2024–25 USPHL Premier season

2024–25 USPHL Premier season
2024–25 USPHL Premier season
League	United States Premier Hockey League; Premier
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	Regular season; September 6, 2024 – March 2, 2025; Post-season; February 26 – March 24, 2025
Number of games	46–25
Number of teams	73
Regular season
Season champions	Vernal Oilers
USPHL Premier Playoffs
Finals champions	Vernal Oilers
Runners-up	Springfield Pics

The 2024–25 USPHL Premier season was the 12th season of the Premier Division of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). The regular season ran from September 6, 2024 to March 2, 2025 with an unbalanced schedule. The Vernal Oilers won the regular season championship and went on to defeat the Springfield Pics 6–2 in the Championship game.

Member changes

On January 25, 2024, the Muskegon Lumberjacks announced that their affiliate, the Red Bank Generals, would join the USPHL's Premier Division for this season.^[1]

On February 12, the USPHL announced the addition of five Canadian teams, the Hawkesbury Knights, Kingston Wranglers, Montreal Black Vees, Somang Hockey, and Universel Sherbrooke. The five teams joined Universel Collège Gatineau to form a new Canada Division.^[2]

In March, the Ventura Vikings joined the Pacific Division of the USPHL Premier.^[3]

A week later, the Bremerton Sockeyes, Colorado Fighting Elk, Mercer Chiefs, Thunder Hockey Club and West Chester Wolves were added as additional expansion franchises.^[4]

At the same time, the Buffalo Stampede relocated and became the Fresh Coast Freeze, the Las Vegas Thunderbirds relocated and became the Henderson Force, the Nashville Spartans relocated and became the Red River Spartans and the Casper Roughnecks relocated and became the Iron County Yeti.

At the beginning of April, the Long Beach Shredders rebranded as the Long Beach Bombers.^[5]

Over the summer, the league approved the transfer of the Boston Junior Rangers and the Worcester Jr. Railers from the Eastern Hockey League.^[6]

In August, the Columbia Infantry announced that they would not be fielding a team for this season.^[7]

The Palm Beach Typhoon suspended play after a game against the Dells Ducks on January 6.^[8] Neither the team nor the league made explicit mention of the reason. While the team cancelled its final 19 games, the Typhoon remained members of the league and were included on the USPHL's schedule for the 2025–26 season.

Regular season

The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:^[9]

Note: x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched regular season title

Standings

Atlantic Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Connecticut Jr. Rangers	44	31	9	4	66	213	127
x – Elmira Impact	44	29	11	4	62	197	132
x – West Chester Wolves	44	27	11	6	60	152	104
x – Red Bank Generals	44	28	12	4	60	193	153
x – Mercer Chiefs	44	23	16	5	51	163	150
x – Rockets Hockey Club	44	24	18	2	50	190	159
x – P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	44	22	16	6	50	175	166
x – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights	44	17	21	6	40	129	154
Jersey Hitmen	44	15	26	3	33	131	199
Hershey Cubs	44	14	27	3	31	106	168
Brooklyn Aviators	44	5	36	3	13	107	275

Canada Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Montreal Black Vees	44	27	15	2	56	193	156
x – Hawkesbury Knights	44	25	15	4	54	197	127
x – Universel Sherbrooke	44	22	17	5	49	173	149
x – Universel Collège Gatineau	44	20	22	2	42	179	189
x – Somang Hockey	44	18	23	3	39	173	198
x – Kingston Wranglers	44	4	40	0	8	55	310

Florida Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Tampa Bay Juniors	42	33	7	2	68	228	108
x – Bold City Battalion	42	24	12	6	54	160	136
x – Florida Eels	40	24	12	4	52	147	115
x – Atlanta Madhatters	42	15	25	2	32	121	168
x – Florida Jr. Blades	39	12	26	1	25	111	173
Palm Beach Typhoon	25	3	22	0	6	47	155

Great Lakes Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Metro Jets	44	36	8	0	72	261	70
x – Toledo Cherokee	44	35	8	1	71	238	77
x – Columbus Mavericks	44	27	17	0	54	202	169
x – Red River Spartans	44	22	21	1	45	167	203
x – Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones	44	14	29	1	29	127	210
x – Battle Creek Kernels	44	9	34	1	19	106	237
Fresh Coast Freeze	44	5	38	1	11	104	301

