Formerly | Metropolitan Junior Hockey League (1966–2016) North American 3 Atlantic Hockey League (2016–17) |
---|---|
Sport | Ice hockey |
Founded | 1966 |
Commissioner | Craig Barnett |
Country | ![]() |
Most recent champion(s) | Long Island Royals (2016–17) |
Official website | NA3AHL.com |
The Metropolitan Junior Hockey League was an American Tier III Junior ice hockey league with teams throughout the eastern United States. The MJHL was part of the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League organization. Founded in 1966 by New York Rangers GM, Emile Francis, the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League played its 50th season in 2015–16. Prior to its 51st season, the league's operations were taken over by the North American Hockey League and it was renamed to North American 3 Atlantic Hockey League (NA3AHL) for the 2016–17 season. In 2017, the remaining teams joined the Eastern Hockey League.
The MetJHL was affiliated with higher level Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL), a Tier III Junior A league, while the MetJHL was sanctioned as a Tier III Junior B league until 2011 when USA Hockey dropped the letter designations in Tier III. In May 2012, the AJHL left the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League family and became its own entity managed by the team owners. In 2013, as part of a large re-organization of Tier III junior hockey, the AJHL re-branded itself to the Eastern Hockey League (EHL).
The league does place a number of players into NCAA colleges, with most going to Division III, and some to Division I. [1]
During the off-season of 2014, several new organizations joined the MET League and it became a 23 team league and added a fourth division. In December 2014, the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) announced the formation of an Elite Division for the 2015–16 season, which effectively removed eight developmental teams for the EHL from the MJHL. The Metropolitan league planned to offset the loss with the return of New Jersey Rockets and the addition of teams from the New Jersey Colonials organization. The Metropolitan Junior Hockey League would also drop its MET League and MetJHL monikers to MJHL (likely due to the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) and Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL) ceasing operations after the 2014–15 season). [2]
After the league's 50th season in 2015–16, the league lost another eight teams to the EHL-Elite Division (then renamed to EHL-19U Elite). [3] On March 29, 2016, the league announced that its operations had been acquired by the Tier II North American Hockey League and was renamed to the North American 3 Atlantic Hockey League (NA3AHL). [4] [5]
In February 2017, the EHL announced that they would expand after the league lost several teams to the United States Premier Hockey League's new tuition-free based league, the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC). [6] Of the new teams added to the EHL, six were from the NA3AHL, the Central Penn Panthers, Jersey Wildcats, Long Island Royals, Metro Fighting Moose, New Jersey Renegades, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights. The only NA3AHL team not included was the Exton Bulls who were sitting at last place with two wins while also regularly losing by double-digit scores. The Metro Fighting Moose left the EHL during the 2017 offseason.
The Long Island Royals were the final Foster Cup champions.
The Eastern Hockey League (EHL) is an American 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 AJHL re-branded itself under the EHL banner
The New York Apple Core are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from Brewster, New York, playing in the Eastern Hockey League. The team plays home games at the Brewster Ice Arena. The Apple Core organization is based out of Long Beach, New York, on Long Island, however, their top level junior team has played in Brewster since the start of the 2011–12 season.
The New Hampshire Junior Monarchs were a junior and youth ice hockey organization from Hooksett, New Hampshire, with teams in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). Its highest level junior team played in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC).
The Bridgewater Bandits, also called the Boston Bandits, are a junior ice hockey organization from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in the United States, with teams playing in the United States Premier Hockey League. The organization plays home games at the Bridgewater Ice Arena.
The Connecticut Chiefs are a Junior Tier III ice hockey team from Newington, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL).
The Philadelphia Revolution were a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team in the Eastern Hockey League. The team played home games at Revolution Ice Gardens in Warwick Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.
The Springfield Pics are an American junior ice hockey organization playing in West Springfield, Massachusetts at the Olympia Ice Center. They field two Tier III teams and a number of Youth teams.
The Portland Jr. Pirates were a Tier III Jr. A ice hockey team that played their home games at the MHG Ice Centre in Saco, Maine. The organization continues to host youth hockey programs in the Massachusetts Premier Development Hockey League.
The Express Hockey Club is a junior, youth, and girls hockey organization based in Walpole, Massachusetts. They have had more than 70 commitments since 2017, and that includes multiple division 1 college committees. The teams play their home games at the Rodman Arena, located just 2 miles from Gillette Stadium. As of 2022 they have changed their name to Express Hockey Club
The Hartford Jr. Wolfpack were a junior ice hockey team that most recently played in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). The team played their home games at the Champions Skating Center located in Cromwell, Connecticut. From 2003 to 2017, the Jr. Wolfpack were members of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and its predecessor, the Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL), while sanctioned as a Tier III junior team by USA Hockey before it joined the unsanctioned USPHL. The team was removed from the USPHL schedule at the beginning of the 2019–20 season.
The New England Wolves are a Tier III junior ice hockey team playing in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL). The team plays their home games at the Merrill Fay Arena, located in Laconia, New Hampshire.
The New York Bobcats are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey organization from Dix Hills, New York, at the Dix Hills Ice Arena. The team was most recently a member of the Eastern Hockey League in the 2017–18 season.
The Rockets Hockey Club, or New Jersey Rockets, are a junior ice hockey organization from Bridgewater, New Jersey. They play in the National Collegiate Development Conference, Premier Division, and Elite Division of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) at the Prudential Center, also home to the New Jersey Devils of the NHL. The organization's top Junior team played in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League (AJHL) from 2004 until it became the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) in 2013. In 2017, the Rockets' organization joined the USPHL. The players, ages 16–20, carry amateur status under Junior A guidelines and hope to earn a spot on higher levels of junior hockey in the United States and Canada, Canadian major junior, collegiate, and eventually professional teams.
The Philadelphia Little Flyers are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey team from Aston, Pennsylvania. They play in the South Conference of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) at the IceWorks Skating Complex
The Philadelphia Junior Flyers are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from West Chester, Pennsylvania. They play in the South Conference of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and Premier (EHLP) at the Ice Line Quad Rinks
The Vermont Lumberjacks are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A ice hockey organization from Burlington, Vermont.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights are a junior ice hockey organization from Pittston, Pennsylvania. In 2015, the Knights' junior hockey organization purchased the dormant Dawson Creek Rage franchise in the Tier II North American Hockey League (NAHL) and placed their Tier III franchise in the Eastern Hockey League into dormancy. The organization has reactivated and deactivated their Tier III level teams at various times, but plans to launch teams in the United States Premier Hockey League's Premier and Elite Divisions, non-USA Hockey sanctioned leagues that operate similar to the Tier III level. The organization also has several youth ice hockey teams in its development program.
The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is an American ice hockey league. Founded in 2012, the USPHL has grown to over 60 organizations from across the United States fielding teams in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), Premier, Elite, EHF, 18U, 16U, 15U, and High Performance youth divisions.
The Rochester Jr. Americans were a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from Rochester, New York. Their top team most recently played in the USPHL in the Premier Division while also fielding a team in the Elite Division.
The New Jersey Titans are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. Based in Middletown Township, New Jersey, the Titans play their home games at the Middletown Ice World.