By Adam Collins.
The DL Signing Checklist is a one-page printable for families talking with a USA Hockey Development League (DL) club about the 2027-28 season. It lists what to get from the club and what to ask before anyone signs, with the Guidebook section for each item so you can check it yourself. Print it, bring it to the meeting, and tick the boxes as you go.
Four short blocks, one page
Before any offer: the seven things to check on the Team Fact Sheet, from the fees to the signatures (Guidebook I.2.e).
Before you sign the Player Agreement: questions about the release terms, what’s owed after the first game, which tryouts are allowed, the 18-month rule, and whether your player counts as a returning player for January (I.1.a, I.1.d, I.1.e, I.3.b to I.3.d).
The dates: early signing from Jan. 15 to 31, open signing from Feb. 1 to the end of February, and the blackout from March 1 until 48 hours after the last game of the National Championships (I.1.a to I.1.c).
What the fee includes: the $5,500 team assessment and the operating costs that teams cover themselves (H.1.c, H.1.f).
The rules behind each item
Every rule on the checklist is explained in plain English in the DL Guidebook, explained. The DL Tracker has the latest on the 29 programs, fees and dates as they’re published.
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.
Spot something out of date? Email [email protected].
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