Midwest Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Fort Wayne Spacemen	44	33	8	3	69	245	93
x – Chicago Crush	44	29	11	4	62	197	124
x – Metro Jets Development Program	44	22	19	3	47	147	154
x – Chicago Cougars	44	23	21	0	46	137	141
x – Decatur Blaze	44	10	30	4	24	101	204
x – Motor City Gamblers	44	8	34	2	18	92	219

New England Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Islanders Hockey Club	44	37	4	3	77	220	88
x – Springfield Pics	44	32	8	4	68	205	110
x – Northern Cyclones	44	30	9	5	65	153	99
x – South Shore Kings	44	30	12	2	62	149	105
x – Utica Jr. Comets	44	22	20	2	46	126	138
x – Worcester Jr. Railers	44	21	20	3	45	145	146
x – Boston Junior Bruins	44	20	20	4	44	154	162
x – Boston Junior Rangers	44	12	25	7	31	130	170
Thunder Hockey Club	44	5	36	3	13	97	272

North Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Minnesota Squatch	44	36	6	2	74	242	98
x – Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings	44	35	7	2	72	229	90
x – Northwest Express	44	29	13	2	60	222	142
x – Minnesota Mullets	44	25	17	2	52	191	148
x – Dells Ducks	44	24	19	1	49	187	169
x – Minnesota Blue Ox	44	22	20	2	46	151	157
x – Steele County Blades	44	20	20	4	44	173	176
x – Isanti Outlaws	44	7	34	3	17	106	274
Hudson Havoc	44	5	39	0	10	88	278

Northwet Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xyz – Vernal Oilers	44	44	0	0	88	406	69
x – Seattle Totems	44	40	4	0	80	349	70
x – Bellingham Blazers	44	27	16	1	55	176	154
x – Iron County Yeti	44	13	30	1	27	141	326
Rogue Valley Royals	44	9	34	1	19	91	268
Bremerton Sockeyes	44	7	34	3	17	82	264
Colorado Fighting Elk	44	6	37	1	13	105	338

Pacific Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Fresno Monsters	46	37	9	0	74	270	127
x – Lake Tahoe Lakers	46	33	10	3	69	278	148
x – Ontario Jr. Reign	46	33	11	2	68	245	126
x – Henderson Force	46	29	15	2	60	189	132
San Diego Sabers	46	23	22	1	47	188	184
Bakersfield Roughnecks	46	16	26	4	36	158	245
Ventura Vikings	46	16	27	3	35	170	255
Long Beach Bombers	46	10	34	2	22	121	232

Southeast Division

Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA
xy – Charlotte Rush	44	29	8	7	65	159	97
x – Hampton Roads Whalers	44	28	9	7	63	162	132
x – Potomac Patriots	44	30	12	2	62	177	150
x – Carolina Jr. Hurricanes	44	21	17	6	48	140	127

Premier Division playoffs

Teams are reseeded after the quarterfinal rounds.

Divisional Round

February 26 – March 15

Atlantic

Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)					Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

1	Connecticut Jr. Rangers	2	2	-

8	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights	4	4	-
					5	Mercer Chiefs	1	1	-

					8	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights	4	3	-
2	Elmira Impact	4*	1	2

7	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	3	4	5
										8	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights	2	1	-

										7	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	4	2	-
3	West Chester Wolves	1	3	3

6	Rockets Hockey Club	2	1	4**
					6	Rockets Hockey Club	5*	4	5

					7	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	4	5*	6*
4	Red Bank Generals	4	1	1

5	Mercer Chiefs	3	4	6

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Canada

Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)					Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

					1	Montreal Black Vees	7	5	-
3	Universel Sherbrooke	8	3	-	4	Universel Collège Gatineau	4	3	-
6	Kingston Wranglers	1	1	-						1	Montreal Black Vees	4	1	1
										3	Universel Sherbrooke	2	4	4
					2	Hawkesbury Knights	3	3	-
4	Universel Collège Gatineau	2*	5	-	3	Universel Sherbrooke	6	5	-
5	Somang Hockey	1	2	-

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Florida


Play-In (Best-of-1)			First Round (Best-of-1)			Winners Semifinal (Best-of-1)			Final (Best-of-1)



			1	Tampa Bay Juniors	3

4	Atlanta Madhatters	2	5	Florida Jr. Blades	0

5	Florida Jr. Blades	5				1	Tampa Bay Juniors	4

						3	Florida Eels	0

			2	Bold City Battalion	2

			3	Florida Eels	4
									1	Tampa Bay Juniors	3

									2	Bold City Battalion	2
			Losers Semifinal			Losers Final



						3	Florida Eels	1

			2	Bold City Battalion	7	2	Bold City Battalion	2

			5	Florida Jr. Blades	1

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Great Lakes

Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)					Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

