New Hockey League set to launch in North America to compete with NHL

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Josh Tupper
May 31, 2024 (11:44)

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Earlier this month, Steve Dangle shared a video on his social media where he discussed a new professional hockey league that was coming to North America later this year. But a few days later, he took down the video after receiving mixed information about the league.

Flash forward a few weeks and we now have a lot more information about this new professional league that will be starting play in cities across Canada and the United States this Fall.

In a post on X on Thursday night, agent Darryl Wolski, who works for 2112 Hockey Agency shared a link to the official website for this new league which will be called - Major League Hockey.

Numerous facts were released on the Major League Hockey website, including as the league's format, roster sizes, where the clubs will play (no towns have been announced yet), and an extremely high salary cap for a brand-new league.

First off, teams will play two 24-minute games every night in a 3-on-3 format. Games will take place on Fridays and Saturdays and admission to the games will be reasonably priced.

There will be sixteen teams in Major League Hockey in North America. They will field teams in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and other parts of Canada. Teams will be sent to Arizona, New York, California, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New England, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida while this is going on in the United States. With a salary cap of $30 MILLION for each of the 16 franchises, a winning team will receive $100,000.

According to Major League Hockey, the players that will participate in this league will include players from junior leagues in Canada, the US, and Europe in addition to NCAA and U Sports athletes. They also stated that three "World Class" players with significant professional experience who are free agents in Russia, Europe, or North America may be signed by any team. According to Major League Hockey, eligible female players will also be taken into consideration.

"MLH teams can sign three WORLD CLASS players. These can be free-agents in North America, Europe or Russia with major professional-level experience. Teams will then fill out their roster with talented players from the NCAA or Canadian U Sports, plus major junior players in Canada, the United States and Europe. We're proud to announce that qualified female players will be considered equally."

Twelve skaters and two goalies will make up each team's roster of fourteen players. On its website, Major League Hockey further stated that the results of their 2024 Player Draft have already been finalized by their scouting team and would be made public soon.

With $480 million going toward player pay each season, there are still a lot of unanswered issues about this new professional league, and many are questioning where the money is coming from. We anticipate releasing more information in the upcoming weeks.

For more information about Major League Hockey click here: Majorleaguehockey.com