The USHL had no control over the NCAA making CHL players eligible to play college hockey. But it hasn't changed how much it prioritizes player development in the U.S. NTDP and its other teams, according to the league's commissioner.
The USHL has been the primary pipeline to the NCAA for decades.
The United States League has become one of the most underappreciated NHL pipelines over that time as well. It features incredibly strong organizations, such as the Chicago Steel, Muskegon Lumberjacks, and the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
The league doesn't get mentioned in the same breath as the three CHL leagues or even the Swedish junior league at times. Casual hockey fans often look at the league as a stepping stone to the NCAA, and they aren't wrong to think that.
But they are wrong to discount the quality of the league and its players, though.
"As a league, we're sending players to the NCAA and then onto the NHL at a rate higher than any other league," USHL commissioner Glenn Hefferan told The Hockey News before Thursday's All-American Game. "The three CHL leagues combined may send more, but that's 61 teams."
The USHL has had more players drafted than the QMJHL every single year since 2013. It has even more than doubled the draft picks of the QMJHL in each of the last three years.
Scouts are rightfully seeing the USHL as a top-tier junior league, capable of competing with any junior circuit around the world.
The junior hockey world is constantly changing, and one of the most drastic changes we've ever seen occurred over the last few years with the rules around NCAA eligibility for CHL players being changed.
The USHL used to be the league kids went to when they wanted to take the college route to develop, but with these changes, we're seeing more kids stick around the CHL, especially the Canadian kids who would head south in their age 16-to-18 seasons prior to college.
"An eligibility rule changed that we had no control over. Yeah. It didn't change the way we developed players," Hefferan said. "We're always going to look out for what's best for the players in our league."
The U.S. NTDP, in particular, is one of the most unique and successful development programs in the world.
USA Hockey decided to put together a roster of the best 16- and 17-year-old players from all over the United States, giving them an opportunity to grow together over a two-year period and familiarize themselves with USA Hockey. They have two teams, U-17 and U-18. The younger squad works toward developing and playing primarily in USHL competition, while the U-18 group builds to the U-18 World Championship.
"It's not without its challenges," laughed Hefferan. "But they've become a bit of a north star for our league. They aren't at the top of the standings, they're a young team, but they are always pushing teams and helping the league push the talent across every team."
The program started in 1996, with their first crop of players eligible for the 1999 NHL draft. Since then, the program has produced 432 total draft picks with 103 of them coming in the first round. They've have had 20 players go in the top five and five different players that call themselves NTDP alumni and first overall NHL draft picks, highlighted by Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes.
It's a very special program that has helped the American hockey pipeline explode with talent. They've always been a threat to medal at international tournaments, but they've become favorites almost every time they step on the ice.
They won back-to-back World Junior Championships prior to this year, and the vast majority of the players who played on those teams came through the NTDP.
Even when you look at the U.S. men's Olympic roster, it's littered with players who have come through the NTDP. In total, 18 of the 25 players have ties to the NTDP. To say that it's been a success would be an understatement.
It's not just the NTDP that carries the success of the USHL, though.
The NTDP is represented in the playoffs by the U-17 team, meaning that they are completely comprised of 16-year-old players, and they struggle to advance in the playoffs. This allows for teams around the USHL to battle it out for the Clark Cup as league champions.
Last year's winners, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, were first-time champions. The team featured top 2026 NHL draft talent Tynan Lawrence who won the playoff MVP. It also featured Vaclav Nestrasil (Chicago, 25th overall in 2025) and Ivan Ryabkin (Carolina, 62nd in 2025), along with four other NHL draft picks.
This year, Lawrence was named captain of the Lumberjacks but dealt with injuries early in the year. When he finally returned to the lineup, he started showing exactly why he's discussed as a top-five pick in the upcoming NHL draft. He had 10 goals and 17 points in 13 games for Muskegon.
It seemed like he was ready to take the next step, so just a couple of weeks ago, he made that decision. Lawrence joined Boston University early and began his NCAA career.
While most would assume the team and league would be unhappy to lose one of their top players, the USHL and the Lumberjacks embraced the move, praising the top prospect for how far he's come in their league.
"Why wouldn't we be happy?" Hefferan said. "This is a kid that played in our league and then decided to make the bold decision to push himself at a higher level. We get to say that we helped him do that."
That's what makes the USHL special. It's a league that still prioritizes its players' development. In an era when it seems like every league is looking to find a way to make a quick buck or keep players under its umbrella for as long as possible, the USHL is celebrating the graduation of its players.
The USHL brought NHL draft prospects from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and across the league for Thursday's All-American Game. (The Hockey News)The USHL's staff will once again produce plenty of draft talent when the NHL draft comes around in June in Buffalo. They will proudly celebrate when their prospects get selected, whether it's Youngstown Phantoms forward Jack Hextall or NTDP alum Casey Mutryn. They'll be equally excited when Lawrence's name is called, knowing they played a key role in his development.
Player development and growth are what the USHL has always stood for, and it's why they've become one of the premier junior leagues in the world, even if they are still a bit of an open secret among casual hockey fans.
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