2026-27 USPHL Premier Season Preview: St. Lawrence Conference
The 2026-27 USPHL Premier Season Preview Series continues with a look at the St. Lawrence Conference.
The conference brings together programs from New York, Ontario and Quebec, featuring returning contenders, new organizations and teams looking to take the next step. Player development and advancement remain major priorities as teams prepare for another season of competition.
Here is a team-by-team look at the St. Lawrence Conference entering 2026-27.
College Gatineau Universel
Head Coach: Darren Rumble
2025-26 Record: 23-17-3-1, 50 points
College Gatineau Universel enters the 2026-27 season looking to build on a 50-point campaign that placed the program fifth in the St. Lawrence standings.
After recording 23 wins last season, Gatineau will look to establish greater consistency and take another step forward against a conference featuring several established programs.
Player development and advancement will remain important as the organization works to prepare its players for opportunities at higher levels of junior and college hockey.
College Sherbrooke Universel
Head Coach: Frederic Ampleman
2025-26 Record: 18-23-2-1, 39 points
College Sherbrooke Universel returns after recording 18 wins and 39 points in 2025-26, finishing sixth in the St. Lawrence standings.
Sherbrooke will look to improve on that record throughout the upcoming season while continuing to develop its players and create opportunities for advancement.
Hudson Knights
Head Coach: Shawn Anderson
2025-26 Record: 34-10-0-0, 68 points – St. Lawrence Division Champions (formerly Hawkesbury Knights)
The Hudson Knights enter the 2026-27 season following a championship campaign in which the organization recorded 34 wins and finished atop the St. Lawrence standings.
Despite that success, Hudson will feature an entirely new group as the organization prepares to defend its division title.
“Our team will be young and hungry,” Anderson said. “We have no returning players at this time. This is the effect of winning the division.”
With a new roster, the Knights will use the opening portion of the season to identify which players are ready to emerge into larger roles.
Hudson took a patient approach to recruiting during an offseason in which the changing junior hockey landscape pushed player availability later into the summer.
Structure, accountability and effort will be central to the team’s identity.
“We will need to stick to the game plan and make sure every player is doing their job,” Anderson said. “We will need to work hard every game and shift.”
Hudson’s development philosophy centers around positional responsibility and decision-making, areas the organization believes have helped advance players in previous seasons.
Repeating last season’s success with a new roster presents a challenge, but Anderson has established a clear benchmark.
“Being the division champs last season will be difficult to repeat with our young team, so playing .500 or above I would consider a success,” Anderson said.
Kingston Wranglers
Head Coach: Chad Duchesne
2025-26 Record: 7-33-2-1, 17 points
The Kingston Wranglers enter 2026-27 with a new coaching staff and several new faces as the organization looks to improve on last season’s seven-win campaign.
“We have added a lot of new faces that are going to have an immediate impact,” Duchesne said. “The Wranglers are looking to take the next step as an organization and become competitive in St. Lawrence.”
Goaltender Cal Parkinson and forwards Hayden Rivette and Ryan Maracle are among the returning players expected to take on larger roles.
Newcomers Carson Caddick, Carter Sager and Jan Teterja could also make immediate contributions.
Kingston placed an emphasis on adding skill and size during the offseason while also getting younger.
The Wranglers expect to bring an aggressive approach every night.
“We are going to play hard and come at you for a full 60-minute game,” Duchesne said. “The Wranglers will be aggressive all game.”
Preparation and daily effort will be critical as Kingston looks to climb the conference standings.
“Every team is very well coached in this league, and we need to make sure we’re prepared every game,” Duchesne said.
Advancement remains a priority for the organization, with Duchesne emphasizing the importance of moving players to higher levels when they are ready.
For Kingston, reaching the playoffs would represent an important step forward.
Montreal Black Vees
Head Coach: Alex Giannetti
Owner/GM: Claude Fortin
2025-26 Record: 28-12-0-3, 59 points
The Montreal Black Vees enter 2026-27 following a 28-win season and a second-place finish in the St. Lawrence Conference.
Speed and depth are expected to be two of Montreal’s biggest strengths as the organization looks to build on last season’s success.
Thomas Laliberté and Maxime Houde are among the returning players expected to take on larger roles, while Zachary Pelletier could make an immediate impact.
The Black Vees focused on strengthening their depth during the offseason, particularly their ability to generate offense throughout the lineup.
“We worked on the depth this offseason in order to distribute offense over four lines,” Fortin said.
Montreal’s established playing style will remain unchanged.
“As always, the Black Vees will be a fast and hard team to play against,” Fortin said.
With another competitive conference schedule ahead, consistency will be essential.
“The conference is always very tightly competed, and we expect it again this year,” Fortin said. “Therefore, consistency will be key.”
Montreal also maintains a consistent organizational playing style designed to make advancement between levels easier for its players.
The Black Vees enter the season with another division title in their sights.
