Junior Hockey News – The Latest From Around the League

Junior hockey news is a blog that covers the latest happenings around the league. If you are a fan of Junior hockey then this is the blog for you!

NHL

The NHL is back in action and there are plenty of storylines to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Here are some of the latest news and notes from around the league:

-The Chicago Blackhawks have been one of the biggest surprises in the early part of the season. They currently sit atop the Central Division standings with a 6-2-2 record.
-The Winnipeg Jets are also off to a strong start, as they sit second in the Central Division with a 6-3-1 record.
-The Montreal Canadiens continue to struggle, as they sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings with a 4-7-1 record.
-The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently riding a five-game Winning Streak and sit atop the Atlantic Division Standings with an 8-2-1 record.

AHL

The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional Ice Hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for
the National Hockey League (NHL).

ECHL

The ECHL, formerly the East Coast Hockey League is a mid-level professional Ice hockey league with 22 member organizations across the United States and two affiliated leagues in Canada. The ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, and has grown through a combination of expansion, contraction and relocation to its current membership.

The league’s footprint currently spans from Massachusetts to Alaska, with a team in each of the contiguous United States plus one in Canada. The league’s headquarters are located in Princeton, New Jersey, with an office in Hendersonville, North Carolina

In recent years the ECHL has aimed to be more of a Development League employing NCAA players on professional tryouts (PTOs) as well as under NHL affiliations. A number of former NHL players have also gone on to have successful careers in the ECHL.

CHL

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) is the top level Junior Hockey League in Canada. The CHL is made up of three regional leagues: the Western Hockey League (WHL), the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Each league is made up of several teams from across Canada, with the exception of the QMJHL which only has teams from Quebec.

The CHL is widely considered to be the best junior Hockey League in the world, and many of the NHL’s Top Players have come from the CHL. Players in the CHL must be between 16 and 20 years old, and each team is allowed to have a maximum of three 20-year-old players on their roster.

The season runs from September to March, and each team plays 68 games. The top teams from each league then compete in the playoffs to try and win the Memorial Cup which is the championship for junior hockey in Canada.

NCAA

NCAA Division I college hockey is an extremely competitive and highly-scouted level of play. Many of the best junior Hockey Players in the world choose to play at the collegiate level in order to develop their skills further before moving on to professional careers.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the governing body for all college athletics in the United States There are currently 60 schools that compete at the Division I level in men’s ice hockey These schools are spread across four conferences – Atlantic Hockey Hockey East the National Collegiate Hockey conference (NCHC), and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

Each conference has its own regular season champions who then advance to the NCAA Division I Men’s ice hockey Tournament, also known as “the Frozen Four”. The Frozen Four is a single-elimination tournament that determines the National Champion of NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey The tournament has been held annually since 1948, making it one of the oldest championships in all of college athletics.

The current NCAA Division I Men’s ice hockey champions are the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2-1 in overtime back in April 2018. This was Minnesota-Duluth’s second National Championship in school history – they also won it all back in 2011.

Europe

The European leagues have been in Full Swing for a few weeks now, and there have been some great games to watch so far. No surprising upsets so far, but there have been some close games. Let’s take a look at what’s been going on in each of the European leagues.

First up is the Finnish Elite League, where things are currently led by HIFK. They’re followed closely by TPS, who are only one point behind. Kärpät and HPK round out the top four, while at the other end of the table Lahti are currently in last place.

In Sweden, it’s a similar story with Djurgårdens leading the way. They’re chased by Färjestad, who are just two points behind. Skellefteå and Växjö are in third and fourth respectively, while Brynäs currently sit at the bottom of the table.

Further south, in Switzerland, HC Davos are leading the way after winning all seven of their games so far. They’re followed by HC Lugano, who have won six out of seven. ZSC Lions and SC Bern make up the rest of the top four, while at the other end GCK Lions are currently bottom with just one win to their name.

Asia

There is no Junior Hockey in Asia.

South America

In South America, the top teams from each country meet in a tournament to decide who will represent the continent at the World Junior Hockey Championship This year’s tournament will be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil from December 9-15. The following countries will be represented:

Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Mexico
Paraguay
Peru
Uruguay
Venezuela

Africa

The latest from around the league on the Africa Junior hockey circuit.

Australia

Australia may be home to some of the most passionate hockey fans in the world, but the sport has never really taken off down under. That could be changing however, as a new generation of Australian players are making their mark in Junior hockey leagues around the globe.

Downey Jr. is one of several Australians who have made an impact in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Others include Liam Adam (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League), Cooper Croisy (Western Hockey League) and Blake Wilkins (Ontario Hockey League).