By Delorean Fleetwood
Tier III junior hockey in the United States isn’t the most flashy or productive. It may not get the headlines as their Tier I or even Tier II counterparts do, but that doesn’t make the people involved any less important or discredit the thankless work they put in. From the coaches and staff, to the billet families and communities that these teams play in, hockey at the grassroots level in the United States is found here. Tier III junior hockey is relatable to NCAA Division III athletics. Sure, you’ll see the Stagg Bowl (The Division III Football National Championship Game) on ESPN every single year (how about UW River Falls this last year? What a run and upset of North Central!). As for the other sports? Thats usually an ESPN3 thing or on NCAA.com if you want to watch sports such as the track and field championships or the Final Four.
Although the DIII Frozen Four has been on ESPN in recent years (UW River Falls women are back to back champs), Tier III isn’t the big brands with the big names. As such, the grassroots of such teams and organizations are built by us, the fans. Tier III hockey isn’t cheap to play, either. The NA3HL can range from $10,000-15,000 a season to play, while the USPHL Premier can run an individual player anywhere from $6,000-15,000 a season. Conversely, the Tier II NAHL can expect to see players fork over $3,000-5,000 a year. As for the USHL? It’s fully funded. That means $0 to play for those names looking to make a splash at Tier I in places like Green Bay Wisconsin and Des Moines Iowa, while those in Lafayette Louisiana and Vernal Utah are paying a year’s tuition (and rent in some places) just for the opportunity to play. The competition at Tier III to be able to shine, just for the chance to either be noticed and move up to NAHL or play Collegiately at the NCAA DIII level won’t be seen through the stat sheets and regular season standings. Rather, the close knit connections these players build through the communities and people involved on their journeys.
Tier III is on par to that of Junior B hockey in Canada. The likes of the Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) and Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL). Teams like the Lake Cowichan Kraken and defending Pacific Cup Champions, the White Rock Whalers, showcase what this level is all about. The love of the game at the grassroots and community support level. While Tier III does have a pathway program to eventually move up, Tier III exists primarily for amateur development and preparation for NCAA DIII Hockey.
Every level of hockey has it’s dominant teams. While the parity of the NHL has made the league more attractive in recent years, that wasn’t always the case. As an Anaheim Mighty Ducks fan (going back to 1996-97, still my team, win, lose, or OTL, lol), I can recall how Dallas, Detroit, and Colorado virtually dominated the Western Conference for the better part of almost ten years. With the 2004-05 lockout that brought in the “salary cap” era, it’s incredibly rare to see decade long dynasties anymore. However, the lower you go in level, the higher the likelihood you’ll see teams that are virtually consistent, if not outright dominant. The AHL used to see that often with teams like the Hershey Bears, but as the AHL serves as a AAA to the NHL teams, its more or less, unlikely to see that development process grow into AHL powerhouses.
There are a few teams that have, however. The Chicago Wolves, Texas Stars, and 2026 Calder Cup Champions, the Toronto Marlies, are examples of that. Other teams have risen and fallen with consistency. Being able to make the playoffs annually can be considered a win in that regard. Just ask the Colorado Eagles, who won back to back Kelly Cups in the ECHL before getting the call up to become the AHL affiliate of the Avalanche, just down the road from Loveland in Denver. The Eagles have continued to win on a regular basis, making the Western Conference Finals this past season, before losing to the Chicago Wolves in a tough seven game series.
The ECHL is currently witnessing a dominating force that the league has never seen in it’s HISTORY. Nooooo, not even close. The Florida Everblades have bucked the trend of minor league dominance in the modern era ENTIRELY. The AA league had only seen a handful of teams win back to back Kelly Cups. In their quest for a three-peat, none of those teams ever got past the second round. Florida not only did just that, but they won the Kelly Cup for an unprecedented third straight season. The following season saw them make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals, before falling to the eventual Champions, the Trois-Rivières Lions. The Everblades would make it back to the Kelly Cup Finals the following season, defeating the Kansas City Mavericks, winning four straight after falling behind 0-2 to start the series. What the team from the Fort Myers area (Estero) has done is nothing short of remarkable. A fourth cup in five years even at the AA level, is something to marvel at. No one would be surprised if they won it again in 2026-27. Truly amazing.
