By Adam Collins
Last checked Oct. 26, 2026. We update this page when the club or USA Hockey publishes something new.
Chicago Mission is one of the 29 programs USA Hockey named on Oct. 5, 2026 for its Development League (DL), which starts in 2027-28. USA Hockey announced on Oct. 7 that all 29 invited programs accepted. Each DL program fields one 15U team and one 17U team. In the first season that’s players born 2010 to 2013. Here is what the club and USA Hockey have published, and what they haven’t.
Sources: USA Hockey, Oct. 5, 2026 · USA Hockey, Oct. 7, 2026 · USA Hockey, DL Guidebook 2027-28, sections F.2 and F.3
New to the DL? Start with our plain-English guide, then the Guidebook, explained for every rule before signing. All 29 programs are on the list, and the DL Tracker has the latest.
State | Illinois |
Rinks | Elk Grove Ice Arena (Elk Grove Village) and Rosemont Ice Arena (Rosemont), Illinois |
DL teams from 2027-28 | One 15U and one 17U team |
Tier I teams now (2026-27) | 15 Only (2011s), 16U (2010s) and 18U (2008s and 2009s), all listed as National Bound eligible |
League now | Northeast Pack Hockey League (NE Pack), member |
Published DL fee | None found yet (as of Oct. 26, 2026) |
Oct. 5, 2026: Big news for the Mission!
“Chicago Mission is proud to announce that our 15s and 17U teams have been invited to join the USA Hockey Development League!”
The club’s own post calls it an invitation.
Sources: Chicago Mission, Oct. 5, 2026
What changes at Chicago Mission
Under USA Hockey’s DL Guidebook for 2027-28, a DL organization may not field 15O or 16U Tier I teams; its DL teams take their place (section C.2). It can run at most five teams from 13O to 18U: 13O, 14U, 18U and its two DL teams, and whether to field the first three is the organization’s call (C.3).
The club hasn’t said what happens to its 15 Only and 16U teams, or whether 18U stays.
Sources: USA Hockey, DL Guidebook 2027-28, sections C.2 and C.3 · USA Hockey, January 2026 DL legislation
Get DL updates free. Fees as clubs publish them, the signing rules before January, and every change as it happens.
What a season at Chicago Mission costs a family
We haven’t found a published DL team fee from any program yet. Before a DL team can offer a player an agreement, it has to give the family a Team Fact Sheet with the season’s fees, payment schedule and weekly load, and the family signs it (Guidebook I.2.e). The league charges each team a $5,500 assessment for 2027-28 (H.1.c), and teams cover their own operating costs (H.1.f). On a 20-player roster the assessment alone is $275 a player, before ice, coaching or travel.
The club hasn’t published fees for its current Tier I teams either, as of Oct. 26, 2026.
Deciding on a DL offer? The rules are here. The DL Decision Kit helps you decide what they mean for your family: a cost worksheet for what a team fee leaves out, the questions to put to a hockey director, five emails you can send as written, and a week-by-week plan to Feb. 28. It’s $12, and every update is free. Insider members get it included.
Free: the DL Signing Checklist, a one-page printable of what to get and ask before signing. To line an offer up against what you have now, use our free comparison sheet.
Billets and housing
The About page sends billet questions to program directors. No program details or costs are posted. DL rosters have open residency, so a program can sign players from anywhere.
Sources: Chicago Mission, billeting
Date | What happens |
|---|---|
Jan. 15 to 31, 2027 | Early signing. DL teams can sign their own returning players (Guidebook I.1.a). |
Feb. 1 to 28, 2027 | Open signing (I.1.b). |
March 1, 2027 to the end of Nationals | Blackout. No tryouts or signings (I.1.c). |
48 hours after the last Nationals game | Tryouts and signings reopen for DL and Tier I teams (I.1.c.ii). |
Aug. 1, 2027 | DL teams may start practice (G.1.c). |
September 2027 | The first regular season begins (G.2.c). |
Questions to put to the club, in writing:
May we have the team’s Team Fact Sheet, with every item Guidebook section I.2.e lists, before any offer is made?
May we have a copy of the Player Agreement to read before the signing window opens?
Does our player count as a returning player for the Jan. 15 to 31 early signing period under I.1.a?
What does the agreement say a family owes if the player leaves after the team’s first game, under I.1.d?
Our free Team Fact Sheet is a one-page form you can hand any club.
More DL program pages: Madison Capitols · Chicago Mission · Ohio Blue Jackets · Nashville Jr. Predators · Colorado Thunderbirds · Boston Jr. Eagles · Mid Fairfield · North Jersey Avalanche · Philadelphia Jr. Flyers · Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. Also: all 29 DL programs · the DL Tracker · the DL explainer · the Guidebook, explained · the offer comparison sheet.
Spot something out of date on this page? Reply to any issue or email [email protected] and we’ll check it.
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