The 2025-26 Off Season is one we have never seen before in North American Junior Hockey. Unprecedented expansion coupled with a historic increase in the player pool for US College Hockey, has created a chaotic environment for players and parents when choosing their teams and their leagues for 2025-26.
I have played, coached, owned and worked in this space for the better part of my life, and some of the deception and misinformation, cancellations and failures have been shocking for even a hardened veteran such as myself. Never before have we seen multiple new franchises in an established league fail to get off the ground. Or established franchises with quality developmental programs not be able to field their Premier or Elite teams that funnel up to their top-level team. This historically has been reserved for start up or new leagues, but never before have I witnessed such variety of teams as the Burlington Beavers, Evansville Mariners, Atlanta Madhatters, Brooklyn Aviators, East Charlotte, Montana Buckaroos and others close up shop before the season begins.
As a player, or parent with player arriving, at your teams training camp, the health of the roster (size and ability) will be one of the most important determining factors if your season can be labelled a success. At the Pay to Play level and all the leagues under this umbrella in the United States, there are strict guidelines. These leagues include the EHL/EHLP, NA3HL, USPHL Premier and Elite, as well as the NCDC. Here are some of those guidelines.
USA Hockey leagues abide by this rule- minimum 6 players to dress in a game & 20 maximum allowed to dress in a game. 25 on the protected list. Rule 201 | Composition of Teams
The EHL has a 30 Man Protected list, with maximum amount dressed for one game being 22.
The USPHL/ NCDC has its own rules when it comes to player safety as well- Player Safety • USPHL – United States Premier Hockey League
If you have arrived at Training Camp and your coach is preaching that other players are arriving, and you are hovering in the teens with your roster size, you could very well be encountering a long season filled with :
- Short Bench and limited number of players leading to losses late in games
- Lopsided scores in multiple game weekends, when your short bench is competing against a deeper team.
- A shortage of operating money for the owner- leading to lousy meals on the road, driving to games that should be a bus trip, bad hotels, unmatched equipment and apparel, reduced practice time, and perhaps an unpaid coaching staff.
If you have arrived at Training Camp and your organization is on the other end of that stockpile, recognize this as well… Starting off the season breaking the roster rules is pure greed by your team, its ownership and coaching staff. There are no two ways around it at the pay to play level. This larger roster size can look like this:
- More than 4 goalies says, “I know there are an abundance of goalies at this level. Recruiting more will help our bottom line”. If you are one of these goalies the coaching staff is putting their financial interests ahead of your development and playing time.
- More than 30 players at your teams Training Camp? This throws out the window any credibility your coach has attempted to earn over the summer of recruiting you to his (or her) program. This stretches out the limited resources that team has (coaching, equipment, apparel, ice time and practice reps) and directly impacts your development and experience.
- More than 30 players may help the team have a successful record, but it comes at the cost of your players development, oftentimes mental health, and exposure, as at some point during the season the roster WILL be frozen and your child may be left off the playoff roster or traded at the deadline and cast away to a team that they did not choose.
There is still time to course correct. If you see your player in this type of situation (too little players or too many players) the loyalty to that organization should be thrown out the window. They were not honest with you when it came to the roster composition, and you need to re-evaluate that credibility. Junior Hockey is a window that closes quickly, and if your time within that window is marred with unkept promises and poor organizational management, you will leave the experience with unfulfilled dreams.
By Andrew Trimble
Andrew is the GM/ Co- Owner of the New England Wolves- www.ne-wolveshockey.com
To purchase Andrew’s book, The Hockey Planner, follow this link here- The Hockey Planner: A Year by Year Plan to Assist You on Your Hockey Coaching Journey: From Learn to Play to Junior Hockey: Trimble, Andrew: 9781963743388: Amazon.com: Books
