Thunderbirds, Okanagan invited to USA Hockey Development League starting in '27-28

USA Hockey announced today the programs invited to be a part of the USA Hockey Development League, which will begin play in 2027-28. 

“The DL is the next evolution of player development in the United States, and we are thrilled to provide another pathway for players to reach the USHL, NAHL, college hockey and the NHL,” said Kris Knauss, vice president of USA Hockey and co-chair of the DL Joint Subcommittee. “We had more than 80 applicants from around the country and narrowing that group was a difficult process. We’re grateful to every program that made an application, and we’re excited to get started and build toward the inaugural season.”

The USA Hockey Development League is a national framework of high-performance youth hockey programs, each fielding one 15U team and one 17U team. DL programs identify, train and develop players from across the country to advance to junior hockey, including the USHL and the NAHL, as well as USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, college hockey and the NHL.

“I’d like to thank all the members of the DL Joint Subcommittee who worked tirelessly to reach this milestone,” said Keith Barrett, vice president of USA Hockey and co-chair of the DL Joint Subcommittee. “We’re excited to continue building towards the inaugural DL season.”

DL PROGRAMS

The programs invited to be a part of the DL are listed below.

 Anaheim Jr. Ducks (Calif.) BK Selects (N.Y.) Boston Jr. Eagles (Mass.)

 Buffalo Jr. Sabres (N.Y.) Chicago Mission (Ill.) Colorado Thunderbirds (Colo.)

 Compuware (Mich.) Culver Academies (Ind.) Dallas Stars Elite (Texas)

 Fox Motors (Mich.) HB Hockey Club (Mich.) Jr. Mounties (R.I.)

 Little Caesars (Mich.) Los Angeles Jr. Kings (Calif.) Madison Capitols (Wis.)

 Mid Fairfield (Conn.) Nashville Jr. Predators (Tenn.) North Jersey Avalanche (N.J.)

 Ohio Blue Jackets (Ohio) Okanagan Hockey Colorado (Colo.) Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (Pa.)

 Jr. Coyotes (Ariz.) Pittsburgh Penguins Elite (Pa.) Reapers Hockey Association (Ill.)

Rockets Hockey Club (N.J.) Seacoast Spartans (N.H.) Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minn.)

 St. Louis AAA Blues (Mo.) Wolfpack Hockey Club (N.J.) 

DL COMMISSIONER, REGISTRAR NAMED

Scott Paluch, USA Hockey’s director of player development, will serve as DL commissioner. Paluch joined USA Hockey in 2009 as an American Development Model regional manager and moved into his current role in 2022, where he works closely with local associations and programs on age-appropriate training, competition and long-term athlete development.

A Bowling Green, Ohio, native, Paluch spent seven seasons as head men’s ice hockey coach at Bowling Green State University (2002-09) and eight as an assistant for the Boston College men’s ice hockey program (1994-2002), where he helped the Eagles reach four consecutive Frozen Fours and win the 2001 NCAA championship. Internationally, he led the U.S. to gold at the 2016 Youth Olympic Games and coached U.S. Under-17 and Under-18 Select Teams. As a player, he skated four seasons at Bowling Green, played two pro seasons with the Peoria Rivermen of the International Hockey League and won bronze with the U.S. at the 1986 IIHF World Junior Championship. 

Erin Mensay, USA Hockey’s manager of member services, will serve as the DL registrar, overseeing rosters and player changes. She was elevated to her current role in March 2026, after serving as the organization’s regional specialist of member services beginning in 2020.  

A native of Albuquerque, N.M., Mensay’s previous experience includes serving in USA Swimming’s SafeSport department as well as a student technical consultant for the University of New Mexico, her alma mater.