JUNIOR DOMINANCE
Dominant teams at the junior hockey level are even more impressive given the circumstances and make up of each team, year in and year out. For starters, teams have players that range from 16-21 at the Tier-III and Tier-II level (16-20 for the top tiers in the USHL and CHL), so teams will eventually cycle through numerous rosters over the course of a few years, much less just one or two. Not only that, but the very best players down at the lower levels will likely get plucked up to play at higher levels. Thus, it ultimately comes down to building a brand and a product that will draw in the very best to play at the Tier-III level. While it’s not surprising the very best teams will stand out on a year to year basis, as the parity of teams is vastly obvious at this level. It’s very common for the haves and have-nots to be more pronounced at this level of play.
What makes the recent dominance of the teams of today’s topic so remarkable, highlights just how hard it is to win at this level. Not only that, but win with the eye-opening consistency that they have the last two seasons.
We will start our journey in the United States Premier Hockey League’s Premier Division.
VERNAL OILERS
Nestled in the Northeast corner of Utah, lies Vernal. A city with a population of just over 10,000 people, situated 175 miles east of Salt Lake City along US Highway 40. Rock Springs Wyoming is 109 miles to the North, while Steamboat Springs Colorado, lies 162 miles to the East. The Oilers started out in the now defunct Canadian-American Junior Hockey League in 2021-22, competing against teams from Alberta. As the only team in the US playing in this league, they faced a significant disadvantage from the beginning. Despite this, the Oilers made it all the way to the Finals, losing to the Cold Lake Aeros, 6-1. In 2022-23 the Oilers would move to the USPHL Premier Division the following season, playing in the Northwest Division against the likes of the Seattle Totems and Bellingham Blazers. In their inagural USPHL campaign, the Oilers won the Northwest Division with a 35-5-5 record, good for 8th out of 70 teams league wide. After defeating Rogue Valley 2-0 and Seattle 2-1 in their divisional playoff series, the Oilers advanced to the National Championship Tournament. Despite not qualifying after being outscored 7-2 in their two games, they won the Consolation Game 6-4 against the Minnesota Moose, finishing 17th to cap off 2022-23.
The following season saw the Oilers take a slight step back record wise, going 29-9-6, but still won the Northwest Division crown. This year, however, both Division Playoff Series were two game sweeps, taking down Rouge Valley and Seattle on their way to a second consecutive National Tournament. After losing their opening game to the Fort Wayne Spacemen, the Oilers rebounded to defeat the Ontario Jr Reign 5-4 in OT, ensuring they mase the Round of 16. The Oilers would draw the 12 seed after pool play. Their season would end with a 6-4 loss to the 5 seed Potomac Patriots. Despite a disappointing end to their second season, the Oilers era ready to run it back. And boy, would they ever.
OIL ALERT: VERNAL, UTAH
The Vernal Oilers outscored their opponents in 2024-25 by a staggering 406-69 over the course of the regular season, going an unprecedented 44-0, even for the wild and wacky world that is Tier-III USA Junior Hockey, that is still massively unheard of, in fact, it had never happened before. The Oilers began their march in the postseason, dominating the Iron County Yeti 29-1 in their two game sweep. The Seattle Totems didn’t fair much better, getting outscored 11-3, as the Oilers came into the National Championship Tournament as THE team to beat.
The tournament format would be different this season, splitting teams into two pools and seeing the top two teams advance to the Semifinals. Vernal was paired with two foes that defeated them in the last two seasons in Fort Wayne and Potomac. Universal Sherbrooke rounded out their pool (their pool had four teams, while the other had six for some unknown reason). The Oilers fell to Potomac once again, 4-3. Vernal, however, would rebound to defeat Fort Wayne 4-0 and secure a semifinal berth, with a 7-3 win against Sherbrooke. Vernal took on the Tampa Bay Juniors in the Semifinals, defeating them 7-3. Vernal was spared from a rematch with Potomac, after the Springfield Pics upset them 5-4 in OT, setting up the 2025 National Championship. Vernal would take down Springfield 6-2, capping off a 52-1 season overall, winning the USPHL Premier National Championship.
