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2025-26 junior hockey expansion, relocation, folding thread

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Barclay Donaldson

Barclay Donaldson

Registered User
Feb 4, 2018
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About time to begin the annual thread. Get out the clown shoes. Will be edited as updates come in. Please post links with confirmed news, no speculation

Major Junior/USHL
QMJHL | Titan de Acadie-Bathurst -> Newfoundland Infantry | QMJHL Returning to Newfoundland — Newfoundland Regiment Hockey Club
NAHL
Canadian Junior A
SJHL | Notre Dame Hounds -> Warman, SK | BREAKING NEWS: After 38 years, Jr Hounds set to move to Warman **still subject to approval based on successful season ticket sales, corporate sponsorship drive, and league vote this summer**
MJAHL | Fredericton Red Wings -> Bathurst, NB | https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-...ng-to-replace-acadie-bathurst-titan-1.7477808
None
Canadian Junior B
USPHL NCDC
Addition:
Springfield Pics | Springfield Pics Announce NCDC Team For 2025-26
Universel Academy | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
Grand Junction River Hawks | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
Junior Bruins | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
Montana Buckaroos | Montana Buckaroos To Join Tuition-Free National Collegiate Development Conference In 2025-26
Relocation:
Seacoast Spartans -> NY Dynamo | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
USPHL Premier/Elite
Universel Academy (Premier only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
NY Dynamo (Premier only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
Charleston Colonial (Premier/Elite) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
Red Bank Generals (Elite only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
Junior Bruins (Elite only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
EHL/EHLP
NA3HL
Carolina Rage | NA3HL Announces New Team in South Carolina
 
Last edited:
Might as well pencil in "Yellowstone Quake (relocation, folding?)" under NA3HL, after a 2023-24 record of 0-44-3-0 and 2024-25 so far = 1-37-1-0. :help:
 
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Barclay Donaldson said:
Canadian Junior A
None
Click to expand...
Still waiting for an update on how Junior A in BC is going to shake out. The Hockey Canada leagues were given last year and this to assess which in those two leagues would be categorized at Tier 1 and which would be Tier 2. There is certainly an upside from a business standpoint to delaying that, but they would want to give the Tier 1 teams a little time to recruit top players, and those discussions are ongoing. There's still an open question of whether some teams currently in the independent BCHL might reconsider that status, especially given the NCAA decision around CHL players. Those decisions won't come about until their season's end, if at all.

I'd expect more information to come out on all of this within the next eight weeks though.
 
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Barclay Donaldson said:
About time to begin the annual thread. Get out the clown shoes. Will be edited as updates come in. Please post links with confirmed news, no speculation

Major Junior/USHL
QMJHL | Titan de Acadie-Bathurst -> Newfoundland Infantry | QMJHL Returning to Newfoundland — Newfoundland Regiment Hockey Club
NAHL
Canadian Junior A
None
Canadian Junior B
USPHL NCDC
Addition:
Springfield Pics | Springfield Pics Announce NCDC Team For 2025-26
Universel Academy | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
NY Dynamo | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
Grand Junction River Hawks | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
Junior Bruins | NCDC Announces Four Teams Joining for 2025-26
Montana Buckaroos | Montana Buckaroos To Join Tuition-Free National Collegiate Development Conference In 2025-26
USPHL Premier/Elite
Universel Academy (Premier only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
NY Dynamo (Premier only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
Charleston Colonial (Premier/Elite) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
Red Bank Generals (Elite only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
Junior Bruins (Elite only) | Six Teams Joining Premier & Elite for 2025-26
EHL/EHLP
NA3HL
Click to expand...
Technically for NCDC: NY Dynamo is a relocation of Seacoast Spartans, rather than an addition.
 
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Referenced on another thread, but here’s the first news account suggesting Penticton is leaving the BCHL for the WHL. Includes a reference to a fee being paid by the Vees to the Kelowna Rockets.

theprovince.com

Several sources have Penticton Vees leaving BCHL to join WHL as expansion team next season

WHL spokesperson says "no final decisions were made," at meetings but admits "many aspects around the WHL’s future plans," were discussed
theprovince.com theprovince.com

Lots of speculation that this is just the first shoe to drop, that Chilliwack may be next.
 
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MeHateHe said:
Looks like the SJHL's Notre Dame Hounds will be moving to Warman, a city of 12,000 just north of Saskatoon. The Hounds had been playing in Wilcox, in southern Saskatchewan, since 1988.

leaderpost.com

SJHL's Notre Dame Hounds set to relocate to Warman

Pending approval, the Notre Dame Hounds will be moving to Warman for the 2025-26 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season.
leaderpost.com leaderpost.com
Click to expand...

I'll add it with an asterix . The sale is contingent upon a successful season ticket drive and several other factors or else the sale will be disapproved at the league meeting this summer.
 
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Barclay Donaldson said:
I'll add it with an asterix . The sale is contingent upon a successful season ticket drive and several other factors or else the sale will be disapproved at the league meeting this summer.
Click to expand...
When I first read the team was moving to Warman, I was a bit shocked. When I lived in northern Saskatchewan 30 years ago, Warman was a very little town - about 2,000 people. But it's a very quickly growing city, with a lot of growth coming from relocation of young families, apparently. I'd be curious what the SJHL expects from a season ticket drive, given the rink only seats about 1,200.
 
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