“As always, we are going for the division title,” Fortin said.
NY Dynamo
Head Coach: Brett Tryder
2025-26 Record: 18-24-1-1, 38 points
The NY Dynamo enter 2026-27 looking to improve on an 18-win campaign that saw the organization finish seventh in the St. Lawrence Conference.
Under Head Coach Brett Tryder, the Dynamo will look to establish greater consistency and improve their position in the conference standings.
Player development and advancement will remain important as New York works to prepare its players for opportunities at higher levels of junior and college hockey.
Ottawa Valley Centennials
Head Coach: Reid Russett
2025-26 Record: 5-36-1-2, 13 points
The Ottawa Valley Centennials enter the 2026-27 season looking to make progress after finishing ninth in the St. Lawrence Conference with five wins and 13 points.
Under Head Coach Reid Russett, Ottawa Valley will look to establish a stronger foundation, compete more consistently and improve throughout the season.
Player development will remain an important part of the program as the Centennials work to create opportunities for their players to continue advancing in their hockey careers.
Ravens Hockey Academy
Head Coach: Domenic Marsico
2025-26 Record: First Premier Season in 2026-27
Ravens Hockey Academy begins its first USPHL Premier season with an established group of players advancing through the organization.
Defense is expected to be one of the Ravens’ biggest strengths entering their inaugural campaign.
Fifteen second-year players from last season’s Elite group are moving up, providing the program with familiarity and continuity at the Premier level.
Alessandro Kowalski, Xander Robertson and Christopher Bolduc are among the newcomers Marsico believes can make an immediate impact.
The Ravens focused on developing additional offensive depth during the offseason.
On the ice, the team expects to combine speed at forward with physicality from its defensive group.
“Speed up front and physicality from the back end,” Marsico said.
Consistency will be the primary challenge during the program’s first Premier campaign.
The addition of a Premier team also strengthens the academy’s internal development structure, creating another opportunity for younger players to advance through the organization.
“Having a Premier team within our academy is big for our younger players,” Marsico said. “This gives our youngsters a place to grow and a home to play as they get older.”
The Ravens have established an ambitious goal for their first season.
“Nothing less than a spot at Nationals,” Marsico said.
Somang Hockey
Head Coach: Andre Marais
2025-26 Record: 26-13-3-2, 57 points
Somang Hockey enters 2026-27 following a 26-win season and with a roster built around players invested in reaching higher levels of hockey.
“Our organization and staff have done a tremendous job recruiting,” Marais said. “We have a solid group of players that importantly are all invested in getting to a higher level.”
That shared development mindset will be one of Somang’s defining strengths.
The roster will also feature an even more international makeup than in previous seasons.
“The melting pot of cultures is going to create an exciting environment on and off the ice,” Marais said.
Mihaly Cseke, Arthur Baron and Jeremy Deschambault-Perron are among the returning players expected to take on larger roles.
Wilmer Gustavsson and Anze Golub are newcomers who could make an immediate impact.
Somang spent the offseason addressing organizational details so its staff could devote more time to player development once the season begins.
On the ice, Marais believes the team’s intelligence and competitiveness will allow Somang to adapt to different opponents and situations.
“We have smart players who are all competitors,” Marais said. “We have skill and IQ, which means when we are on our game we can be creative and play an exciting brand, but on other nights we have the ability to simplify things to get the job done.”
Consistency will be critical throughout the 44-game schedule.
Somang’s development process includes individualized player pathways, measurable objectives, video, skill development and an emphasis on hockey IQ and mental preparation.
“We work together to add those one percent every day,” Marais said.
A successful season would include competing at Nationals and advancing at least five players to Tier II opportunities.
St-Lazare Avalanche
Head Coach: Chris Anderson
General Manager: Shawn Anderson
2025-26 Record: 24-17-2-1, 51 points
The St-Lazare Avalanche enter 2026-27 with a veteran group that the organization believes can help improve on last season’s 24-win campaign.
Eight to 10 returning veterans are expected back, including Tristan Latour, Josh Fleury, Cole Brownlee, Tyler Bruno, Ludovic Tessier and Emeric Laplante.
Newcomers Goyer and Ronca are among the players expected to push for immediate roles.
The Avalanche spent the offseason emphasizing core strength and skating while continuing to take a patient approach to roster construction.
Head Coach Chris Anderson expects an aggressive, physical identity.
“In-your-face hockey,” Anderson said.
St-Lazare wants to eliminate opponents’ time and space while relying on its returning group to set the standard.
“Not giving any time or space,” Anderson said of the key to competing within the conference.
The organization continues to emphasize positional responsibility and decision-making as important parts of preparing players for higher levels.
After collecting 51 points last season, St-Lazare enters 2026-27 looking to climb further up the conference standings.
General Manager Shawn Anderson identified a top-three conference finish as a meaningful step forward, while the team’s ultimate target is even higher.
“Nationals,” Chris Anderson said.