By Adam Collins
Last checked Oct. 26, 2026. We update this page when the club or USA Hockey publishes something new.
Nashville Jr. Predators 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 | Tennessee |
Rinks | Ford Ice Center Antioch, Ford Ice Center Bellevue (Nashville), F&M Bank Arena (Clarksville) and Gary Force Acura Arena (Nolensville), Tennessee |
DL teams from 2027-28 | One 15U and one 17U team |
Tier I teams now (2026-27) | 15O AAA (2011s), 16U AAA (2010s) and 18U AAA (2008s and 2009s) |
League now | Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL), full member |
Published DL fee | None found yet (as of Oct. 26, 2026) |
Sources: Nashville Jr. Predators, facilities · Nashville Jr. Predators, boys AAA · T1EHL, league members
Oct. 16, 2026: Nashville Jr. Predators Selected to Join USA Hockey Development League (DL) for Inaugural 2027-28 Season
“Age-eligible players on NJP’s 18U AAA team will also have opportunities to participate with the 17U DL team.”
The club calls itself a founding member and says it is planning for 2027-28. It also says its 17U DL players will be eligible for USHL and NAHL call-ups and lists a schedule of up to 55 games, September through March.
What changes at Nashville Jr. Predators
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 15O and 16U teams. Its announcement says age-eligible 18U AAA players will also have chances to play with the 17U DL team, which indicates it plans to keep 18U.
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 Nashville Jr. Predators 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. The club says financial aid is available through the Jr. Predators Scholarship Fund.
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 club runs a billet program for out-of-town players, mostly 15 to 18, with at most two players per home, usually August to May. Host families get a monthly payment; the club doesn’t post the amount or what a player’s family pays. DL rosters have open residency, so a program can sign players from anywhere.
Sources: Nashville Jr. Predators, 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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