Expansion is on the horizon for the USHL, and Los Angeles Kings president Luc Robitaille is at the forefront of the league's initiative to grow hockey on the West Coast.
In the next issue of The Hockey News, I have a feature on the USHL's Western expansion, which will put six franchises in California and Arizona for the 2027-28 season.
There's still a lot to be announced, including team names and logos, how the rosters will be filled and such, but I'm pumped about this development. I've been hearing about the proposal for years and it's cool to see actual traction.
Someone who has been helping the game out west for decades now is Luc Robitaille, the Los Angeles Kings legend and the team's current president.
Robitaille, who once co-owned the USHL's Omaha Lancers with Ben Robert — who has been crucial to the USHL West concept — and Mario Lemieux, were on the ground floor for the big turning point in West Coast hockey when Wayne Gretzky was traded to his Kings in 1988.
"There's been a movement," Robitaille said. "There was the Gretzky era movement where everybody thought it was cool to go skating and try hockey. Then it became more serious. Maybe it was the parents who loved Gretzky getting their kids into it and by 2003-04, their kids were playing AAA or Tier-1.
"Today, we have so many kids coming out of El Segundo and Orange County who are going right to Division 1 hockey and getting drafted. And we think there's even more room for growth."
Eventually, Robitaille was recruited by then-Colorado Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix to lobby for a Pacific Division in the AHL. It took nearly a decade, but with the backing of the NHL, it happened.
"Once we got the AHL, we started looking into Tier 1 hockey, where we could keep these kids from travelling so much," Robitaille said.
And that is a huge reason for USHL expansion: Allowing kids from California, Nevada and Arizona to stay closer to home while they play their developmental hockey.
Robitaille is an advisor on the project and said the Simi Valley franchise (which is just outside of L.A.) is welcome to use Kings colors, which could help with equipment purchases down the road.
The final frontier? NCAA hockey.
For years I've wondered about D1 hockey coming to UCLA, Stanford or even Washington. Arizona State planted the flag first, but no one has followed up yet. Clearly, I need to be patient, because that's been the template for success here, beginning with the AHL: Last year, three of the top 10 teams in attendance were in California.
"Some of the best franchises, crowd-wise, are on the West Coast," Robitaille said. "It's been a big success. I've always said the next step was junior hockey. The step after would be NCAA Division 1."
So realistically, let's give it another six or seven years.
QMJHL
The Quebec Remparts had a great summer, adding 2027 NHL draft prospects Carter Meyer and James Scantlebury to their lineup from the USHL. Meyer was the more unexpected pull, since he played for the U.S. NTDP last season — though he did tell me last year that his brother Freddy was having a great experience playing for the Remparts.
Carter Meyer has played two pre-season games for the Remparts and taken to the league with ease, posting up five points already. And yes, it's just exhibition play, but it's a great sign for Quebec, which is led by GM and former NHLer Simon Gagne. Meyer and Scantlebury are both committed to Boston University.
OHL
The OHL will have new fighting rules this season, which puts more of an onus on teams, rather than individuals.
Previously, players were allowed three fights per season before there would be league discipline (beginning with a minimum two-game suspension). Now, players are allowed three fights until Dec. 31. Then the counter resets and they can fight three more times before the playoffs. In the playoffs, they also get three fights maximum.
On the other hand, teams in the OHL used to have a threshold of 50 fights a season before league discipline (starting with a $2,000 fine), but now it's down to 35. It will be interesting to see how that manifests itself this year.
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