The Youth NHL Experience League is made up of 2 Main Divisions;
EAST Division: Upstate NY (see list below)
WEST Division: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Surrounding)
Upstate NY Division Further Defined
CP Dynamo AAA
Troy Albany AAA/AA
ADK Thunder AA
Schenectady AA
Saratoga AA
Mid-Hudson AA
Westchester
Plattsburg
Utica AAA/AA & OCHC
Southern VT
Vermont Jr Catamounts AAA
Rutland JR Spartans VT AA
Central Vermont Black Bear AA
Springfield JR Thunderbirds MA AAA/AA
Masscon AAA
* additional programs are eligible
Welcome to the 2026 Youth NHL Experience League Draft Entry. We appreciate your interest in the most exciting, unique, and competitive spring hockey league in NYS. While we would love to provide a roster spot for every player who enters the draft, the limited number of openings and the structure of the league prevent us from doing so. Players must get drafted to a team in order to participate. Unfortunately, due to the volume of draft entries that we receive, we cannot contact/reply to players who were not drafted. Drafted players will be contacted and provided with all of the information they need to participate.
2026 YNHL Experience League Fee: $549 - $599
10 Game Guarantee
* All Games held on a Saturday or Sunday
* Games Start Before 5:00pm
* 1 Playoff Game for Top 4 teams in each division
* 1 All Star Game & Skills Competition per division
2 teams per division (selection process by coaches
and YNHL committee)
* 1 Stanley Cup Game per division / Winners of the divisional
playoff games
* Sublimated Reversible (Home & Away) YNHL
Jersey & Socks Included
* Custom Shell Optional (additional fee)
* Incredible Media
* Warm Up Music
* Announcers
* Scorekeepers
* Certified Officials
* Player Interviews
* Live Game Updates and Stats
* YNHL eMagazine
* Live Broadcast Games (limited and selected)
* Team Practices are at the discretion of the coach and
are not included in the league fee.
and much, much more.
YNHL
YOUTH NEWEDGE HOCKEY LEAGUE
League Policies
We do not allow requests to play for a specific coach, team, or to play with a specific player or players.
If you are drafted and offered a roster spot by a team and do not accept, you will be removed from the draft and not eligible to be drafted for the same season. This prevents "stacking" and unbalanced teams.
If you are drafted and accept the position, payment is due within 48 hours. We average 650+ draft entries each season and have just 306 available roster openings per Regional Division. Our jerseys and socks are custom made with the player's last names on them. This creates a time-sensitive ordering process. Before, during, and even an after an offer to play has been made, the Head Coach and/or the YNHL may request additional information like references or contact information of current or former coaches. We do reserve the right to withdrawl an offer to play should we feel it is not an appropriate fit.
Because not all players enter the draft at the same time, when the official 2026 YNHL Draft begins, we lock in the drafted players for the first 2 rounds and any/all players who enter the draft while round 1 and 2 are taking place will not be place on the draft list until rounds 1 and 2 are completed.
We encourage all draft entries to have qualified hockey people advocate for them. Current or past coaches, skills coaches, and/or others who can attest to the player's ability to compete at the AAA or Upper AA levels. The league's objective is to have the closest skating and skill variance from player to player and team to team in each division.
We reserve the right to add, remove, or change polices at any time, for any reason, without notification.