USPHL Premier Weekend Preview: Jersey Hitmen Showcase Headlines 79-Game Slate

One of the league’s signature early-season events joins a battle of Florida unbeatens, a crowded Great Lakes race and consequential divisional series across the USPHL Premier.

The USPHL Premier enters a significant early-season weekend with 79 games scheduled from Oct. 2-4 and the return of one of the league’s longest-running showcase events.

The Jersey Hitmen Showcase runs Oct. 2-5 at the Ice Vault in Wayne, N.J., bringing together Premier teams from across the league’s expanding footprint. The event creates matchups between clubs that do not ordinarily share a regular-season schedule while giving players an opportunity to compete in front of junior and college hockey scouts.

Away from Wayne, two undefeated Florida clubs meet with first place at stake, four teams enter the weekend separated by one point in the Great Lakes Division and the Southeast features three divisional series.

 

Jersey Hitmen Showcase Brings The League Together

Hosted by one of the USPHL’s longest-standing organizations, the Jersey Hitmen Showcase has become a staple of the Premier calendar and an important early-season stop for player evaluation and advancement.

The 2026 event will be held Oct. 2-5 at the Ice Vault in Wayne, N.J., just outside New York City.

The showcase brings together teams from the Atlantic and St. Lawrence divisions and gives clubs opportunities to face opponents from outside their regular schedules. Those crossover games will also provide an early comparison between two divisions featuring several undefeated teams.

The Rockets Hockey Club and West Chester enter the weekend 2-0, while P.A.L. won its season opener. In St. Lawrence, Somang Hockey, St-Lazare Avalanche and Universel Sherbrooke have each opened 2-0, and Deux-Montagnes won its first game by shutout.

Among the showcase matchups are Universel Sherbrooke against Mercer and Connecticut, St-Lazare against P.A.L., Red Bank and West Chester, and Somang against Mercer, New Jersey and West Chester.

The showcase continues Monday, Oct. 5, beyond the Oct. 2-4 weekend schedule listed below.

 

Weekend Games To Watch

Florida’s Unbeatens Meet Twice

Coral Springs and Tampa Bay have each opened 2-0, and both have done it with plenty of offense.

The Jr. Cats have outscored their opponents 20-2. Tampa Bay has scored 25 times while allowing five. They meet Friday at Tampa and again Sunday at Coral Springs with first place in the Florida Division at stake.

The division’s other series features the Florida Eels and Florida Surge on Saturday and Sunday. The Florida Jr. Blades, who have taken three of four available points, host Typhoon Hockey Club on Saturday.

 

Four Clubs Crowd The Great Lakes Race

Only one point separates the first four teams in the Great Lakes Division.

Metro leads with five points, while Chicago, Columbus and Toledo enter tied with four. Columbus and Toledo remain undefeated.

Metro plays three games across the weekend, beginning Friday against Northwest and Decatur before facing Dells on Saturday. Columbus meets Dells and Chicago on Friday before facing Fresh Coast on Saturday.

Toledo plays Flint on Friday and Saturday, giving the Cherokee an opportunity to remain among the division’s early leaders.

 

Atlantic Meets St. Lawrence

The Rockets Hockey Club and West Chester enter the weekend tied atop the Atlantic at 2-0, while P.A.L. also owns a perfect record through one game.

Across the border, Somang Hockey, St-Lazare Avalanche and Universel Sherbrooke have each opened 2-0. Deux-Montagnes is also unbeaten following a shutout in its season opener.

The Jersey Hitmen Showcase brings those two groups together repeatedly. Sherbrooke faces Mercer and Connecticut on Friday, Connecticut again Saturday and the Rockets on Sunday. St-Lazare meets P.A.L., Red Bank, Connecticut and West Chester. Somang faces Mercer, New Jersey and West Chester.

Those games will provide an early comparison between two divisions with several undefeated clubs.

 

Southeast Race Continues With Three Series

Charlotte opened 2-0 and leads the Southeast with four points, but Carolina, Charleston, Potomac and Yorktown each sit only one point behind.

Charlotte and Potomac meet Saturday and Sunday. Carolina and Charleston play Friday and Saturday, while Hampton Roads begins its season with two games against Yorktown.

With all six teams in action against divisional opponents, the Southeast standings could look considerably different by Sunday night.

 

Pacific Contenders Try To Keep Pace

Long Beach has opened 7-0 and already built a six-point lead in the Pacific, but the teams immediately behind the Bombers have games in hand.

Salt Lake and Santa Clarita both enter with four points. Salt Lake plays San Diego on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while Santa Clarita faces Iron County three times.

Both clubs have an opportunity to cut into the early gap. San Diego and Iron County will be looking for their first victories.

