#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights vs. Rockets Hockey Club

by Joshua Boyd

March 10, 2023March 10, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com Mid-Atlantic Division Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights (1) vs. Rockets Hockey Club (4) All games played at Revolution Ice Centre Game 1: Friday, March 10, 12 p.m. EST Game 2: Saturday, March 11, 1 p.m. EST Game 3: Sunday, March 12, 4:30 p.m. EST (if necessary) The USPHL Elite’s top dog, the […]

#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Islanders Hockey Club vs. Bridgewater Bandits

by Joshua Boyd

March 8, 2023March 8, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com USPHL Elite Conference North Division Islanders Hockey Club (2) vs. Bridgewater Bandits (3) All games at Gallant Arena Wednesday, March 8, 12 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 12 p.m. Friday, March 10, 9:30 a.m. (if necessary) Two USPHL Elite teams will enter Gallant Arena on Wednesday, but only one will […]

#USPHLPlayoffs Series Preview: Northern Cyclones vs. Springfield Pics

by Joshua Boyd

March 3, 2023March 3, 2023

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com North Division All Games At Cyclones Arena Friday, March 3, 4 p.m. EST Saturday, March 4, 4 p.m. EST Sunday, March 5, 4 p.m. EST (if necessary) There exists the possibility that, by Saturday evening, we may know our first USPHL Nationals participant. The Springfield Pics will travel to […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 26, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 26, 2023February 26, 2023

An update to yesterday’s Watch List: New Teams that have clinched playoff berths since yesterday P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (NCDC) P.A.L. Jr. Islanders (Premier) Rockets Hockey Club (Elite) New York Aviators (Elite) NCDC All three Sunday games are in the South Division and none of them will change the standings Mercer, Connecticut and the Rockets […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 25, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 25, 2023February 25, 2023

Updating yesterday’s Watch List: Today, we have five NCDC games, 10 Elite and 25 Premier games. In total, we have 39 NCDC, 56 Premier and 23 Elite remaining. A lot should be decided today. A note on playoffs: For Premier Divisions who have multiple rounds, and the New England Elite, playoffs start next weekend. For Divisions […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 24, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 24, 2023February 25, 2023

We continue to post regular updates on games that will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. NCDC has one team that has clinched a playoff berth: Jersey Hitmen Premier teams that have clinched playoff berths include: New York Aviators (clinched division title) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Rockets Hockey Club Connecticut […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 11, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 11, 2023February 11, 2023

An update to yesterday’s #USPHLPlayoffs Watch List: It’s Saturday, and we have a full slate today with four NCDC, eight USPHL Elite and 23 USPHL Premier games! Three teams have clinched spots since Thursday: South Shore Kings, Hershey Cubs and the Dells Ducks. NCDC North Division Boston Advantage (No. 4) hosts South Shore (No. […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 5, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 5, 2023February 5, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. There are, however, some teams that are finding their limits on where […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: February 3, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

February 3, 2023February 3, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. But we’ll show NCDC games where a team can improve its standings […]

#USPHLPlayoffs – The Watch List: Jan. 29, 2023

by Joshua Boyd

January 29, 2023January 29, 2023

We’ll be posting regular updates on what games each game day will have playoff clinching implications in the NCDC, USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite. A few notes before today’s update: No teams in the NCDC have clinched a playoff berth as of yet. But we’ll show NCDC games where a team can improve its standings […]

Former NCDC Rockets Hockey Club defenseman Anthony Allain-Samake has been ranked 75th among North American Skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term rankings, released on Jan. 14. The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) proudly celebrates this achievement as another testament to its player development success.

Allain-Samake, a 2007-born native of Gatineau, Que., played in 47 games with the Rockets’ NCDC team in the 2023-24 season, during which he committed to the University of Connecticut, where he is currently set to play in 2025-26. Generally, players ranked in the third round of North American Skater Mid-Term rankings project as fourth-or fifth-round selections in the draft.

The 2025 NHL Entry Draft will be held in late June 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. Allain-Samake is currently playing for the Sioux City Musketeers in the United States Hockey League, where he has registered 12 assists over 35 games. Allain-Samake was drafted into the USHL in the 2024 USHL Draft.

