HPHL vs Tier 1 Elite

[LVShark]

Just out of curiosity which league would you say is better? the HPHL or the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League? I would say these are the 2 top leagues for the US, right?

[herbst20]

If you are saying these are the top two leagues for the US you would be drastically wrong. Neither is even close to the USHL or NAHL for that matter.

[Slowe]

These two leagues are AAA youth leagues that feed into the junior leagues like the USHL and the NAHL. It's kinda hard to compare the the two since the Tier 1 Elite League is quite large and the HPL is only six teams. Not a bad team in that league. Actually the HPL teams split out of the T1EL a year or two ago. Tough loss since those teams are some of the most respected. I believe it was just an attempt to reduce travel since they are all Chicago and Detroit teams. The NAPHL is a slightly lower tier AAA league whose players feed mostly into the NAHL I think.

Both the HPL and the T1EL leagues are the best single (youth) leagues in the US, but there are other paths to juniors. The northeast more commonly uses prep schools and Minnesota high school hockey is pretty strong. Most other areas use AAA travel hockey.

[LVShark]

Originally Posted by herbst20

If you are saying these are the top two leagues for the US you would be drastically wrong. Neither is even close to the USHL or NAHL for that matter.

When I said 2 best leagues, I was reffering to youth hockey. I know the USHL and NA are obviously better.

[Oilers Chick]

Originally Posted by Slowe

These two leagues are AAA youth leagues that feed into the junior leagues like the USHL and the NAHL. It's kinda hard to compare the the two since the Tier 1 Elite League is quite large and the HPL is only six teams. Not a bad team in that league. Actually the HPL teams split out of the T1EL a year or two ago. Tough loss since those teams are some of the most respected. I believe it was just an attempt to reduce travel since they are all Chicago and Detroit teams. The NAPHL is a slightly lower tier AAA league whose players feed mostly into the NAHL I think.

Both the HPL and the T1EL leagues are the best single (youth) leagues in the US, but there are other paths to juniors. The northeast more commonly uses prep schools and Minnesota high school hockey is pretty strong. Most other areas use AAA travel hockey.

Actually not all of the teams in the HPL are in that area. The league features numerous teams such as the SJ Junior Sharks and California Titans, who are obviously outside of the area you just mentioned. Also, the HPL now has about 17 teams (if memory serves me correctly).

In answer to LV Shark's question, that depends on what you consider as "better". If you're referring to say number of NHL-drafted players, then I'd say the T1EL. Victory Honda and the LA Selects are examples of two teams in that league that have and continue to produce NHL-drafted talent.

FYI, this spring the LA Selects and the LA Jr. Kings merged - both of whom played in the T1EL last season. So technically speaking, they're both under the LA Jr. Kings umbrella now.

[cagney]

Originally Posted by Oilers Chick

Actually not all of the teams in the HPL are in that area. The league features numerous teams such as the SJ Junior Sharks and California Titans, who are obviously outside of the area you just mentioned. Also, the HPL now has about 17 teams (if memory serves me correctly).

In answer to LV Shark's question, that depends on what you consider as "better". If you're referring to say number of NHL-drafted players, then I'd say the T1EL. Victory Honda and the LA Selects are examples of two teams in that league that have and continue to produce NHL-drafted talent.

There are only six member teams in the HPHL. The teams that are part of the showcases the league holds are not considered league members.

The six teams that are part of the HPHL were, for the most part, amongst the stronger programs in the Tier 1 Elite League. I've never heard a verified reason for them separating the way they did but beyond reasons mentioned here I've always sort of thought they might be angling to be a part of USA Hockey's High Performance Club program which hasn't been initiated yet. It's unclear if it'll ever be put into practice in the way USA Hockey envisions but the teams that would be picked by them for the program would benefit greatly.

The league play for the HPHL is probably more competitive than any division from the T1EL. However, I don't think their showcase competition is all that impressive.