The United States Premier Hockey League’s Tier-II NCDC has announced an expansion of the league and a Western Division beginning in the 2023-24 season. Six teams will make up the inaugural group as the Utah Outliers, Ogden Mustangs, Pueblo Bulls, Provo Predators, Northern Colorado Eagles, and the new Idaho Spud Kings will join the trek to Tier-II.
The news indicates the move in 2023-24 will be a full-scale move of the teams to Tier-II, as USPHL Commissioner noted, “The Mountain Division’s six teams will compete at the Premier level for the 2022-23 season and use the year to prepare for the jump to our tuition-free NCDC Tier-II level.”
With the expansion out west, the move provides the NCDC with a look into the western United States after being mostly confined to the northeastern areas. For the 2022-23 season, the farthest west team will be the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, ultimately in the eastern half of Pennsylvania.
As rumors came about last season regarding a new elite-level (presumably Tier-I) junior hockey league to be based on the west coast, the move also allows the NCDC a presence in the western half of the US, should that league come to fruition.
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