of the New England Wolves Hockey Club. He is also the Owner of Scoring Concepts LLC, a New Hampshire based hockey training company that offers camps, clinics, private lessons and teams. He has coached at all levels from Learn to Skate to College Hockey. For more info on his teams and programs check out- www.scoringconcepts.com or www.ne-wolveshockey.com
To Purchase Andrew’s new book “The Hockey Planner”, click on this link- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: Books
