AA, AAA, PHL, Farm teams – what!?
I am Canadian. Things I know: NHL is top professional league. Farm teams are directly below but I am unsure what league that is. But I’m wondering actually about the leagues the kids play in before they get signed to a farm team or the NHL. There are just so many acronyms.
Honestly, if someone could even just list them in order from top to bottom would even be helpful.
Thanks in advance
In: Other
It’s a little complex. As far as Canada is concerned, the QMJHL (Quebec Maritimes), OHL (Ontario), and WHL (Western) hockey leagues are the top junior leagues, though they also have US-based teams in those leagues. These leagues as a collective are called the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and do a yearly championship tournament with teams from all 3. There are 3 tiers of juniors below this with too many leagues to post, and they’re basically players trying to make the CHL teams.
In the US, you basically have the NCAA and USA Hockey. US Hockey has 3 tiers of juniors instead of Canada’s 4, with the USHL as their tier 1. The NCAA is obviously college teams while the USHL are considered amateurs. The NCAA doesn’t allow CHL players on their teams because they consider them halfway pros, but every other league I’ve mentioned are eligible.
In Europe, generally their junior teams are tied to their professional teams. They sign players who can move up as they age, and they don’t do a draft. The best of these junior players are often enticed to play for North American junior teams and the NCAA.
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