					1	Metro Jets	9	7	-
3	Columbus Mavericks	2	4	7	5	Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones	1	2	-
6	Battle Creek Kernels	3	2	1						1	Metro Jets	1	2	5
										2	Toledo Cherokee	2*	1	4
					2	Toledo Cherokee	7	5*	-
4	Red River Spartans	0	2	-	3	Columbus Mavericks	3	4	-
5	Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones	1	3*	-

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Midwest

Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)					Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

					1	Fort Wayne Spacemen	7	4	-
3	Metro Jets Development Program	2	6	2	4	Chicago Cougars	1	2	-
6	Motor City Gamblers	5	2	0						1	Fort Wayne Spacemen	3	3	-
										2	Chicago Crush	2	2	-
					2	Chicago Crush	6	4	-
4	Chicago Cougars	6	4	-	3	Metro Jets Development Program	2	2	-
5	Decatur Blaze	2	3	-

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

New England

Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)					Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

1	Islanders Hockey Club	6	4*	-

8	Boston Junior Rangers	3	3	-
					1	Islanders Hockey Club	2	2*	6

					4	South Shore Kings	4	1	0
2	Springfield Pics	8	4	-

7	Boston Junior Bruins	2	0	-
										1	Islanders Hockey Club	3	2	-

										2	Springfield Pics	4*	3*	-
3	Northern Cyclones	3	4	-

6	Worcester Jr. Railers	2	0	-
					2	Springfield Pics	3	5	-

					3	Northern Cyclones	2	1	-
4	South Shore Kings	1	3	8

5	Utica Jr. Comets	3	1	2

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

North

Quarterfinals (Best-of-3)					Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

1	Minnesota Squatch	7	12	-

8	Isanti Outlaws	1	0	-
					1	Minnesota Squatch	5*	10	-

					4	Minnesota Mullets	4	4	-
2	Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings	3	6	-

7	Steele County Blades	0	2	-
										1	Minnesota Squatch	2	5	-

										2	Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings	1	2	-
3	Northwest Express	4	3	-

6	Minnesota Blue Ox	1	2	-
					2	Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings	5	3	7

					3	Northwest Express	2	4*	2
4	Minnesota Mullets	2	2	4

5	Dells Ducks	1	3	0

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Northwest

Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

1	Vernal Oilers	18	11	-

4	Iron County Yeti	1	0	-
					1	Vernal Oilers	5	6	-

					2	Seattle Totems	2	1	-
2	Seattle Totems	3	5	-

3	Bellingham Blazers	1	2	-

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Pacific

Semifinals (Best-of-3)					Final (Best-of-3)

1	Fresno Monsters	4	5	-

4	Henderson Force	2	1	-
					1	Fresno Monsters	5	7	-

					3	Ontario Jr. Reign	2	4	-
2	Lake Tahoe Lakers	3	2	-

3	Ontario Jr. Reign	6	8	-

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

Southeast

First Round (Best-of-1)			Semifinal (Best-of-1)			Final (Best-of-1)

1	Charlotte Rush	4

4	Carolina Jr. Hurricanes	1
			1	Charlotte Rush	0
Winner's bracket
			3	Potomac Patriots	2
2	Hampton Roads Whalers	0

3	Potomac Patriots	4
						3	Potomac Patriots	5*

						2	Hampton Roads Whalers	4
2	Hampton Roads Whalers	5

4	Carolina Jr. Hurricanes	2
			2	Hampton Roads Whalers	4
Loser's bracket
			1	Charlotte Rush	1

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

National Round

March 20 – March 24
Due to the imbalanced nature of the schedule, the 10 qualifying teams were ranked as follows:^[10]

Seed	Team	Pts	Division
1	Vernal Oilers	88	Northwest
2	Fresno Monsters	74	Pacific
3	Metro Jets	72	Great Lakes
4	Tampa Bay Juniors	68	Florida
5	Springfield Pics	68	New England
6	Potomac Patriots	62	Southeast
7	Fort Wayne Spacemen	69	Midwest
8	Minnesota Squatch	74	North
9	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	50	Atlantic
10	Universel Sherbrooke	49	Canada

