By Adam Collins
Last checked Oct. 26, 2026. We update this page when the club or USA Hockey publishes something new.
North Jersey Avalanche 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 | New Jersey |
Rinks | The Ice House, Hackensack, New Jersey |
DL teams from 2027-28 | One 15U and one 17U team |
Tier I teams now (2026-27) | 13P AAA (2013), 14U AAA (2012), 15P AAA (2011), 16U AAA Premier (2010) and 18U AAA Premier (2008 and 2009), from a 2026-27 coaching staff graphic on the club’s teams page |
League now | Atlantic Youth Hockey League (AYHL) and Atlantic Hockey Federation (AHF), per the club. The Tier 1 Elite Hockey League’s site also lists the Avalanche as a league member; the club’s page doesn’t mention it. |
Published DL fee | None found yet (as of Oct. 26, 2026) |
October 2026: Avalanche selected for National Development League 2027-28
A graphic on the club’s page says it is “1 of 29 organizations chosen by USA Hockey” and is “fielding 15U and 17U teams for the 2027-28 season,” and names Jamie Cahill as DL supervisor.
The graphic is undated and calls the league the National Development League; USA Hockey’s name is the USA Hockey Development League. The Atlantic Youth Hockey League’s Oct. 15 release says the Avalanche and the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, two of its members, were selected.
What changes at North Jersey Avalanche
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 15P 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 North Jersey Avalanche 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 tryouts page says 2027-28 dates are to come.
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
No billet or housing information is posted. DL rosters have open residency, so a program can sign players from anywhere.
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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