USPHL / NCDC at NHL Entry Draft

There have been a total of 58 former USPHL Junior and/or Midget players drafted by NHL teams since the USPHL’s 2013-14 inaugural season.

18 former NCDC players have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft since the USPHL’s highest tier junior league opened its first season in 2017-18.
Two USPHL Premier alumni have been selected in the NHL Entry Draft in the current format of the USPHL Premier since 2022. No other league of its kind has had any draft picks since 2019.
The NCDC saw an all-time high of three players selected directly from the NCDC in 2020-21, which was also the most of any league of its kind in 2021.

USPHL Alumni In National Hockey League

Drew O’Connor became the first NCDC alum to make the National Hockey League in 2020-21 and has remained a regular in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ lineup since that season, playing in 165 games to date (Oct. 24). O’Connor played in the NCDC for the Boston Junior Bruins.
There have been a total of 10 players from the USPHL junior leagues that have made the NHL, including four currently active players (Drew O’Connor, John Marino, Ryan Donato, Joey Daccord).
There were a total of 27 alumni advancements to the NHL from the former USPHL Midget Divisions (now operated by the Tier 1 Hockey Federation), including 12 active NHL players.
There were a total of 56 players with USPHL ties who attended 2024 NHL Development Camps.

About The United States Premier Hockey League

Founded in 2012, the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is comprised of over 150 teams, fielding more than 20,000 players aged 9-21 in more than 100 organizations across the North, South, Midwest, West, and Canada. Our Junior Divisions consist of the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) and our Premier and Elite Divisions, all geared toward college and pro placement.

Our youth and midget divisions (operated through the Tier 1 Hockey Federation) field full season 9U through 18U teams. The USPHL has sent over 8,000 players to all levels of college hockey all-time including over 3,700 into NCAA college hockey, with more than 550 advancing to NCAA Division I hockey. The USPHL has also had 18 players who played in the NCDC drafted by NHL teams.

Week of Jan. 10

Games of Jan. 1-6

Southeast Division

Forward: Gavin Mulcahy, Charlotte Rush

Mulcahy (‘05/South Lyon, Mich.) registered a hat trick and a total of five goals and two assists for seven points at the USPHL Tampa Showcase to open 2025. He has improved to 27 points in 35 games on the season.

Defense: Ben Kane, Charlotte Rush

Kane (‘05/La Plata, Md.) registered four goals and three assists for seven points during the Tampa Showcase, helping the Rush go 4-0 at the event. Kane bypassed the 16 points he scored last season during the event and now has a career-best 19 points in 28 games for 2024-25.

Goaltender: Cale Puzey, Charlotte Rush

Puzey (‘05/Calgary, Alb.) came away with 33 saves on 33 shots in a pair of shutouts in Tampa, defeating the Florida Eels and Florida Jr. Blades in succession. Puzey is third in the league in goals against average at 1.50 and fourth in save percentage at .939.

Florida Division

Caleb Rae, Florida Jr. Blades

Rae (‘07/Stouffville, Ont.) scored five goals during his four-game stint at the USPHL Tampa Showcase. With this showing, he improved to 18 goals on the season and ranks in the Top 10 overall in the USPHL Elite Conference. He stands with 34 points in 27 games.

Defense: Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors

The veteran blueliner and TBJ Captain Trussler (‘06/Land O Lakes, Fla.) continues to have an outstanding third USPHL season, as he put up a goal and three assists during Tampa’s four games at the showcase of which they were host. The former Mitchell High School standout now has 69 points in 109 USPHL contests.

Goaltender: Blake Moore, Florida Jr. Blades

Moore (‘06/Harker Heights, Texas) stopped 58 of 60 shots over two games, including just one in a 2-0 defeat against Charlotte in which he stopped 26 of 27. He also stopped 32 of 33 in helping the Jr. Blades defeat the league-leading WBS Knights on Jan. 4.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Week of Jan. 10

Games of Jan. 1-6

New England

Forward: Nicholas Posthumus, Islanders Hockey Club

Posthumus (‘05/Vancouver, Wash.) kicked off 2025 with two points on Jan. 4. The Elite rookie has 28 points so far this season with the Islanders and is the second-highest scoring player for the franchise. He has 26 Elite games under his belt.

