This is a list of ice hockey leagues , both professional and amateur, from around the world; parentheses denote year of establishment and, where applicable, year of disestablishment.
Tier 2
(*) Quebec Junior "AA" is roughly equal to Ontario Junior "B"
(*) Quebec Junior "A" is roughly equal to Ontario Junior "C"
(*) Quebec Junior "B" is roughly equal to Ontario Junior "D"
Note: there are also independent teams outside of the WHAC.
Note: there are also independent teams outside of the WHAC.
Note: Leagues involve teams from both Asia and Europe
Leagues for disabled hockey players:
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in various sports. They generally have lesser fan bases, much smaller revenues and salaries, and are used to develop players for bigger leagues.
Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 21 year-old players. National Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's national junior ice hockey team are the defending champions from the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
The Streetsville Derbys are a Junior "C" ice hockey team from Streetsville, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Provincial Junior Hockey League assigned to the South Conference and in the Bloomfield Division. The Derbys joined the PJHL as an expansion franchise for the 2024–25 season.
The Clarence Schmalz Cup is the Ontario Hockey Association's Junior "C" ice hockey championship and championship trophy. The champions of the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) are awarded the Cup. The PJHL was formed in 2016 from the former 8 provincial leagues that previously competed in a tournament, commonly called the All-Ontario Championships, to determine the winner of the Cup.
The World Junior A Challenge (WJAC) is an annual under-20 international ice hockey tournament sponsored by Hockey Canada, the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL), and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The tournament showcases Junior A level players and is modeled after the IIHF World U20 Championships, which displays the best of all junior-aged hockey players. It has been hosted by Canadian cities every year in CJAHL markets.
College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America.
Professional ice hockey (hockey) is the competition of ice hockey in which participants are paid to play. Professional competition began in North America in the United States—in Pennsylvania and Michigan—and in Canada around 1900. Professional ice hockey expanded across Canada and the United States and eventually to many other countries. There are major leagues around the world, including the National Hockey League in North America, the Kontinental Hockey League in Europe and Asia, and the Swedish Hockey League in Europe, as well as minor leagues such as the American Hockey League and ECHL in North America, and the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey in Canada. High-level professional hockey is also present in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland and Switzerland; professional hockey is also played in many other countries, as diverse as Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Austria, Australia and Japan. The major professional women's league is the Professional Women's Hockey League, which began play in 2024.
Hockey Eastern Ontario (HEO), formerly the Ottawa District Hockey Association (ODHA) and the Ottawa and District Amateur Hockey Association (ODAHA), is the governing body of a variety of ice hockey Junior leagues and a minor hockey system based out of the Greater Ottawa area and Southwestern Quebec. It is one of thirteen regional branches of Hockey Canada. The ODHA became HEO in the Summer of 2013.
The Dundas Blues are a junior ice hockey team based in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Bloomfield Division of the Provincial Junior Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association.
The Lakefield Chiefs are a Canadian Junior ice hockey team based in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Central Ontario Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association until the 2016–17 season when this league became the Orr Division of the Provincial Junior Hockey League
The Schomberg Cougars are a junior ice hockey team based in Schomberg, Ontario, Canada. They played in the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League until 2016 when the league merged into the Provincial Junior Hockey League.
The Caledon Golden Hawks are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. They are a member of the Provincial Junior Hockey League. Formerly they played in the Georgian Mid-Ontario Junior C Hockey League.
The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The league was formed in 2016 with the merging of eight Junior C leagues. PJHL teams compete for the Clarence Schmalz Cup.
The North American continent is the birthplace of several organized sports, such as basketball, charrería/rodeo, gridiron football, ice hockey, jaripeo/bull riding, lacrosse, ollamaliztl, mixed martial arts (MMA), padel, pickleball, racquetball, ultimate, and volleyball. The modern versions of baseball and softball, skateboarding, snowboarding, stock car racing, and surfing also developed in North America.