Eastern Hockey League (2013)


The Eastern Hockey League is an American Tier II junior ice hockey league with teams in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. The EHL was officially announced on June 6, 2013, after the Atlantic Junior Hockey League welcomed six new members from the old Eastern Junior Hockey League and the AtJHL re-branded itself under the EHL banner
The league prepares high school and college aged players for possible advancement to college and professional hockey.
WWW easternhockeyleague.orgFB EasternHockeyLeagueIG easternhockeyleague

History

The Atlantic Junior Hockey League was part of the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League organization and was formed in 2003 with a stated goal to "meet the needs of the junior hockey community and the players it serves in the Eastern United States". The AtJHL played its first season in 2003–04 with six teams that had previously played in the Junior B Metropolitan Junior Hockey League. On May 30, 2012 the AtJHL announced that after nine years of being a part of the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League, the 12 AtJHL ownership groups successfully became a stand-alone entity. After the split, the AtJHL was managed and governed solely by the league owners.
In 2013, Tier III junior hockey leagues underwent a large reorganization that led to the dissolution of the Eastern Junior Hockey League and six of their former members joining the AtJHL. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the AtJHL re-branded to become the Eastern Hockey League. The six members who came from the EJHL were the Boston Bandits, Connecticut Oilers, New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, New York Apple Core, Philadelphia Revolution, and the Valley Jr. Warriors.
In December 2014, the EHL announced the Connecticut Nighthawks as an expansion franchise to start in the 2015–16. They also announced the formation of the EHL-Elite Division and that eight teams would participate in the first season composed of the former Junior B teams for EHL organizations. The formation of the Elite Division led to the previous Junior A members to be placed in the EHL-Premier Division. In May 2015, the North American Hockey League, a Tier II league, announced that the New Jersey Junior Titans and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights had been approved to elevate their organizations. After their promotion, the two EHL franchises went dormant.
In March 2016, the EHL announced that it was changing the name of the Elite Division to 19U Elite Division for the 2016–17 season and doubling in size by adding eight more teams, mostly the prospect teams from the Premier Division's South Conference teams. However, the 19U Elite Connecticut Nighthawks team were dropped from the schedule prior to their first season.
In December 2016, it was announced that six organizations would be leaving the EHL for the 2017–18 season for the United States Premier Hockey League. The Bandits, Rockets, and Cyclones had already been announced as adding free-to-play teams in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference for the 2017–18 season. All six organizations will add their Premier and Elite teams to the USPHL's Premier and Elite Divisions.
In February 2017, the EHL announced that they would expand to make up for the teams lost to the NCDC. The first team announced was New Hampshire Avalanche, an organization that previously only had youth teams. Next, it was announced the league would be adding the teams from the North American 3 Atlantic Hockey League. The six teams from the NA3AHL were the Central Penn Panthers, Jersey Wildcats, Long Island Royals, Metro Fighting Moose, New Jersey Renegades, and the return of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. The league also listed the New Jersey 87's and Cape Cod-based Total Athletics. The one-year dormant New York Bobcats also returned as the Bobcats Royals as part of an organizational merger with the Long Island Jr. Royals of the NA3AHL. The Connecticut Oilers relocated from Norwalk to Hamden following the announcement that the ownership of the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders added a team called the Connecticut RoughRiders that will play out of the Oilers' former arena in Norwalk.
In March 2017, the EHL announced their new divisional structure for the 2017–18 season with 16 teams in the Premier and 17 in the Elite, although the Elite would decrease to 13 after the departures of the Connecticut Oilers Elite team, the Lehigh Valley Jr. Rebels, Long Island Royals, and Metro Moose. In May 2017, the league announced that they would reorganize their two-tier league with the top tier being only called the Eastern Hockey League and the lower tier being called the Eastern Hockey League Premier Division. The naming conventions were changed to put the emphasis on the top-level league for college development.
In 2022, the EHL announced it would be self-governed and withdrew from USA Hockey sanctioning.