Defense: Logan Carpenter, Springfield Pics

Carpenter (‘07/South Hadley, Mass.) added one assist to his scorecard and continues a three-game points streak he began on Dec. 15. The rookie blueliner has played 27 games with the Springfield Pics and posted eight assists.

Goaltender: Cole Kelly, Islanders Hockey Club

Kelly (‘05/Binghamton, N.Y.) made 38 saves on 40 shots on Jan. 4, garnering a .911 season save percentage. The Islanders rookie goaltender is 10-3-0-0 with a 2.48 goals against average.

Atlantic

Forward: Aiden Ortiz, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Ortiz (‘08/College Point, N.Y.) added four points to kick off 2025, continuing a four-game points streak that started on Dec. 20. The P.A.L. Jr Islanders rookie has 39 points across 28 games in his first Elite season. He’s the third-highest-scoring rookie in the league.

Defense: Lukas Fine, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Fine (‘07/Center Moriches, N.Y.) registered four points in his first two games of the new year. The P.A.L. Jr Islanders rookie blueliner has 14 points (five goals; nine assists) across 19 games played in his inaugural season.

Goaltender: Andrew Coston, Elmira Impact

Coston (‘07/Beaver Dams, N.Y.) captured a .977 save percentage, conceding only one goal of 43 shots on Jan. 5. The Elmira Impact rookie goaltender is 8-7-0-0 with a .922 save percentage.

Midwest

Forward: Jeffrey Schroeder, Chicago Cougars

Schroeder (‘07/Hoffman Estates, Ill.) added 12 points to his name, scoring four goals and eight assists over three games for the first week of January. In his second Elite season, He has 48 points across 60 career games. He has 34 points this season, making him the Chicago Cougars points leader.

Defense: Kennelly Clinton, Chicago Cougars

Clinton (‘07/Westmont, Ill.) scored five points over three games last week for the Chicago Cougars. The blueliner has 22 points this season and is the highest-scoring defenseman for his team. He has 41 career points across 59 games in two Elite seasons.

Goaltender: Kole Wendt, Chicago Cougars

Wendt (‘04/Loves Park, Ill.) made 21 saves on 23 shots on Jan. 4, garnering a .913 save percentage. He is 3-2-0-0 in his second season with the Chicago Cougars, with a .911 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average.

Selection Process: Divisional statistical leaders are presented to coaches, who are able to vote on the leaders, or nominate and vote on alternate candidates.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

Read About How The United States Premier Hockey League Utilizes Ken's Ratings For American College Hockey ("KRACH") to determine its Power Rankings.

These rankings are used by the USPHL only to determine Divisional seeding for Premier Nationals; for selecting the Elite wild card team to fill out the 6-team Elite Nationals field.

Power Movers: We have ourselves a new No. 1! The Tampa Bay Juniors have moved into the top spot for our first 2025 Power Rankings. Additionally, we see the Florida Eels jumping into the Top 10, and the Charlotte Rush and Carolina Jr. Hurricanes each moved up two spots.

See this week's full rankings below!

Forwards:

Keith Watkins, Chicago Crush

Watkins (‘06/Antioch, Ill.) pushed the Crush with his goal and nine assists for 10 points in a six-game month for the Crush, giving him an average of 1.67 points per game. He now has 11 points in 12 games for this season.

Jeffrey Schroeder, Chicago Cougars

Schroeder (‘07/Hoffman Estates, Ill.) is having a fantastic second Cougars season, with 34 points through 22 games, including the 2-4-6 line he put up in just four Cougars games in December. Coming back from the break, he put up 12 points in his first three games to already contend for January honors in the first week of the month. For his USPHL career, he has 48 points in 60 games.

Cory Anderson, Metro Jets

Anderson (‘05/Hartland, Mich.) has put together a fantastic first junior season, scoring 31 points in 30 games. This included a 3-3-6 line on Dec. 9 against the Chicago Cougars.

