The U.S. Hockey League is making expansion plans with a focus on adding teams in California, Nevada and Arizona.
The league on Thursday announced it has a memorandum of understanding with a group of stakeholders to add teams in the region. It’s unclear how many franchises the current 16-team Tier 1 junior hockey league will add and when, with more details to be revealed on June 24, the USHL said.
The agreement was made in partnership with USA Hockey and the NHL. The USHL last expanded in 2014, with the addition of the Madison Capitols in Wisconsin.
A move into the desert and California would vastly expand the footprint of a league that features teams spread across the Midwest — from the Dakotas to Ohio. And it would open the league to a growing market of fans and players.
“The expansion is about more than adding teams. It is about expanding opportunity,” commissioner Glenn Hefferan said.
The USHL is nation’s top developmental junior league, and produced 21 players who were members of the U.S. men’s gold medal-winning team at the Milan Cortina Games.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the expansion into the west of the USHL,” Los Angeles Kings president Luc Robitaille said. “This has been a group effort by multiple parties all with the shared goal of combining our influence to ultimately grow the game of hockey.”
The league’s plan to expand also comes at a time when the junior landscape in North America has shifted in the wake of the NCAA allowing Canadian Hockey League players to compete at U.S. colleges for the first time last season.
The rule change has led to the USHL and CHL competing for talent. Previously, Canadians had to choose to play in the USHL to maintain their college eligibility.
The 61-team CHL — which oversees three leagues — has also discussed expansion plans, including increasing its eight-team presence in the U.S.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
FILE - Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau's family watches a #13 banner being raised during a ceremony before the start of an NHL hockey game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers. Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb took a puck to the face that knocked him out of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night.
A slap shot from Carolina’s Nikolaj Ehlers hit McNabb square in the face just past the midway point of the first period. McNabb dropped his stick, went down to the ice and grabbed his nose as he skated immediately off and down the tunnel.
“It’s a scary play,' forward Brett Howden said. ”You never want to see that. Just hope he’s doing all right. We haven’t seen him yet but hope he’s doing OK."
McNabb did not return, and Vegas went the rest of the way with just five defensemen.
“You lose a guy like Nabber who logs heavy minutes, such a good teammate, plays the game so hard, it’s tough," captain Mark Stone said. "They battled as hard as they could.”
Coach John Tortorella said “they played well” and had no update when asked about McNabb’s condition after the Hurricanes’ overtime victory that tied the series.
McNabb was coming off the first three-assist performance of his NHL career in Game 1. He is one of three original Golden Knights players who have been around for the franchise's entire nine-year existence and are in the final for a third time.
“Any time you see that happen to a teammate, especially to a guy like Nabber who is a huge part of this team, a leader, it’s tough,” fellow D-man Noah Hanifin said. “It’s hard to see that happen to any guy on the ice. We’re just hoping for the best for him.”
The Golden Knights had their optimum, healthy lineup back for the series opener when Jeremy Lauzon returned from his injury. That did not last long.
Either Ben Hutton, a left-handed shooter, or Kaedan Korczak, who was playing in place of Lauzon, figures to play in Game 3 on Saturday if McNabb is unavailable.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Vegas Golden Knights' Brayden McNabb takes a puck to the face during the first period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Vegas Golden Knights' Brayden McNabb takes a puck to the face during the first period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