The teams were then divided into two separate pools (Division 1 and Division 2)

Division 1

Seed	Team	Pts	Division
2	Fresno Monsters	74	Pacific
3	Metro Jets	72	Great Lakes
4	Tampa Bay Juniors	68	Florida
5	Springfield Pics	68	New England
8	Minnesota Squatch	74	North
9	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	50	Atlantic

Division 2

Seed	Team	Pts	Division
1	Vernal Oilers	88	Northwest
6	Potomac Patriots	62	Southeast
7	Fort Wayne Spacemen	69	Midwest
10	Universel Sherbrooke	49	Canada

The two pools then played separate round-robin series with the top two finishers in each Division advancing to the national semifinals. Each team would play three games regardless of the number of opponents in their respective divisions.
Ties were broken first by head-to-head matches and then by goal differential.

Division 1

		FRE	MET	TBJ	SPR	MIN	PAL
1	Fresno Monsters			4–5	4–2		5–8
2	Metro Jets			2–1	0–6		2–0
3	Tampa Bay Juniors	5–4	1–2			5–2
4	Springfield Pics	2–4	6–0			9–4
5	Minnesota Squatch			2–5	4–9		1–5
6	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	8–5	0–2			5–1

Scores in italics denote overtime or shootout finish

Standings

Team	W	OTW	OTL	L	Pts	GF	GA	DIF
Tampa Bay Juniors	2	0	1	0	7	11	8	+3
Springfield Pics	2	0	0	1	6	17	8	+9
P.A.L. Jr. Islanders	2	0	0	1	6	13	8	+5
Metro Jets	1	1	0	1	5	4	7	-3
Fresno Monsters	1	0	0	2	3	13	14	-2
Minnesota Squatch	0	0	0	3	0	7	19	-12

Division 2

		VER	POT	FWS	CUS
1	Vernal Oilers		3–4	4–0	7–3
2	Potomac Patriots	4–3		4–5	5–1
3	Fort Wayne Spacemen	0–4	5–4		9–0
4	Universel Sherbrooke	3–7	1–5	0–9

Scores in italics denote overtime or shootout finish

Standings

Team	W	OTW	OTL	L	Pts	GF	GA	DIF
Potomac Patriots	2	0	1	0	7	13	9	+4
Vernal Oilers	2	0	0	1	6	14	7	+7
Fort Wayne Spacemen	1	1	0	1	5	14	8	+6
Universel Sherbrooke	0	0	0	3	0	4	21	-17

Championship round

Semifinals (March 23)			Championship (March 24)

F	Tampa Bay Juniors	3

NW	Vernal Oilers	7
			NW	Vernal Oilers	6

			NE	Springfield Pics	2
SE	Potomac Patriots	4

NE	Springfield Pics	5*

Note: * denotes overtime period(s)

References

^ "Red Bank Generals to Join USPHL Premier in 2024-2025 Season". Muskegon Lumberjacks. April 1, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
^ "The Death Pool – 2024 And The Summer To Come". The Junior Hockey News. February 19, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
^ "Ventura Vikings to Join USPHL Premier's Pacific Division For 2024-25". USPHL. March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
^ "USPHL Announces New Teams And Relocations". USPHL. April 22, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
^ "New Long Beach Ownership Brings Back Historic Bombers Nickname". USPHL. April 2, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.
^ "Boston Jr. Rangers and Railers Junior Hockey Club To Join USPHL". NCDC. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
^ "Columbia Infantry Will Not Field Teams In 2024-25". USPHL. August 16, 2024.
^ "Premier Schedule". USPHL. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
^ "USPHL Standings". United States Premier Hockey League. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
^ "USPHL Premier Nationals Begin Thursday – The Field Is Set!". United States Premier Hockey League. March 19, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.

General reference

External links

Official website of the USPHL Premier Division

[1] "Red Bank Generals to Join USPHL Premier in 2024-2025 Season". Muskegon Lumberjacks. April 1, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.

[2] "The Death Pool – 2024 And The Summer To Come". The Junior Hockey News. February 19, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2025.

[3] "Ventura Vikings to Join USPHL Premier's Pacific Division For 2024-25". USPHL. March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.

[4] "USPHL Announces New Teams And Relocations". USPHL. April 22, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.

[5] "New Long Beach Ownership Brings Back Historic Bombers Nickname". USPHL. April 2, 2024. Retrieved July 13, 2025.