Forward Honorable Mention: Alex Matysiak, Chicago Crush

Defense:

Kennelly Clinton, Chicago Cougars

Clinton (‘07/Westmont, Ill.) put up four assists, including a three-assist effort, in four Cougars games last month. Similar to teammate Schroeder, he’s already off to a hot start in 2025, putting up two straight three-point games and eight points overall in his first three contests of the new year. For his season, he has a career-best 22 points in 26 games.

Daniell Luska, Metro Jets

Luska (‘08/Wheeling, Ill.) has been a strong first-year rookie addition to the Jets organization, as he added a 1-5-6 line in seven December games to an overall first season total of 17 points in 29 games on the Jets blue line.

Defense Honorable Mention: Joseph Rodriguez, Chicago Cougars

Goaltender

Tyler Houle, Motor City Gamblers

Houle (‘07/Warren, Mich.) gave his team a fantastic December of work, getting into three games and putting up a .945 save percentage by turning away 103 of the 109 shots he faced. He stopped 42 in a game twice, as well. He has a .939 save percentage for this season and a .917 for his two-year USPHL career.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Johnny Augusta, Chicago Crush

Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the coaches with the finalists, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.

Summaries By Taylor Dean

Forwards

Brendan Birmingham, Springfield Pics

Birmingham (‘04/Ellington, Conn.) surpassed his 50th career point in December, adding 11 points to his season tally of 32. He averaged 2.20 points per game in December and continues to cement himself as a key player for the Springfield Pics. He has 54 career points across 62 games over two Elite seasons.

Brady Stevens, Northern Cyclones

Stevens (‘05/Newburyport, Mass.) is a standout rookie for the Northern Cyclones this season, with 33 points over 26 games in his first season. He added 10 over six games in December, scoring five goals and five assists for a 1.67 points per game average. He is the team’s points leader so far this season.

Vincenzo Saporito, Northern Cyclones

Saporito (‘06/Stoneham, Mass.) averaged 1.67 points per game in December, scoring three goals and seven assists over six games. In his first Elite season with the Northern Cyclones, he has 11 points to his name over 10 games played.

Forward Honorable Mention: Rhett Micallef, Islanders Hockey Club

Defense

Brady Dunn, Islanders Hockey Club

Dunn (‘05/Pittsburgh, Penn.) scored eight points over four games last month to average 2.00 points per game and bump his season tally to 21 points. The blueliner has 19 games under his belt in his first Elite season with the Islanders Hockey Club.

Jackson Bulthaup, Northern Cyclones

Bulthaup (‘05/Big Rock, Ill.) is making statements in his first Elite season with the Northern Cyclones. The blueliner scored two goals and three assists over six games last month, adding to his season total of 24 points. He has 26 games and counting with the Cyclones this season.

Defense Honorable Mention: Justin Pniewski, Islanders Hockey Club

Goaltender

Gavin Carpenter, Springfield Pics

Carpenter (‘07/South Hadley, Mass.) garnered a .945 save percentage in December, making 69 saves on 73 shots for a 2.00 goals against average. In his first season with the Springfield Pics, the rookie goaltender is 3-6-0-1 with a .930 save percentage so far this season.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Ryan McNeil, Northern Cyclones

Summaries By Taylor Dean

Forwards

Jozef Polacek, Rockets Hockey Club

Polacek (‘04/Whitehouse Station, N.J.) added 10 points to his scorecard in December, averaging 1.67 points per game over six games. The veteran Elite player has played 132 games and scored 111 points in his storied career, with 30 points and counting this season.

John Whyte II, Rockets Hockey Club

Whyte II (‘06/East Brunswick, N.J.) registered 11 points over seven games last month, adding to his season tally of 36. He has 61 points over 43 career games played with the Rockets Hockey Club, currently in his second Elite season.

Brody Polacek, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Polacek (‘07) made his Elite debut in December, scoring 16 points over six games for the WBS Knights, averaging 2.67 points per game. He is on a six-game points streak in his first season, called up from the Knights’ 18U team.

Forward Honorable Mention: Andrew Wapass, Elmira Impact

Defense

Zans Mednis, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Mednis (‘08/Riga, Latvia) is proving his place with the WBS Knights, with 17 points over 29 games in his first Elite season. The blueliner put up six points over five games in December, averaging 1.20 points per game.

