Little Caesars AAA to leave HPHL; girls to play in JWHL, boys will help grow NHL Youth Cup
By @MichaelCaples –
The hockey landscape will look very different for the Little Caesars AAA program next season.
Little Caesars has decided to leave the High Performance Hockey League, while the AAA organization announced new initiatives via press release over the weekend.
The Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club’s Girls 19U and 16U teams will join the Junior Women’s Hockey League for the 2017-18 season; the league features primarily Canadian organizations.
In what is labeled as the first junior league for girls in North America, the JWHL will be taking part in its 11th season next year, and it will be expanding to ten programs. The league has an emphasis on playing in on-campus college showcases tailored for college scouts.
“Joining the JWHL is a very positive step for our Little Caesars Girls Program in terms of exposure, competition and opportunity,” said Manon Rheaume, Leader of the Little Caesars Girls Program, in the press release. “It is another example of our commitment to the development of our players on and off the ice, as we look to help them reach the next level of their playing careers at the collegiate level, while furthering their education off the ice.”
The Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club and the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League will both be utilizing the practice rink that will be attached to Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit come next season.
The boys’ program will continue to compete in the state of Michigan and Ontario, according to the release. Little Caesars boys teams will also be participating with NHL partners in the growing NHL Youth Cup, which gives NHL-sponsored AAA youth clubs the opportunity to play in prestigious tournaments for all birth years from squirt minor to bantam major.
“As we continue to strive for the best for our players and their families, we look forward to providing our coaches the opportunity to schedule games against our Michigan counterparts and to host top teams from Ontario in our new home, Little Caesars Arena,” said Kris Draper, Assistant to the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings. “We also believe in the vision and opportunity to grow and promote the game of hockey with like-minded NHL youth teams and will continue to participate in the NHL Youth Cup series.”
The High Performance Hockey League was constructed for six franchises in the Metro Detroit and Chicago area – Little Caesars, Honeybaked, Compuware, Team Illinois, Chicago Mission and the Chicago Young Americans. It began play in the 2011-12 season.