Teams

EHL teams

EHL timeline


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id:act value:rgb # active member
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bar:1 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:1 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2015 text: New Jersey Titans
bar:2 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:2 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2015 text: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
bar:2 color:act from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2019 text:
bar:2 color:out from:06/01/2021 till:end text:
bar:3 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:3 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2016 text: New York Bobcats ; New York Bobcats Royals
bar:3 color:act from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2018 text:
bar:4 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:4 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2017 text: Hartford Jr. Wolfpack
bar:4 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2019 text:
bar:5 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:5 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2017 text: New Hampshire Junior Monarchs
bar:5 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2023 text:
bar:6 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:6 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2017 text: Northern Cyclones
bar:6 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:end text:
bar:7 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:7 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2017 text: New Jersey Rockets
bar:7 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:end text:
bar:8 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:8 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2017 text: Boston Bandits ; Bridgewater Bandits
bar:8 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2023 text:
bar:8 color:act from:07/01/2023 till:end text:
bar:9 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:9 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2020 text: Philadelphia Revolution
bar:10 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:10 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2024 text: Boston Junior Rangers
bar:10 color:out from:07/01/2024 till:end text:
bar:11 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:11 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2014 text: Washington Junior Nationals ; Vermont Lumberjacks ; Lumberjacks Hockey Club
bar:11 color:act from:07/01/2014 till:06/01/2025 text:
bar:12 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:12 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2018 text: Connecticut Oilers ; Connecticut Chiefs ; Western Mass Chiefs ; Connecticut Nor'easter
bar:12 color:act from:07/01/2018 till:06/01/2024 text:
bar:12 color:act from:07/01/2024 till:end text:
bar:13 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:13 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2020 text: Philadelphia Jr. Flyers ; Protec Jr. Ducks ; New Jersey Bears
bar:13 color:act from:07/01/2020 till:06/01/2023 text:
bar:13 color:act from:07/01/2023 till:end text:
bar:14 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:14 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:06/01/2022 text: Walpole Express ; Express Hockey Club
bar:14 color:act from:07/01/2022 till:end text:
bar:15 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:15 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:end text: New York Apple Core
bar:16 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:16 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:end text: Philadelphia Little Flyers
bar:17 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:17 color:act from:07/01/2013 till:end text: Valley Jr. Warriors
bar:18 color:out from:start till:06/01/2013 text:
bar:18 color:act from:07/01/2014 till:end text: New England Wolves
bar:19 color:act from:07/01/2014 till:end text: East Coast Wizards
bar:20 color:out from:07/01/2014 till:06/01/2015 text:
bar:20 color:act from:07/01/2015 till:06/01/2017 text: Connecticut Nighthawks
bar:20 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2020 text:
bar:21 color:act from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2018 text: Total Athletics Seahawks ; Seahawks Hockey Club
bar:21 color:act from:07/01/2018 till:end text:
bar:22 color:act from:07/01/2017 till:end text: Connecticut RoughRiders
bar:23 color:act from:07/01/2017 till:end text: New Hampshire Avalanche
bar:24 color:act from:07/01/2018 till:12/01/2018 text: Lehigh Valley Jr. Rebels
bar:25 color:act from:07/01/2018 till:06/01/2020 text: North Carolina Golden Bears
bar:26 color:act from:07/01/2018 till:06/01/2024 text: Team Maryland ; Boston Dukes
bar:26 color:act from:07/01/2024 till:06/01/2025 text:
bar:26 color:out from:07/01/2025 till:end text:
bar:27 color:act from:07/01/2018 till:end text: New Jersey 87's
bar:28 color:act from:07/01/2019 till:06/01/2024 text: Seacoast Spartans
bar:28 color:out from:07/01/2024 till:end text:
bar:29 color:act from:07/01/2019 till:06/01/2024 text: Worcester Jr. Railers
bar:29 color:out from:07/01/2024 till:end text:
bar:30 color:act from:07/01/2020 till:11/01/2020 text: Keene Eclipse ; Maine Eclipse
bar:30 color:act from:07/01/2021 till:09/26/2021 text:
bar:31 color:out from:07/01/2017 till:06/01/2022 text:
bar:31 color:act from:07/01/2022 till:end text: Philadelphia Hockey Club
bar:32 color:act from:07/01/2022 till:end text: HC Rhode Island
bar:33 color:act from:07/01/2023 till:11/13/2024 text: Boston Junior Terriers
bar:33 color:out from:12/13/2024 till:end text:
bar:34 color:act from:07/01/2023 till:06/01/2024 text: Providence Hockey Club ; Providence Capitals
bar:34 color:act from:07/01/2024 till:end text:
bar:35 color:act from:07/01/2023 till:end text: Pennsylvania Huntsmen
bar:36 color:act from:07/01/2024 till:end text: Boston Junior Eagles
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Former teams