Andrew Mervyak, P.A.L. Jr Islanders

Mervyak (‘07/West Babylon, N.Y.) is 21 games down in his first season with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders. He posted four points over four games last month to earn a Player of the Month berth for December. He has one goal and eight assists to his name so far.

Defense Honorable Mention: Kirill Serebryakov, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights

Goaltender

Pandelis Tursi, Connecticut Jr. Rangers

Tursi (‘06/Glen Clove, N.Y.) went 4-0-0-0 in December, making 140 saves and conceding only nine goals for a .940 save percentage. The rookie is 5-3-1-1 in his inaugural season with the Connecticut Jr. Rangers, with a 2.82 goals against average.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Jack Nahf, Hershey Cubs

Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the finalists to the coaches, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

Forwards

Joshua Mason, Florida Jr. Blades

Mason (‘07/Toronto, Ont.) scored 15 points over eight games in December, averaging 1.88 points per game and more than doubling his season total to 28. In his third Elite season, he has 59 career points over 76 games played with the Florida Jr. Blades.

Rene Krytinar, Tampa Bay Juniors

Krytinar (‘07/Prague, Czechia) is having a standout rookie season, scoring 13 points in December to add to his inaugural season tally of 34. He has 15 goals and 19 assists to his name and is the second-highest-scoring player for the Tampa Bay Juniors this season.

Jan Zeman, Tampa Bay Juniors

Zeman (‘06/Tampa, Fla.) averaged 1.67 points per game last month, scoring eight goals and seven assists over nine games. In his second season with the Tampa Bay Juniors, he has 63 career points over 66 games played.

Forward Honorable Mention: Dylan Hineman, Tampa Bay Juniors

Defense

Carter Trussler, Tampa Bay Juniors

Trussler (‘06/Land O Lakes, Fla.) played in his 100th career game in December, marking a major milestone in his three seasons with the Tampa Bay Juniors. He has 69 career points, with 23 this season over five goals and 18 assists to be the highest-scoring defenseman for his team.

Ari Chernobelsky, Palm Beach Typhoon

Chernobelsky (‘06/Wellington, Fla.) put up five points over eight games in December, adding to his season tally of 14. The blueliner has 34 career points across 69 games played in two seasons with the Palm Beach Typhoon.

Defense Honorable Mention: Ty Elzinga, Florida Eels

Goaltender

Marcus Benzrihem, Tampa Bay Juniors

Benzrihem (‘05/Odessa, Fla.) went 3-0-0-0 in December, performing one 17-save shutout on Dec. 21 and garnering a .952 save percentage. He is 8-0-0-1 in his third season with the Tampa Bay Juniors, with a 1.87 goals against average.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Shane Passaro, Tampa Bay Juniors

Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the finalists to the coaches, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.

Summaries by Taylor Dean

Forwards

Kayden Suy, Potomac Patriots

A second-year USPHL veteran, Suy (‘05/Gainesville, Va.) was especially generous in terms of passing out 14 assists in eight games for 14 points last month, an average of 1.75 points per game. This season, Suy has put up 33 points and he has 47 points in 57 games. He entered 2025 on a six-game, 14-point scoring streak.

Braylen Cox, Potomac Patriots

Cox (‘05/Nashville, Tenn.) registered a 6-5-11 line during his eight games of December, pushing him to 38 points in 30 games in his third USPHL season, accounting for much of his 64 points in 107 career games.

Zachary Rich, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Rich (‘05/Omaha, Neb.) put up a strong performance of four goals and six assists for 10 points in the final month of 2024. He scored points in all but one December game and kept up a scoring streak through the first weekend of 2025 that is now at 12 points in his last nine games.

Forward Honorable Mention: Viktor Pettersson, Charlotte Rush

Defense

Nikolai Shevchenko, Potomac Patriots

Shevchenko (‘07/Kaliningrad, Russia) put up four goals and added three assists for seven points, averaging 1.17 points per game in December. This included a four-game, six-point scoring streak to end 2024 which he’ll hope to resume in 2025.

Rafe Armstrong, Potomac Patriots

Armstrong (‘07/Long Beach, Calif.) put up three goals and three assists for six points for 0.75 points per game average – and half of his 12 total points – in December.

