Will CHL, USHL work together or keep battling in changing junior hockey world?

The big stakeholders in North American junior hockey got together late last month at the NHL head office in New York to discuss, among other things, where the sport is going.

Seems the future is pretty much clear as mud.

While Le Journal de Quebec reported there was discussion about the USHL becoming part of the CHL, neither side was willing to say that’s anywhere close to becoming reality in interviews with Sportsnet this month.

USHL president and commissioner Glenn Hefferan and CHL president Dan MacKenzie both extolled the virtues of their respective leagues, while keeping the door open to working together. But neither side was willing to commit to anything in terms of a future relationship. Hefferan and MacKenzie were guarded about potential next steps, even though both leagues have faced challenges since the NCAA introduced a rule this season allowing ex-CHL players to play U.S. college hockey.

“I was very optimistic about the conversations. There’s work to be done. … The NHL sees the value in co-operation and working together and growing the game together,” Hefferan said.

Said MacKenzie: “I think it’s early days (after the rule change). We’re all still digesting it. I think it’s the kind of thing that we have to see how things continue to play out. We have some decisions we have to make in front of us. We all need to make some decisions that are in the best interests of their (respective) leagues and we’re all going to do that. If working together more closely makes sense, that will be something we’ll talk about.”

The meeting in New York featured the NHL, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, the CHL and its three member leagues — the OHL, QMJHL and WHL.

One certainly can make the argument that the USHL appears to face the biggest challenges in the aftermath of the rule change last November after a steady stream of its players made their way to the CHL.

The CHL says it has about 250 players this season that wouldn’t have played in its three member leagues under previous rules. Included in that list is Texas native and 2026 NHL Draft first-round candidate JP Hurlbert, who leads the WHL in scoring this season after playing for the USA Hockey-run U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP), which plays some of its schedule in the USHL, last season.

Late last year, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that USA Hockey denied permission for the OHL to add the Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Youngstown Phantoms from the USHL. That shows USA Hockey has a vested interest in the health of the USHL. It also shows the CHL sees potential growth opportunities in the U.S.

In April, the NHL, USHL and USA Hockey announced what the USHL called “an elevated partnership built on a shared commitment to elite athlete development through the newly adopted declaration of excellence.”

Hefferan said he thinks the USHL — which has 15 teams plus the USNTDP — deserves the respect.

“It was a great conversation (led by the NHL) and I’m excited by the notion of being able to work co-operatively,” he said. “But we’re going to still continue to do what we’re doing. We have a different model than what the CHL does. We think it’s best for player development. I think our track record shows that.”

But a look at this summer’s gold-medal-winning roster for Team USA at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup under-18 tourney doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the USHL or the USNTDP. Fourteen of the 23 players are currently playing in the CHL.

The CHL has taken some hits, too — including top 2026 NHL Draft prospects Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff leaving the WHL to join the NCAA this season.

It still has the majority of first-round prospects for next year’s NHL Draft, but it has lost some significant older players and there is the potential of losing some top 19-year-olds to the AHL starting next season based on the NHL’s new CBA. In addition, the CHL model has formed the bulk of Canada’s recent national junior teams — and the country has suffered consecutive quarterfinal exits at the world juniors, while the U.S. has taken gold the past two years.

Also, not every top NHL prospect from Canada has come back to the CHL — Tynan Lawrence of the Muskegon Lumberjacks and James Scantlebury of the Chicago Steel are two of the USHL’s big recruiting wins. Lawrence is a lottery candidate for the 2026 NHL Draft, while Scantlebury is eligible for 2027. Both players have been QMJHL first-round draft picks.

But, overall, the CHL likes where it’s positioned. Of the NCAA’s freshman class this year, 174 already come directly from the CHL. The USHL and USNTDP combine for 163.

The CHL already has a U.S. footprint, too. Nine of its 61 teams are in the U.S., and there have been reports the OHL is eyeing Niagara Falls, N.Y. — though the USHL also has said it is interested in the border town.

“I think one of the things that has become clear is now that you don’t have to make the decision at 15 years old, what system you’re going into, what stream you’re going to follow for your development,” MacKenzie said. “What we’re finding is elite young hockey players in North American are beginning to choose the CHL to be part of their path. That’s becoming pretty clear. We’ve had about 250 players in our leagues that we hadn’t seen before because they were trying to keep their eligibility (for the NCAA) open.”

So, with that in mind, does it make sense for the USHL to be part of the CHL?

“I think that’s premature for me to answer that,” Hefferan said when asked that question. “If you’re asking me do you see a way to work together, I do. Maybe there’s a series of games we can schedule, maybe there’s a North American championship series that can be played after their Memorial Cup. Our season ends a week earlier. It wouldn’t take much for us to retool. Maybe it’s some other North American championship. I think those are things we should talk about.”

But, again, what’s next is a big TBD.

“I’m not at liberty to really discuss (that),” Hefferan said. “There are definitely some things that are in the hopper. We want those issues to kind of work themselves through. I’m really confident in the leadership that the NHL has shown as well as the two federations and my counterparts. We’ll keep the discussions going. There’s definitely some things in the hopper that are being worked on. You don’t (change) this overnight. This will take some time to sort through and make sure we’re doing things that are really beneficial for all involved.”

MacKenzie also offered no specifics about potential next steps. He did praise the NHL for bringing the sides together.

“I’ve been in this job six years. Over those six years. I would say the NHL has worked pretty hard to get us all together on multiple occasions a year so there’s dialogue and there’s a forum to talk about things,” he said. “I think it was positive in terms of we all got a chance to share how the changes in landscape are affecting us and it’s always good to listen how it’s affecting other organizations and have your views shared and understood.”

Thursday, Nov. 13: Soo Greyhounds (12-8-1-0) at Windsor Spitfires (15-3-1-1), 7:05 p.m. ET

A good battle between a pair of 2026 NHL Draft first-round prospects — defenceman Chase Reid of the Greyhounds and forward Ethan Belchetz of the Spitfires.

Friday, Nov. 14: Michigan Wolverines (10-2) at Penn State Nittany Lions (9-3), 7 p.m. ET

Gavin McKenna and fifth-ranked Penn State are coming off a pair of losses against top-ranked Michigan State. They face another stiff test against No. 2 Michigan in this two-game series.

Saturday, Nov. 15: Drummondville Voltigeurs (12-4-1-1) at Charlottetown Islanders (12-5-1-3), 6 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. AT

The QMJHL’s Eastern Conference-leading Islanders have won just four of their past 10. Drummondville has moved into second in the West after winning eight in a row.

Sunday, Nov. 16: Kelowna Rockets (7-6-1-1) at Everett Silvertips (15-1-2-0), 7:05 p.m. ET / 4:05 p.m. PT

The Rockets haven’t been shy about making trades to avoid being a weak Memorial Cup host. We’ll see how far they’ve come against the WHL-leading Silvertips.