United Hockey Union

United Hockey Union
Sport Ice hockey
Founded 2012 (2012)
Affiliation Amateur Athletic Union
Chairman Keith Knoll
Chief Exec Ron White
Official website
unitedhockeyunion.pointstreaksites.com
United States
Canada

The United Hockey Union (UHU), founded in 2012, is a group of ice hockey leagues in North America. The UHU is overseen and insured by the Amateur Athletic Union. Neither body is recognized by USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, or the International Ice Hockey Federation.

History

In 2011, the AAU expressed interest in sanctioning junior ice hockey leagues. Until this time, USA Hockey was the only governing body of ice hockey in the United States and is still the only organization recognized by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

In the summer of 2011, the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) defected from USA Hockey to join the AAU. As a test case, their 2011–12 season went without a hitch. In 2012, they were joined by the Northern States Junior Hockey League (NSHL) and the Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL). At this point, their partnership, under AAU supervision, was named the United Hockey Union.

The UHU finished off the 2012–13 hockey season with the first-ever UHU National Junior Hockey Championship. The UHU Championship went to the WSHL's Idaho Jr. Steelheads in its inaugural run, with the Steelheads going undefeated in a six-team tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2013.

In May 2014, the UHU added a fourth league, the Canadian International Hockey League (CIHL).[1] In July 2014, the Canadian Independent Junior Hockey League (CIJHL)[2] of British Columbia applied for AAU sanctioning as well, but despite the sanctioning, the league shuttered its doors in September without playing a single game.[3]

On September 10, 2014, the NSHL left the AAU umbrella.[4] On November 10, the CIHL also left the AAU umbrella over insurance and expansion disagreements. In turn, half the CIHL broke away and formed the World United Hockey League as UHU members. In March 2015, the MWJHL announced it was joining the United States Premier Hockey League (a USA Hockey-sanctioned league) as part of its new Midwest Division starting in the 2015–16 season.[5]

In 2015, the AAU announced that WSHL had been promoted to "Tier II" and that it was adding a "Tier III" prospect league for WSHL development teams called the Western Prospects League.[6] Despite using the USA Hockey sanctioning terms of Tier II and III, the UHU-sanctioned leagues continued to operate under pay-to-play terms (called tuition) similar to USA Hockey Tier III or Hockey Canada Junior A guidelines.

In 2016, the UHU added two new junior hockey leagues; the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League[7] and the National College Prospects Hockey League,[8] The CPJHL plans to have no more than 12 teams centered around Barrie, Ontario, for the 2016–17 season.[9] The NCPHL has six teams in the eastern United States as of April 2016.[10]

Leagues

League Level Joined Teams Most Recent Champion
National Collegiate Hockey Association Collegiate 2014 25 University at Buffalo Bulls
Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League Junior 2016 7  
National College Prospects Hockey League Junior 2016 6  
Western Prospects League Junior 2015 4 Casper Coyotes Tier 3[11]
Western States Hockey League Junior 2012 30 Idaho Jr. Steelheads

Former members

Junior National Championships

Year Champion Runner-Up Score Location
2013 Idaho Idaho Jr. Steelheads California Bay Area Seals 5–1 Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada
2014 Texas El Paso Rhinos Idaho Idaho Jr. Steelheads 6–3 Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada
2015 Not Contested
2016 Not Contested

References

  1. ↑ "AAU's United Hockey Union Formally Approves CIHL". Junior Hockey News. 24 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "CIJHL Formally Submits Application to Join the AAU". Junior Hockey News. 12 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "The Death Pool – Special Report – Season Aborted". The Junior Hockey News. 5 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Death Pool Special Report – NSHL Leaves AAU". The Junior Hockey News. 10 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Midwest Junior Hockey League Joins USPHL Mid-West Junior Hockey Division". USPHL. March 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ "WSHL to Become Tier II Hockey League Share". WSHL. May 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ "The New Kid on the Block: Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League". OHL Writers. March 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ "NCPHL About". NCPHL. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "CPJHL Homepage". CPJHL. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  10. ↑ "NCPHL Standings". NCPHL. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ "WPL Season Wrap-up". WSHL. February 17, 2016.
  12. ↑ "NAHL announces the formation of the NA3EHL". NA3EHL. 17 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Phony SEAL, Phony League?". Junior Hockey News. 27 August 2012.

External links

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