RUN IT BACK
The Oilers came into the USPHL Premier Division in 2025-26 with a clear goal in mind: prove last year wasn’t a fluke and that they were very much the dominating factor in USPHL Premier that they showcased last season. Well, you couldnt expect a second undefeated season from the Oilers, but what they did in 25-26 would be considered historic in almost any other season. Only the Charlotte Rush in 2017-18 and Vernal last season had 80 points or more during the regular season. Charlotte went 40-2-2 (they lost to the Hampton Roads Whalers in the National Championship Final, 3-2). As for Vernal? They went 42-2. They outscored teams 373-82 on the year. Three wins were in OT, while one won was via a SO. The last two seasons by Vernal had become the two best regular seasons in the history of the USPHL Premier.
Would the Oilers repeat? Their first round opponents stood no chance. The McCall Smokejumpers were flattened 20-3 in a two game sweep. Seattle fared worse, if you can believe it, getting swept in two games by a combined score of 23-3. The Oilers were still the team to beat come Nationals and it didn’t look like anyone was going to beat them in pool play this time. The Oilers took down the Hawkesbury Knights, to open the tournament, 5-3. Vernal defeated the West Chester Wolves 5-1 the next day, while taking down the Minnesota Squatch 6-3 to wrap up pool play, going 3-0 with a 16-7 differential.
On Sunday March 28th, 2026, Vernal would take on the Hampton Roads Whalers in the Semifinals. The Oilers took care of business quite handedly, winning 6-0. The following day, Vernal took on the Fresno Monsters in the National Championship Final, setting up an all Western US showdown. The Oilers finished the job, defeating the Monsters 6-4, clinching back to back USPHL Premier National Championships.
With another notch in their belt, the Oilers look ahead to 2026-27, where new horizons and opportunities will be offered to expand their operations at Western Park Ice Rink. We’ll have more on that later. But for now, we head down south to the best junior hockey team in all of Dixie.
LOUISIANA DRILLERS
In the heart of Dixie where college football is King, the city of Lafayette Louisiana is home to the University of Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns. In the middle of gumbo country and swamp bogs lies one of the most dominant junior hockey organizations continues to churn out high quality teams in Tier III. Lafayette, however, is not new to hockey teams filling the arena.
LOUISIANA ICEGATORS
Lafayette Louisiana’s Cajundome was home to the Louisiana IceGators of the ECHL from 1995-2005. Known as “The Frozen Swamp”, the IceGators were passionately supported by the Lafayette faithful during their original run, constantly selling out capacity crowds of over 10,000 a night. The IceGators would make the Kelly Cup Finals twice, but fell both times. They were the ECHL affiliate to the AHL Houston Aeros before eventually folding.
The Frozen Swamp saw a return of the IceGators, this time in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). While the crowds were nowhere near as packed as the glory days were, this team, like the previous one, made the playoffs in most seasons, though the SPHL IceGators never made the President’s Cup Finals, they made it to the Semifinals twice. The SPHL team eventually relocated to Moline, Illinois to become the Quad City Storm. In the 17 seasons of Louisiana IceGators hockey at the Frozen Swamp, 10 in the ECHL and seven in the SPHL, they made the playoffs in 14 of them, only failing to make the postseason in their final ECHL season and first two SPHL seasons. Lafayette Louisiana, in the middle of Ragin Cajun Country, is a hockey hotbed ready to be tapped into. Geaux IceGators!
OIL ALERT, LAFAYETTE, LA
The Louisiana Drillers joined the NA3HL in 2015-16, the last season the SPHL IceGators were at the Frozen Swamp. The Drillers play the Planet Ice Rink, about three miles south of the Frozen Swamp, on the campus of the University of Louisiana. The NA3HL provides a much stiffer competition than what’s usually seen in USPHL.