 

Alberta’s Early Leaders Return To Division Play

Claresholm and the OLCN Scouts enter the weekend 2-0, while Hanna won its season opener.

Hanna and OLCN meet Friday and Saturday. Claresholm hosts Hinton on Friday and Bassano on Saturday before Hinton faces Chestermere on Sunday.

Hinton will play its first game of the season Friday, adding another club to an Alberta race that has already produced three undefeated teams.

 

New England Teams Begin To Separate

Utica leads New England with five points, one ahead of idle Worcester. The Jr. Comets face Northern Cyclones on Saturday and Sunday.

Boston Jr. Terriers and South Shore meet Friday, while Cyclones Academy begins its season Saturday against New England.

 

Division Watch

Atlantic Division

The Rockets have scored 22 goals while allowing only one through two games. West Chester is also 2-0 with a 17-3 scoring margin, while P.A.L. scored 10 times in its season opener.

Much of the Atlantic’s weekend will be spent against St. Lawrence opposition at the Jersey Hitmen Showcase, creating opportunities for all three early leaders to strengthen their positions.

 

St. Lawrence Division

Somang, St-Lazare and Sherbrooke enter tied with four points. Deux-Montagnes has two points from one game, while Hudson Knights earned a point in an overtime loss.

Universel Collège Gatineau makes its season debut with games against P.A.L., Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Mercer.

 

Florida Division

Coral Springs and Tampa Bay enter tied at four points. The Jr. Blades sit one point behind, followed by the Eels with two and the Surge with one.

The Coral Springs-Tampa series is the weekend’s clearest first-place matchup.

 

Great Lakes Division

Metro’s five points lead Chicago, Columbus and Toledo by one. Columbus has yet to allow a goal through two games, while Metro has surrendered only five in three.

The division’s early balance makes every crossover result important.

 

Midwest Division

Cincinnati is idle after opening 5-1 and winning five straight. That gives Fresh Coast, MJDP and Flint opportunities to begin closing the early gap through crossover games against Great Lakes and North opponents.

 

North Division

Dells opened with a 7-5 victory and plays four times this weekend. Hudson and Northwest will be searching for their first points, with both facing opponents from outside the division.

 

New England Division

Utica’s five points lead the division, but undefeated Worcester is only one point behind with a game in hand. Boston Jr. Rangers and Syracuse also won their season openers but are not on this weekend’s schedule.

 

Southeast Division

Charlotte leads with four points. Carolina, Charleston, Potomac and Yorktown each have three, making this weekend’s three divisional series particularly valuable.

 

Pacific Division

Long Beach’s 7-0 start has established the pace. Salt Lake and Santa Clarita enter tied with four points and can gain ground during their respective three-game series.

 

Alberta Division

Claresholm and OLCN sit atop the division at 2-0. Hanna is also undefeated, while Hinton begins its schedule Friday.

 

Complete Weekend Schedule

Friday, Oct. 2

• Fresh Coast Freeze vs. Decatur Blaze J18 — 8 a.m.
• Northwest Express vs. Metro Jets — 8:30 a.m.
• Dells Ducks vs. Columbus Mavericks — 10:15 a.m.
• Boston Jr. Terriers vs. South Shore Kings — noon
• Universel Sherbrooke vs. Mercer Chiefs — 1 p.m.
• Connecticut Jr. Rangers vs. New York Dynamo — 1:15 p.m.
• MJDP vs. Hudson Havoc — 2:30 p.m.
• Decatur Blaze J18 vs. Metro Jets — 4:45 p.m.
• Columbus Mavericks vs. Chicago Crush — 5:15 p.m.
• Coral Springs Jr. Cats vs. Tampa Bay Juniors — 5:15 p.m.
• Flint Icelanders vs. Toledo Cherokee — 5:30 p.m.
• Carolina Jr. Hurricanes vs. Charleston Colonials — 6:20 p.m.
• San Diego Sabers vs. Salt Lake Ghost Riders — 6:45 p.m.
• Santa Clarita Lakers vs. Iron County Yeti — 7 p.m.
• Hudson Havoc vs. Chicago T-Rex J18 — 7 p.m.
• P.A.L. Jr. Islanders vs. St-Lazare Avalanche — 7 p.m.
• Universel Sherbrooke vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers — 7:15 p.m.
• Hinton Timberwolves vs. Claresholm Cowboys — 7:30 p.m.
• Connecticut Jr. Rangers vs. Hudson Knights — 7:30 p.m.
• Chestermere Mustangs vs. Three Hills Titans — 8 p.m.
• Hanna Havoc vs. OLCN Scouts — 8 p.m.
• Deux-Montagnes Ravens vs. Jersey Hitmen — 9:15 p.m.