[6] "Boston Jr. Rangers and Railers Junior Hockey Club To Join USPHL". NCDC. Retrieved May 30, 2025.

[7] "Columbia Infantry Will Not Field Teams In 2024-25". USPHL. August 16, 2024.

[8] "Premier Schedule". USPHL. Retrieved July 28, 2025.

[9] "USPHL Standings". United States Premier Hockey League. Retrieved May 30, 2025.

[10] "USPHL Premier Nationals Begin Thursday – The Field Is Set!". United States Premier Hockey League. March 19, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.

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United States Premier Hockey League Premier Division
Alberta	Bassano Beavers Calgary Bandits Diamond Valley Rockies Hanna Havoc Southern Alberta Mustangs Three Hills Titans
Atlantic	Brooklyn Aviators Connecticut Jr. Rangers Elmira Impact Hershey Cubs Jersey Hitmen New Jersey Renegades P.A.L. Jr. Islanders Red Bank Generals Rockets Hockey Club West Chester Wolves Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
Florida	Bold City Battalion Coral Springs Jr. Cats Florida Eels Florida Jr. Blades Tampa Bay Juniors Typhoon Hockey Club
Great Lakes	Battle Creek Kernels Bearcat Hockey Club Cincinnati Jr. Cyclones Columbus Mavericks Fresh Coast Freeze Metro Jets Red River Spartans Toledo Cherokee
Midwest	Chicago Cougars Chicago Crush Chicago T-Rex Evansville Mariners Fort Wayne Spacemen Metro Jets Development Program
New England	Boston Junior Rangers Islanders Hockey Club Northern Cyclones South Shore Kings Springfield Pics Thunder Hockey Club Utica Jr. Comets Worcester Jr. Railers
North	Dells Ducks Hudson Havoc Minnesota Blue Ox Minnesota Mullets Minnesota Outlaws Minnesota Squatch Northwest Express Steele County Blades Wisconsin Rapids RiverKings
Northwest	Bellingham Blazers Bremerton Sockeyes Casper Warbirds Colorado Fighting Elk Iron County Yeti McCall Smokejumpers Rogue Valley Royals Seattle Totems Vernal Oilers
Pacific	Fresno Monsters Henderson Force Lake Tahoe Lakers Long Beach Bombers Ontario Jr. Reign San Diego Sabers Ventura Vikings
Southeast	Atlanta Madhatters Carolina Jr. Hurricanes Charleston Colonials Charlotte Rush Hampton Roads Whalers Potomac Patriots
St. Lawrence	Burlington Beavers Collège Universel Gatineau Hawkesbury Knights Kingston Wranglers Montreal Black Vees NY Dynamo Ottawa Valley Centennials St-Lazare Avalanche Somang Hockey Universel Quebec Universel Sherbrooke
Former teams	Anaheim Avalanche Atlanta Jr. Knights Atlanta Kings Bakersfield Roughnecks Bay State Breakers Boston Advantage Boston Bandits Boston Junior Bruins Bridgewater Bandits Buffalo Stampede Buffalo Thunder Carolina Eagles Casper Roughnecks Columbia Infantry Connecticut Nighthawks Connecticut Yankees Daytona Racers Decatur Blaze Detroit Fighting Irish DME Swamp Rabbits Elmira Jr. Enforcers Hartford Jr. Wolfpack Ironwood Fighting Yoopers Isanti Outlaws Jersey Shore Whalers Jersey Whalers Kalkaska Rhinos Kasson Vipers Lake Erie Bighorns Lansing Wolves Las Vegas Thunderbirds Long Beach Shredders MHC Midwest Blackbirds Minnesota Moose Motor City Gamblers Motor City Hawks Motor City Hockey Club Nashville Spartans New Hampshire Junior Monarchs New York Aviators Niagara Falls Thunder Northern Colorado Eagles Ogden Mustangs Okanagan European Eagles Palm Beach Hawks Philadelphia Hockey Club Philadelphia Jr. Flyers Pittsburgh Vengeance Portland Jr. Pirates Provo Predators Provo Riverblades Pueblo Bulls Richmond Generals Rochester Jr. Americans Rochester Monarchs Rochester Vipers Rock Springs Prospectors Rum River Mallards Skipjacks Hockey Club Southern Oregon Spartans Syracuse Stars Tri-City Ice Hawks Twin City Thunder Utah Outliers Wisconsin Muskies Wooster Oilers
USPHL Premier Seasons	2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24