The Drillers had some growing pains in their first season, going 10-35-2 and scoring only 22 goals on the year, though they were not dead last in their division. The next year, however, was awful, as the Drillers were a measly 6-38-2-1, this time, they were dead last. 2017-18 provided some improvement of sorts, going 17-27-1-1, but once again, they failed to make the playoffs.
That would change next season, as they finished second in the division, going 33-12-2. They lost in the first round, proving the Drillers had some distance to go before they would strike it rich. Prior to COVID shutting things down next season, they still managed third in their division, going 23-21-2-1.
The Drillers were set back the next two seasons, going 13-23-2-2 in 20-21 and 13-33-1 in 21-22, though, both were good enough for fifth place in the division. The Drillers would really began to take off in 2022-23, starting the run of arguably the most dominant campaign in USA Tier-III junior hockey history.
The Louisiana Drillers went 32-14-1 in 22-23, making the playoffs after finishing third in the division, but they once again, failed to win a playoff series. The following season, however, was a different story, as they went 30-15-0-2, finishing third once again, but they not only won a playoff series, they won their divisional playoff and made it to the Fraser Cup Tournament, eventually falling in the Round Robin play. The Drillers had no idea that the greatest run in Tier-III USA Junior Hockey was about to unfold.
STRIKE IT RICH
The 2024-25 NA3HL season saw the Louisiana Drillers go on an absolute tear through the league, going 40-3-3-1 on their way to their first division title in their nine years as an organization. Led by 67 point scorers Brody Neish and Jake Bergstrom, the Drillers had two of the top 10 scorers in the NA3HL. Cole Schmidt was the fourth best goaltender during the regular season for Louisiana.
The Drillers had the second best offense in the NA3HL, only to the New Mexico Ice Wolves, and the best defense, outscoring teams 240-89. The South Division’s playoff field was arguably the best, top to bottom. First up, was a very solid Austin Ice Bats team that finished 32-13-1-1, the best among 4th place teams in their division. But, the best defense in NA3HL posted two shutouts, 3-0 and 2-0 to complete the first round sweep in two games. Next up, was the third best team in the entire NA3HL, the New Mexico Ice Wolves. The Drillers met this clash of the South Division titans head on, shutting down the league’s best offense. The Drillers completed the two game sweep, winning 4-1 and 2-1, to capture the South and advance to the Fraser Cup Tournament. As the Ice Wolves were the finalist with the best regular season record, they also advanced along with Louisiana.
The five division winners (South, Central, East, Frontier, and West) and division finalst with the best regular season record, are separated into two pools of three teams each and play two round robin games, one against the other teams in their pool. The top two teams in each pool advance to the Frasier Cup Semifinals. The Semifinals and Finals are a single game.
The Drillers would be paired with the Granite City Lumberjacks (West) and the Binghamton Buzz (East). Louisiana would lose to Granite City 6-2, but defeat Binghamton 5-1 to advance to the Semifinals. The Drillers would meet a familiar foe in the Semifinals, as they had a rematch with the Ice Wolves. The Drillers would prevail once again, advancing to the Fraser Cup Finals, defeating New Mexico 5-4. Granite City was denied a rematch with Louisiana, after losing to the West Bend Power (Central) 2-0.
The Louisiana Drillers took on the West Bend Power in the 2025 Fraser Cup Finals. The first period saw goals by Louisiana’s Cameron McEwan and West Bend’s Michael Maillette, making it 1-1 after the first period. McEwan and Skyler Bawcom scored in the second, giving the Drillers a 3-1 lead heading into the third. Alexander Thomas and Johnathon Berndt added insurance goals in the third, lifting the Louisiana Drillers to a 5-1 victory over the West Bend Power in the 2025 Fraser Cup Finals. Louisiana was the 2024-25 USA Hockey Tier-III National Champions. They finished the season at 47-4-3-1.
After nine long, grueling years, they finally climbed the mountain and finally hoisted the cup. The Bayou State was a State of Hockey.
