History

The North American 3 Eastern Hockey League is entering its second season. The NA3EHL was formed in 2014 when the North American Hockey League (NAHL) took over operations of the Northern States Hockey League (NSHL). The NSHL was a 10-team league operating on the East Coast independently outside of USA Hockey.

The plan was to bring the NA3EHL under USA hockey umbrella as soon as possible and in the Summer of 2015, the NA3EHL was approved to operate as one of eight Tier III junior hockey leagues under the USA Hockey umbrella.

The primary mission of the NA3EHL, which is managed organizationally by the North American Hockey League (NAHL), is to provide a structured developmental environment for student-athletes at the Tier III junior level, who have the ability and the aspirations to play at the collegiate level. The common goal is to produce athletes that are committed to excellence in academics as well as athletics. By providing a high level of competition, the players will be given the resources to contribute and succeed at the next level of hockey and education.

The NA3EHL features 13 members, which include: Cape Cod Islanders (Falmouth, MA), East Coast Minutemen (Salem, NH), Jersey Shore Wildcats (Point Pleasant Beach, NJ), L/A Fighting Spirit (Lewiston, ME), Lockport Express (Lockport, NY), Maine Wild (Biddeford, ME), New England Stars (Hudson, NH), New York Aviators (Brooklyn, NY), Northeast Generals (Canton, MA), Roc City Royals (Rochester, NY), Skylands Kings (Stockholm, NJ), Syracuse Stampede (Mexico, NY) and Wilkes-Barre Miners (Wilkes-Barre, PA). During the past two seasons, over three dozen players have committed to NCAA schools.

NA3EHL teams will compete in a 44-game regular season schedule and will take part in two Showcases throughout the 2015-16 season. The NA3EHL will also field two teams to compete at the NA3HL Showcase in Blaine, MN from December 17-19. There will be playoffs to determine a Champion in March of 2016.