 

Saturday, Oct. 3

• Dells Ducks vs. Metro Jets — 8 a.m.
• Fresh Coast Freeze vs. Columbus Mavericks — 8:30 a.m.
• Mercer Chiefs vs. Deux-Montagnes Ravens — 8:45 a.m.
• Connecticut Jr. Rangers vs. Universel Sherbrooke — 9 a.m.
• Rockets Hockey Club vs. New York Dynamo — 9:30 a.m.
• MJDP vs. Decatur Blaze J18 — 10:15 a.m.
• Typhoon Hockey Club vs. Florida Jr. Blades — 11:45 a.m.
• Hudson Knights vs. P.A.L. Jr. Islanders — 11:45 a.m.
• Red Bank Generals vs. St-Lazare Avalanche — noon
• Utica Jr. Comets vs. Northern Cyclones — 1 p.m.
• Kingston Wranglers vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers — 2 p.m.
• Mercer Chiefs vs. Somang Hockey — 3:45 p.m.
• Fresh Coast Freeze vs. Hudson Havoc — 4:15 p.m.
• Ottawa Valley Centennials vs. Jersey Hitmen — 4:15 p.m.
• Cyclones Academy vs. New England Wolves — 4:15 p.m.
• Yorktown Admirals vs. Hampton Roads Whalers — 4:30 p.m.
• New Jersey Renegades vs. New York Dynamo — 4:30 p.m.
• Florida Eels vs. Florida Surge — 5 p.m.
• Charleston Colonials vs. Carolina Jr. Hurricanes — 5 p.m.
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights vs. Deux-Montagnes Ravens — 6 p.m.
• MJDP vs. Chicago Crush — 6:30 p.m.
• San Diego Sabers vs. Salt Lake Ghost Riders — 6:45 p.m.
• Santa Clarita Lakers vs. Iron County Yeti — 7 p.m.
• Dells Ducks vs. Chicago T-Rex J18 — 7 p.m.
• Toledo Cherokee vs. Flint Icelanders — 7 p.m.
• St-Lazare Avalanche vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers — 7 p.m.
• Claresholm Cowboys vs. Bassano Beavers — 7:30 p.m.
• Calgary Bandits vs. Three Hills Titans — 7:30 p.m.
• Hudson Knights vs. West Chester Wolves — 7:30 p.m.
• Charlotte Rush vs. Potomac Patriots — 7:45 p.m.
• OLCN Scouts vs. Hanna Havoc — 8 p.m.
• Universel Collège Gatineau vs. P.A.L. Jr. Islanders — 8:15 p.m.
• Connecticut Jr. Rangers vs. Montreal Black Vees — 9:15 p.m.

 

Sunday, Oct. 4

• Montreal Black Vees vs. Rockets Hockey Club — 8:45 a.m.
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights vs. Universel Collège Gatineau — 9 a.m.
• Jersey Hitmen vs. Kingston Wranglers — 9:15 a.m.
• Yorktown Admirals vs. Hampton Roads Whalers — 9:30 a.m.
• Utica Jr. Comets vs. Northern Cyclones — 10 a.m.
• Florida Eels vs. Florida Surge — 11 a.m.
• St-Lazare Avalanche vs. West Chester Wolves — 11:15 a.m.
• Red Bank Generals vs. Hudson Knights — 11:30 a.m.
• San Diego Sabers vs. Salt Lake Ghost Riders — 11:30 a.m.
• Santa Clarita Lakers vs. Iron County Yeti — noon
• MJDP vs. Dells Ducks — noon
• Charlotte Rush vs. Potomac Patriots — 1:15 p.m.
• New Jersey Renegades vs. Somang Hockey — 1:30 p.m.
• Deux-Montagnes Ravens vs. Connecticut Jr. Rangers — 1:45 p.m.
• Fresh Coast Freeze vs. Chicago T-Rex J18 — 2:30 p.m.
• Tampa Bay Juniors vs. Coral Springs Jr. Cats — 2:30 p.m.
• Hinton Timberwolves vs. Chestermere Mustangs — 3:15 p.m.
• New York Dynamo vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights — 3:45 p.m.
• Rockets Hockey Club vs. Universel Sherbrooke — 4 p.m.
• P.A.L. Jr. Islanders vs. Ottawa Valley Centennials — 4:15 p.m.
• Mercer Chiefs vs. Universel Collège Gatineau — 6 p.m.
• Montreal Black Vees vs. Red Bank Generals — 6:30 p.m.
• New Jersey Renegades vs. Kingston Wranglers — 8:15 p.m.
• West Chester Wolves vs. Somang Hockey — 8:30 p.m.

 

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