DIG DEEPER
The Louisiana Drillers would follow up their Fraser Cup Championship the following season by having the greatest regular season in the HISTORY of the NA3HL. The Drillers would go 46-0-1, outscoring teams 516-43. They had 27 shutouts during the regular season. Their lone loss was in OT. The Drillers had a chance to do something special this season. The 25-26 season saw the NA3HL go to six divisions with a new Southeast Division. The Drillers were one of the teams that played in the inagural Southeast Division.
The Southeast was certainly an easier division, as their first round opponents, the Bayou State Rougaroux, went 14-32-0-1. The Drillers had no problems with their new in-state rivals, winning 13-0 and 15-0 to capture the sweep. Their Southeast Division Finals opponents, the Texas Roadrunners, were a much better team, at 30-17. The College Station, Texas based Roadrunners fared no better, losing 8-1 and 12-0, as Louisiana made a trip back to the Fraser Cup Tournament. The Rochester Grizzlies and Helena Bighorns were the pool play teams Louisiana was matched up with. They would lose to Rochester in OT, 5-4, while defeating Helena, 6-0, advancing once again, to the Fraser Cup Semifinals.
The Drillers would take on the Texas Brahmas in the Semifinals. The Drillers had no problems, winning 4-0, setting up a showdown with the Granite City Lumberjacks. In a shocking turn of events, the Drillers would lose in regulation for the first time all season, losing 4-0, as Granite City would capture the 2026 Fraser Cup. Louisiana would finish 52-1-2 on the season, falling just shy of winning back to back Fraser Cups.
Despite falling short of the greatest season ever in the NA3HL, the Drillers figure to be the favorites in the Southeast Division in 2026-27. The Southeast Division will feature Louisiana along with the Texas Roadrunners, Austin Ice Bats, Pelham Prowlers (Alabama), Bayou State Rougaroux, and the Atlanta Capitals (Duluth, GA).
OIL DROPS
With two dominating seasons behind them, can we expect three in a row? Well, there are a few factors that might throw a wrench into those plans. The Drillers are officially sanctioned by USA Hockey, while the Oilers (at least right now) are not. Louisiana has the backing of USA Hockey. Not only that, but they play in a much easier Southeast Division going into 2026-27. The Austin Ice Bats will provide the Drillers (and the Southeast Division as a whole) a stiffer challenge. The Drillers will definitely be motivated to come out with something to prove this season after losing only one game in regulation all of last season, the one that mattered most in the end.
Expect the Drillers to come out and three-peat in the Southeast, but don’t be surprised if the Southeast is tougher this year than it was last season. Austin still went 32-13-1-1 in the tough South Division last season, finishing second. With the way the offense played last year, it wouldn’t surprise me if they whipped the entire division again.
As for Vernal? The USPHL made some changes in the off-season that not only forced their hands with division alignment, but wound up potentially playing into the decision that caused them to move up to the Tier II NCDC for this season.
Four teams in the NCDC moved up to play in the NAHL beginning in 2026-27. The Idaho Falls Spud Kings, Billings Cattle Punchers, Ogden Mustangs, and Grand Junction River Hawks all moved to the USA Hockey sanctioned Tier-II league, forming the new Mountain Division.
The Chippewa Steel relocated to Pueblo, Colorado and rebranded as the Pueblo Peppers, giving the new NAHL division five teams heading into the season. This significantly crippled the NCDC’s own Mountain Division.
The USPHL responded with a recent lawsuit alleging breach of contract and asking for an injunction to force the departed teams to remain in the NCDC. Safe to say, the injunction is likely to fail, settlements and undisclosed financial reimbursement is the likely end result to the suit.
With only the Casper Warbirds and Rock Springs Miners coming back, a necessary change was needed to keep the remainder of the teams afloat. The NCDC underwent some massive expansion from 2025-26 to 2026-27, as the NCDC nearly doubled in size, going from 33 to 63 teams.
Last year saw five divisions, Mountain, Atlantic, New England North, New England Central, and New England East. This year will see seven Conferences, with three of them split into two separate divisions.
The seven conferences are Atlantic, Colonial, Metro, Northeast, MidWest, Western, and Southern. The MidWest is split into North and Great Lakes Division, the Southern is split into Florida and Southeast Division, while the Western is split into Mountain and Pacific Division.
