Youth hockey is a competitive level of ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years old. With dozens of different youth hockey leagues in North America and hundreds of youth hockey teams, understanding it all can be a challenge for those unfamiliar with the system. In Canada, youth hockey is one level above minor ice hockey, the level of ice hockey played by younger players. As for developing to play at the college level (NCAA), most Division 1 hockey players who play youth hockey in Canada only play in a few different leagues within the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL).
The second division is Junior A, governed nationally by the Canadian Youth Hockey League and is comprised of several regional leagues.In Quebec and western Manitoba, youth C hockey tends to be an extension of the local minor hockey system and is sometimes referred to as Youth League or National League. Compared to Canada, it seems that with only a few youth hockey leagues, the United States and USA Hockey have almost nothing. Minor hockey is often referred to as youth hockey in the United States to avoid confusion with professional minor league ice hockey.The NA3HL, a “secondary league” of the NAHL, is sanctioned by the North American Hockey League and by USA Hockey, as one of the only level 3 youth hockey leagues in North America. The CHL includes four teams in Washington and one in Oregon in the Western Hockey League, and two teams in Michigan and one in Pennsylvania in the Ontario Hockey League.The EHL, also known as the Eastern Hockey League, is a level 3 youth league sanctioned by USA Hockey based on the east coast of the United States.
Those 44 draft picks were 16 more than in any of the three Canadian Hockey League leagues, and included 9 first-round picks (8 of which come from the USNTDP) and 7 from the second round.The CHL, or Canadian Hockey League, comprised of 3 individual leagues in Canada, is known as “Major Junior Hockey”. USA Hockey denied it and the USPHL then withdrew all of its status as governed by USA Hockey.
