The EMJHL (Eastern Minor Junior Hockey League) was formed as an independent
hockey league to organize league play amongst the member teams. The founding
member hockey clubs also sponsored teams at the Junior Hockey level. The member
hockey clubs were familiar with the skills required at the Junior level of play
and at the College Hockey level, and all members noticed that an additional
opportunity was needed at the younger ages to prepare players for the next level
of play.
The emphasis of each team in the League is on developing player skills to the
point where the players would be capable of playing at the Junior and Collegiate
level.
Key Drivers for the Formation of the EMJHL:
Declining
strength of the some local hockey programs requires an additional development option for the talented players.
Junior hockey is becoming stronger and players need to begin to develop skills
early to play
at the higher level.
College hockey recruiting focuses strongly on the Junior programs. Players need
to begin
early to develop key skills needed to compete at the advanced collegiate level.
The
need to provide more focus on development specifically targetted to player skill
development necessary for the next level of competition.
With the above background, the League Mission was straightforward - to
Organize a 'AAA' league for skaters 18 and younger under the guidance of the
member hockey clubs to develop talented players who could then be eligible to
play at the Junior/College hockey skill-level.
Participating member teams represent several States in the East:
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Connecticut. This solid cross-section
of representation from across New England and New York provides for both solid
competition and enjoyable team experiences.
Now in it’s third year of operation, the League continues to gain strength
mainly due to the dedication of the member teams. Each team operates
independently, but all teams share a common philosophy - focus on skill
development.
Teams in the League offer their players a significant amount of practice time
in addition to the competitive league games. The League scheduling is flexible
enough to allow each team to compete in multiple competitive tournaments.
The focus on development, combined with the opportunity for players to test
what was practiced in a competitive environment and the solid coaching staff
that the member team's provide have all resulted in a challenging and enjoyable
experience for the players.
For additional information about the specifics of any particular member's
offering, contact the member hockey club directly. Hockey Club contact
information is provided on the 'Contacts' page of this site.