The Oilers will be in the five team Western Conference Mountain Division, along with their old Northwest Division foes, the McCall Smokejumpers. The Casper Warbirds, Rock Springs Miners, and Park City Outliers round out the division. The four team Western Conference Pacific Division will see the return of some familiar foes in recent years, such as the Fresno Monsters and Ontario Jr Reign, along with the Lake Tahoe Lakers.
The Oilers have proven over the last two years that the competition they are likely to face come playoff time in the Western Conference is still no match for them. The Oilers should not only take the Mountain Division, but the Western Conference as well.
The real question is how will the NCDC handle the Dineen Cup Tournament this season? They could take the Atlantic, Colonial, Metro, and Northeast Conference Champions, along with the Florida, Southeast, North, Great Lakes, Pacific and Mountain Division Champions for 10 teams and two pools of five for round robin with either the top two teams for the semifinals, or three, with a quarterfinal round of six.
They could also choose to have the Western, Southern, and MidWest divisional champions play for a conference champion, sending a total of seven teams to the Tournament.
A potential format they could use, would be to seed the teams 1-7 in order of regular season points. Top overall seed gets a bye into the semifinals, while we see a 2v7, 3v6, and 4v5. Teams are reseeded for the semifinals. At that point it could be a straight knockout round to the Dineen Cup Championship with only six more games. Seven teams for pool play wouldn’t work very well, but 10 would. Still a number of options the USPHL could go with.
For this season, I predict the Louisiana Drillers and Vernal Oilers will win their Divisional Playoffs and make Fraser Cup and Dineen Cup Tournament at season’s end. As to whether they finish the job? The Oilers haven’t seen the likes of what the other teams in the NCDC (such as the defending champions, the South Shore Kings) are capable of.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they upped their game and overcame the other teams. While it might be more likely that they run into more polished competition that has been here before, the NCDC went from 33 to 63 in the span of just one off-season, but out of all the new teams, Vernal is head and shoulders and more, above the other 29.
Look for Vernal to make at least a Dineen Cup Semifinal appearance this season. South Shore won’t be an easy team to beat (just ask Idaho Falls, who beat them in 2025, but lost to them this year), they are the three time defending Cup Finalists for a reason, but if its any team that could make this adjustment and get hot and make a run to the Dineen Cup, it’s Vernal.
Louisiana should make the Fraser Cup Semifinals again this season as well. Louisiana had been next to unstoppable, only Granite City seems to have them figured out. At some point, that’s bound to change. I’ll go on a limb and say they will beat them in rematch. Whether that’s in pool play, the semifinals or Fraser Cup Finals remains to be seen. As to whether they’ll win it all? The only team that beat Louisiana was Louisiana. The Drillers are my favorites to win.
VERNAL VS LOUISIANA
Vernal has gone a COMBINED 103-3 the past two seasons. Louisiana has gone 99-5-5-1. Together, they combine for 202-8-5-1, with three championships and four Finals appearances. Out of curiosity, who would win a hypothetical seven game series between the squads? Vernal gets home ice in a 2-3-2 format. The Drillers get to play home games at the Frozen Swamp.
Game 1 goes to the Oilers in OT, as Louisiana tends to drop games they shouldn’t, plus the travel from Lafayette would take a toll on the Drillers who aren’t used to playing in the higher elevation. Game 2 goes to the Drillers, who have finally locked in and found a way to shut down this high powered team.
The Drillers are energized for a crowd of 10,000 fans packing the Cajundome. The series won’t go back to Utah, as the record setting crowds rejuvenate the hometown Drillers, whose offense gets it going once again, averaging seven goals a game, including a 9-3 Game 5 clincher, that sends the sold out crowd of over 11,000 into a frenzy.
Sorry Vernal, but Louisiana is a very polished machine that continues to play better competition and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down against it. Louisiana wins the series 4-1.
No matter what the season holds for these two teams, they have set the hockey world on fire the last two seasons and are ready to burn their opposition once again. Look for the Vernal Oilers and Louisiana Drillers to continue their winning ways beginning in September.
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