National College Prospects Hockey League



The National College Prospects Hockey League  was an Amateur Athletic Union sanctioned junior hockey league that commenced play in the fall of 2016. The league was not to be affiliated with the AAU/UHU for the 2017-18 season

As of mid-April 2016 the league has announced 6 teams to be based in western upstate New York and western Pennsylvania. The league later added a 7th team for the inaugural season; the Toronto Stealth. An 8th team was added with the Pittsburgh Kings based in suburban Pittsburgh was added.

The league added the Ottawa Sharpshooters who were originally scheduled to be in the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League. That league reported that team had moved to Almonte, Ontario in June and were renamed the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters. However, the team is listed as having the Ottawa name and being based out of Almonte. The Ottawa Sharpshooters name is being used for one of the teams and the Almonte name is being used for the CPJHL team as the organization is listing two seperate teams that will compete for the 2016-17 season. The Ottawa team was announced as that it would be the U-18 developmental team for the organization

The Buffalo Hornets organization left the league in July of 2016 and was replaced by the New York Sharks in nearby Niagara Falls, New York. The Sharks appear to have relocated to Mississauga early in September and were renamed the Mississauga Bruins. The Pittsburgh Royal Travelers were also quietly removed from the league website in July.

The Lake Erie Warriors were renamed in late July due to backlash over the team's logo. The team was first renamed the Lake Erie Gulls for one day and then the Lake Erie Eagles The House O'Hockey Mallers were renamed the Blyth Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets on August 29th

As the 2016-17 season was about to start both the Blyth Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets and Niagara Red Cats were both quietly removed from the league schedule.

The Mississauga Bruins folded in January 2017.

By early April 2017 the Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters replaced their developmental team; the Ottawa Sharpshooters in the league after they were removed from the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League. The league had already added the Navan based Eastern Ontario Hockey Academy, the Kittanning, Pennsylvania based Belmont Bruins and the Lockport Lightning. Later in April the league had added the Glens Falls, New York  based Adirondack Jr. Thunder and the Lysander, New York based NBH Fighting Spirit. The defending league champion Rochester Rebels also folded during April 2017.

In late April 2017, the league added the Maniwaki Mustangs from the Outaouais region of Quebec.

On May 17, 2017, the league added the Chelsea Hurricanes based out of the Meredith Centre in Chelsea, Quebec.

The Pittsburgh Kings apparently withdrew from the league in late July 2017. Shortly thereafter, the Adirondack Jr. Thunder and the NBH Fighting Spirit were both removed from the league website with no announcement. Later in the same week the Belmont Bruins were also removed from the league website.

On September 17, 2017 it was reported on thejuniorhockey.com website that the league had folded. The Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters, Lake Erie Eagles, Maniwaki Mustangs, and Eastern Ontario Hockey Academy were taken in to the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League. These four teams were apparently the only ones that had assembled a large enough roster to attempt to play for the season.

Mission Statement
The Mission of the National College Prospects Hockey League is to develop and prepare hockey players for continuing their careers at all levels of college hockey or beyond. Players will participate in a season which will assimilate a college hockey program incorporating on and off ice training, rules and schedule, and academic opportunities.

During the summer of 2017 the mission was further changed to “The NCPHL is a Junior-aged Academic Hockey league with the goal of developing hockey players for continuing their careers at all levels of college hockey”

Regular Season

 * 2016-17 Toronto Stealth

Playoffs

 * 2017 Rochester Rebels

Seasons

 * 2016-17 NCPHL Season
 * 2017-18 NCPHL Season