Empire Junior Hockey League
# Empire Junior Hockey League

The Empire Junior Hockey League (EmJHL) was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey league. The league was classified as Tier III Junior B until the 2011–12 season when USA Hockey combined the Tier III Junior A and Junior B classifications.

## History

On February 25, 2010, the Empire Junior Hockey League Board of Governors voted to eliminate 20-year-old players from the League by changing the restriction of no more than four 20-year-olds per team to a maximum of two per team in the 2010–11 season. Starting with the 2011–12 season there would be no 20-year-olds in the league.

In 2013, the Empire League and the Eastern Elite Hockey League both agreed to affiliate with the newly formed United States Premier Hockey League becoming the Empire and Elite Divisions, respectively. Starting with the 2015–16 season the USPHL's Empire Division was renamed to the USP3 Division.

## Participating teams

As of June 2012, the following teams made up the league in its final season:

Eastern Conference :

| Team | Location |
| - | - |
| Bay State Breakers | Rockland, Massachusetts |
| Boston Bandits | Bridgewater, Massachusetts |
| Boston Jr. Bruins | Marlborough, Massachusetts |
| Connecticut Oilers | Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Islanders Hockey Club | Tyngsborough, Massachusetts |
| New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs | Hooksett, New Hampshire |
| Portland Jr. Pirates | Saco, Maine |
| Salem Ice Dogs | Salem, Massachusetts |
| South Shore Kings | Foxboro, Massachusetts |
| Springfield Pics | West Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Valley Jr. Warriors | Haverhill, Massachusetts |
| Western Conference ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Location |
| Adirondack Jr. Wings | Troy, New York |
| Brewster Bulldogs | Brewster, New York |
| Buffalo Stars | Cheektowaga, New York |
| Frederick Freeze | Frederick, Maryland |
| New Jersey Hitmen | Wayne, New Jersey |
| Jersey Wildcats | Randolph, New Jersey |
| Maksymum Jr. Hockey Club | Rochester, New York |
| New York Apple Core | Long Beach, New York |
| Philadelphia Revolution | Warminster, Pennsylvania |
| P.A.L Juniors Islanders | Hauppauge, New York |
| Syracuse Stars | Cicero, New York |
| Southern Conference ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Location |
| Atlanta Jr. Knights | Atlanta, Georgia |
| East Coast Eagles | Wake Forest, North Carolina |
| Florida Jr. Blades | Estero, Florida |
| Florida Eels | Fort Myers, Florida |
| Hampton Roads Whalers | Chesapeake, Virginia |
| Palm Beach Hawks | Lake Worth, Florida |
| Potomac Patriots | Woodbridge, Virginia |
| Space Coast Hurricanes | Rockledge, Florida |
| Tampa Bay Juniors | Tampa, Florida |

## Champions

* 2012–13 Florida Junior Blades
* 2011–12 New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs
* 2010–11 New York Apple Core
* 2009–10 New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs
* 2008–09 Boston Jr. Bruins
* 2007–08 Boston Jr. Bruins
* 2006–07 Boston Jr. Bruins
