USHL targets six West Coast markets for 2027-28 expansion launch

The USHL named six West Coast markets on June 24, placing Joe Sakic in San Diego and Teemu Selanne in Orange County as the league pushed toward a 2027-28 expansion launch.

The six targeted markets are San Diego, Orange County, Simi Valley, Northern California, Prescott Valley, and Phoenix. Shawn Hicks and Sakic are tied to the San Diego group, John Moreland and Selanne to the Orange County effort in Irvine, Leorjay Sports to Simi Valley, Mark Heintz to Northern California, Justin Reynolds to Prescott Valley, and Ben Robert to Phoenix. The incoming owners will meet with league officials in July to sort out venues, leases, and team branding before the planned 2027-28 start.

The expansion builds on a memorandum of understanding signed June 4 with stakeholders to establish member clubs in Arizona, California, and Nevada. Glenn Hefferan, the league’s president and commissioner, said the USHL had already drawn tremendous interest from prospective owners after the West Coast plan was unveiled.

The USHL is the only Tier I junior hockey league in the country, and its current 16 clubs are spread across Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The Madison Capitols were the league’s last expansion team, joining in 2014.

Robitaille, a Hockey Hall of Famer who played 19 NHL seasons and was an eight-time All-Star, helped lead the initiative and credited Tom Garrity, Ben Robert, and the NHL clubs in Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose for their support. Sakic is a 12-time All-Star, two-time Stanley Cup champion, and later a Stanley Cup-winning executive. Selanne played 21 NHL seasons, won a Cup with Anaheim, and was a 10-time All-Star.

The USHL said 21 players on the 2026 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey gold-medal team came through the league, including California native Auston Matthews, Arizona natives Matthew Knies and Josh Doan, and California native Devin Cooley. Selanne also has a direct USHL tie through his son, Eetu, who skated two seasons for the Madison Capitols from 2015 to 2017 before moving on to college hockey.