Defense Honorable Mention: Colin Browning, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Goaltender

Owen Nasholds, Carolina Jr. Hurricanes

Nasholds (‘07/Raleigh, N.C.) went 3-1-0-0 in December, with the three wins coming all in a row and starting what is currently a five-game winning streak after the USPHL Tampa Showcase. He has recorded four straight shutouts, as well. Nasholds is now the No. 1 active Elite player in goals against average at 1.43 and save percentage at .941.

Goaltender Honorable Mention: Janic Kennedy, Hampton Roads Whalers

Selection Process: The division’s coaches are presented with a ballot form with statistical leaders (ranked by points per game average for skaters and save percentage for goaltenders) and vote on that form. The league takes the results of that vote and presents the finalists to the coaches, who are able to vote on further changes if desired.

Summaries by Joshua Boyd

Jan. 3-6, 2025

AdventHealth Center Ice, Wesley Chapel, FL

The third annual USPHL Tampa Showcase, one of the biggest events of the entire regular season for the USPHL Premier and Elite conferences, will be run in conjunction with the Tampa College Hockey Invitational event featuring NCAA Division III teams playing amidst a USPHL Showcase Series event for the first time.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSoE) and Tufts University as well as Suffolk University and Albertus Magnus College will play two games on Friday. The winners of those two games will play a championship game as well on Saturday, and the losing teams from the Friday games will play a consolation game. All of the NCAA and USPHL games will take place under one roof at the four-sheet AdventHealth Center Ice facility in Wesley Chapel, Fla. The Tampa College Hockey Invitational is planned as a recurring, annual event and will return for 2026.

Representatives from the four college teams will also present an NCAA Division III Hockey Coaches and Captains Q&A from 10:30 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4, at the AdventHealth Center Ice Multi-Purpose Room, Presented by College Hockey Invitational-Tampa. This is open to all players, coaches and parents and there is no admission fee. This gives prospective college hockey players and all other attendees a chance to learn about NCAA Division III college hockey.

This will all happen during a USPHL Showcase Series event featuring no less than 30 USPHL teams available for NCAA, ACHA and AAU scouts to see their players hitting the ice and delivering outstanding performances.

Along with all six member organizations of the Premier and Elite Florida Divisions fielding 12 total teams, there will also be six total Premier and Elite teams from the Southeast Divisions. The Jersey Hitmen, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and Fort Wayne Spacemen organizations will each bring their Premier and Elite teams to the showcase. Also bringing their USPHL Premier squads are the Metro Jets, MJDP, Toledo Cherokee, Red River Spartans, Minnesota Squatch and Dells Ducks.

This is an unbeatable opportunity for these junior teams to be directly scouted by NCAA schools (as well as other college hockey institutions in attendance). Together, the USPHL Premier and USPHL Elite saw nearly 400 college commitments from the 2023-24 season, with 324 coming from the USPHL Premier alone. This includes 92 players from the Premier moving on to NCAA hockey, who are now part of the 712 Premier alumni playing NCAA hockey in 2024-25 and there are 2,192 former Premier players currently playing at all levels of NCAA, ACHA and AAU college hockey.

There are 788 USPHL Elite alumni playing college hockey at all levels, as well. The USPHL is clearly Your Pathway To College Hockey!

We hope you can make it to Tampa. For those who can’t join us in person, all games – including the Tampa College Hockey Invitational – will be available on FloHockey.tv (subscription required).

Tampa College Hockey Invitational schedule:

Friday, Jan. 3

Suffolk University vs. Albertus Magnus College, 4:30 p.m. EST (Rink D)

Milwaukee School of Engineering vs. Tufts University, 7:30 p.m. (Rink D)

Saturday, Jan. 4

Game 1 Losing Team vs. Game 2 Losing Team, 4:30 p.m.

Game 1 Winning Team vs. Game 2 Winning Team, 7:30 p.m.

Junior Schedules

USPHL Premier Tampa Showcase Schedule

USPHL Elite Tampa Showcase Schedule

Travel Opportunities

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is a major gateway to the Gulf Coast of Florida, and is approximately a one-hour drive from Wesley Chapel. The Wesley Chapel area offers numerous accommodation options, as well as shopping and tourism opportunities.