The Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) was a

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United ...

-sanctioned Tier III Junior A

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

league. Founded in 1993 by Dan Esdale, the EJHL had fourteen teams from across the Northeastern United States. The EJHL champion then competed for the National Championship against the champions of the other Tier III leagues and a host city. The New Jersey Hitmen were the final EJHL Champions after the 2012–13 season.

History

The league was formed in 1993 with the NECDL Classics, the Rhode Island Sharks, the Tyngsborough Huskies, the Matt O'Neil Lightning, the Granite State Stars and the Springfield Olympics. The following year the Niagara Scenics joined the league from the North American Hockey League. The Scenics later left for the

Metro Junior A Hockey League The Metro Junior "A" Hockey League was a junior level ice hockey league based out of Southern Ontario. The league originated in 1956 as the Metro Junior "B" Hockey League, which lasted until 1991, when it changed its designation from Junior B to ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. In the subsequent years, the league has added the Bridgewater Bandits (1996); Valley Jr. Warriors (1996); NY Apple Core (1997); Capital District (1999); Bay State Breakers (1999); Junior Bruins (1999); Green Mountain Glades (2000); NJ Hitmen (2004) and the Syracuse Stars (2005 and later moved to Rochester in 2010) who joined from the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. The league has quickly been gaining prestige across the United States as teams such as the Hitmen and Monarchs compete with other top junior teams. However, during the 2012–13 season, EJHL members the Boston Junior Bruins,

Islanders Hockey Club The Islanders Hockey Club are an United States, American junior ice hockey, junior ice hockey organization from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. They field teams in the United States Premier Hockey League National Collegiate Development Conference, Pr ...

(formerly Middlesex Islanders), New Jersey Hitmen, and the

South Shore Kings The South Shore Kings are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team playing in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). The team plays at the Foxboro Sports Center located in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The organization fields Tier III teams in th ...

announced they were forming a new league called the

United States Premier Hockey League The United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) is an American ice hockey league. Founded in 2012, the USPHL has grown to over 60 organizations from across the United States fielding teams in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), ...

. They would eventually be followed by the Bay State Breakers and the Portland Jr. Pirates from the EJHL while adding other teams to make up the Premier Division of the USPHL. The EJHL would disband when the

Boston Bandits The Bridgewater Bandits, also called the Boston Bandits, are a junior ice hockey organization from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in the United States, with teams playing in the United States Premier Hockey League. The organization plays home games ...

, Connecticut Oilers,

New Hampshire Junior Monarchs The New Hampshire Junior Monarchs are a junior and youth ice hockey organization from Hooksett, New Hampshire, with teams in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). Its highest level junior team plays in the USPHL's National Collegiate D ...

, New York Apple Core,

Philadelphia Revolution The Philadelphia Revolution were a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team in the Eastern Hockey League. The team played home games at Revolution Ice Gardens (formerly The Rink at Warwick) in Warwick Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. ...

, and the

Valley Jr. Warriors The Valley Jr. Warriors are an American Tier III junior ice hockey organization playing in Haverhill, Massachusetts. They have two Tier III teams that play in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL) and the EHL Premier. The organization also fields a num ...

joined the Atlantic Junior Hockey League which would rename itself to the

Eastern Hockey League The Eastern Hockey League was a minor professional United States ice hockey league. Eastern Amateur Hockey League (1933–1953) The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League (EAHL). The league was founded by Tommy Lockhart ...

Teams

Teams that played in the final 2012–13 season.

Champions

The winning team in the EJHL was awarded the Gary Dineen Cup, named for the late

Gary Dineen Daniel Gary Patrick Dineen (December 24, 1943 – April 1, 2006) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Dineen played five seasons with the Canadian national amateur team, including at the 1964 Winter Olympics, 1964 and 1968 Wint ...

, one of the founders of the New England Junior Hockey League and of the New England Junior Falcons *2013 NJ Hitmen *2012 NH Jr. Monarchs *2011 NH Jr. Monarchs *2010 NH Jr. Monarchs *2009 NJ Hitmen *2008 NJ Hitmen *2007 NH Jr. Monarchs *2006 NH Jr. Monarchs *2005 Junior Bruins *2004 NH Jr. Monarchs *2003 NY Apple Core *2002 NH Jr. Monarchs *2001 Walpole Stars *2000 NE Jr. Coyotes *1999 Walpole Stars *1998 NE Jr. Coyotes *1997 NE Jr. Whalers *1996 NE Jr. Whalers *1995 Niagara Scenics *1994 NECDL Classics

Timeline of teams

* Matt O'Neil Lightning (1993–98), became Boston Harbor Wolves became Boston Jr. Shamrocks, became the Philadelphia Revolution * Tyngsboro Huskies (1993–2001), became Lowell Jr. Lock Monsters (2001–2004), became

New England Jr. Huskies The Islanders Hockey Club are an American junior ice hockey organization from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. They field teams in the United States Premier Hockey League National Collegiate Development Conference, Premier Division, and Elite Divisio ...

* Springfield Olympics (Pics) became New England Jr. Whalers became New England Jr. Coyotes became New England Jr. Falcons * New England College Development League (NECDL) Classics (1993–1997), became Walpole Stars (1997–2006), became Foxboro Stars (2006–2007), became South Shore Kings (2007–present) * Niagara Scenic (1994–1995) * Rhode Island Sharks (1993–1998) folded after the 1997-1998 season * Granite State Stars (1993–1996), became Great Northern Snow Devils (1996–1999) became Exeter Snow Devils (1999–2001), became New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs *

Green Mountain Glades The Green Mountain Glades is a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team in the Eastern Junior Hockey League's North Division from 2000-2017. Overview The team played its home games at Cairns Arena, a 600-seat arena in the suburb of South Burlington, ...

(2000-2012), became the Portland Jr. Pirates * New England Junior Huskies (1995-2012), became the Middlesex Islanders * Capital District Selects (1996-2012), became the Connecticut Oilers * Syracuse Stars (2005-2009), moved to Rochester to become the

Rochester Stars The Rochester Jr. Americans were a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from Rochester, New York. Their top team most recently played in the USPHL in the Premier Division while also fielding a team in the Elite Division. History In 1996, the Syr ...

(2010-2013) and Rochester Jr. Americans (2013-2016)

References

External links

Official USA Hockey WebsiteCommonwealth of Massachusetts Corporations Listing, incorporated in 2003Articles of incorporationUSA Hockey Magazine Issue 0405 (Apr 05), "The Beast of the East"Gary Dineen Hockey School
{{Junior Hockey 3