NA3HL Players Deserves a Real Pathway to the NAHL

When the North American Hockey League absorbed the Central States Hockey League in 2010, the concept was straightforward. Rebrand the league as the NA3HL, establish a developmental tier beneath the NAHL, and create a pathway for players to improve their games before moving up.

It was a sound idea. Sixteen years later, it is time to ask why that pathway still has not reached its full potential.

The NA3HL should be one of the NAHL's greatest competitive advantages. Instead, its organizations continue to compete for players against independent junior leagues that can offer their own routes to advancement.

The solution is not another rule that needs exceptions, another recruiting promise or another mechanism that ties a player's future to a tender or draft selection.

The solution is to give NA3HL players a genuine opportunity to earn their way into the NAHL.

And NAHL President and Commissioner Mark Frankenfeld has an opportunity to make that happen.

Sixteen Years of Missed Opportunity

The original relationship between the NAHL and NA3HL should have become a defining feature of junior hockey.

The NA3HL would develop players. The NAHL would provide the next level of competition. Players who demonstrated that they were ready could move up, while those who needed additional development would continue competing at the appropriate level.

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Both leagues would benefit.

The NAHL would have access to a broader pool of developing talent. The NA3HL would have a compelling reason for players to join and remain in the league. Families would have a clearer understanding of how a season spent developing at the lower level could lead to the next opportunity.

That is what a development pipeline is supposed to accomplish.

Yet the NA3HL has continued to fight for a more meaningful role in the junior hockey landscape. Its connection to the NAHL should be a major recruiting advantage, but that advantage means little if players believe their best opportunity for advancement lies elsewhere.

A developmental league cannot thrive on the promise of opportunity alone. It needs a system that delivers it.

The 2026 Rule Should Have Been a Turning Point

In the summer of 2026, the NAHL introduced a rule restricting in-season movement into the league for players coming from non-USA Hockey-sanctioned, United States-based junior leagues.

For NA3HL organizations, the policy appeared to offer an important competitive advantage. Players looking to move into the NAHL during the season would have a clearer reason to remain within the sanctioned development structure.

Then came the exception for the NAHL's new Mountain Division.

The resulting debate, which we addressed in our previous #Frankenfollie coverage, illustrates the larger problem. A rule that appeared to strengthen the NA3HL's position was complicated by an exception that raised questions about how consistently the policy would be applied.

The issue is not whether the Mountain Division deserves access to talent. Every NAHL team needs the ability to build a competitive roster.

The larger question is why the NAHL has not established a comprehensive development policy that benefits the NA3HL while giving every NAHL team a practical way to evaluate emerging players.

Rather than debating which leagues should be allowed to supply talent under particular circumstances, the NAHL should be building a system that rewards development within its own structure.

There is a better way to accomplish that objective.

The Ten-Game Solution

If Mark Frankenfeld wants to add real value to the NAHL and NA3HL brands, he should push USA Hockey to approve a 10-game call-up system.

The proposal is simple: any eligible NA3HL player should be permitted to dress for any single NAHL team for up to 10 games during the regular season and playoffs, subject to clearly defined eligibility and roster rules.

The player would remain on his NA3HL roster while receiving the opportunity to compete at the higher level. The NAHL organization could evaluate him in actual game situations rather than relying exclusively on scouting reports, showcases or limited practice opportunities.

The player would have a chance to demonstrate his ability. The NAHL coach would have a chance to assess his readiness. The NA3HL organization would have a stronger selling point when recruiting and developing talent.

Everyone would have something to gain.

Let Players Earn Their Opportunities

Under this proposed system, NA3HL protected-player status would not prevent a player from accepting an eligible call-up opportunity.

An NAHL team could dress that player without automatically requiring a permanent roster move. If the team elected to add him to its protected list, the applicable player-rights and roster rules would then govern the relationship.

The 10-game limit would apply separately to each NAHL team, allowing players to be evaluated by different organizations when appropriate, without turning the system into an unrestricted roster exchange.

Just as importantly, NA3HL teams should not be able to obstruct legitimate call-up opportunities through administrative delays, retaliatory decisions or artificial barriers.

The rules should establish clear procedures, firm timelines and a transparent process for resolving disputes.

USA Hockey and the leagues would need to work through the practical details, including insurance, player eligibility, roster limits and playoff participation. Those matters deserve careful attention, but they should be addressed as part of designing the system rather than used to avoid the underlying question.

Why shouldn't a player who has earned an opportunity be allowed to demonstrate what he can do?

Forget Forced Tenders and Draft Picks as the Primary Pathway

Tenders and draft selections can serve a purpose in junior hockey. They should not, however, be the primary measure of whether the NA3HL is functioning as a genuine development league.

A player should not have to rely exclusively on an early recruiting decision to gain access to the next level.

A 10-game system would allow performance to drive opportunity. An NAHL coach who needs a particular skill set could look throughout the NA3HL and evaluate players who might otherwise be overlooked.

A player who improves significantly during the season could earn an opportunity based on his current performance, rather than where he stood when a team initially evaluated him.

That is a more flexible and responsive approach to development.

It also gives NA3HL coaches a stronger incentive to improve their players. Developing a prospect would not simply mean hoping he eventually attracts attention. It would mean knowing there is a defined mechanism through which his progress could be evaluated at the next level.

The goal is not to guarantee promotion. The goal is to guarantee a fair opportunity to compete for it.

Accountability Must Be Part of the Plan

A stronger development system also requires accountability from the people responsible for operating it.

The NAHL should establish clear standards governing how coaches handle departing players and referrals to other organizations.

Players must remain free to choose their next destination. At the same time, coaches should not be permitted to exploit their positions of trust to undermine the sanctioned development structure.

If a coach improperly steers a departing player toward a non-sanctioned organization in violation of league policy, a $10,000 fine should be considered an appropriate starting penalty.

If an investigation establishes that a coach accepted money in exchange for making such recommendations, the consequences should be substantially more severe. A lifetime suspension from participation in the NAHL and NA3HL systems should be on the table.

These are proposed standards that would require formal adoption and due process. Any allegations of improper conduct should be investigated on their evidence and merits.

The principle is straightforward: a development system cannot function as intended if the people operating within it are allowed to undermine it without consequences.

The NA3HL deserves policies that protect legitimate player development, not simply rules governing which transactions are permitted.

Make the NA3HL a Destination for Development

Imagine what a 10-game call-up system could mean for recruiting.

An NA3HL organization could tell a prospective player that strong performance might earn him an opportunity with any NAHL team, subject to the established rules.

That is a much more compelling proposition than a vague promise that someone might eventually notice him.

NAHL coaches would gain access to a wider pool of developing players. NA3HL teams would have an incentive to invest in player development. Families would have a clearer understanding of the opportunities available within the sanctioned structure.

Not every player would advance. Not every call-up would lead to a permanent position. That is how development works.

What matters is that the opportunity exists, the rules are transparent, and players are evaluated on what they can do.

The NA3HL should not have to rely on restrictions against competing leagues to establish its value. Its greatest advantage should be the quality and accessibility of its pathway to the NAHL.

Build that pathway properly, and the league will have a stronger reason to attract and retain talent.

Frankenfeld Has an Opportunity to Lead

Mark Frankenfeld and the NAHL leadership have an opportunity to turn a 16-year-old concept into a meaningful competitive advantage.

The answer is not another round of announcements followed by exceptions. It is a development system built around opportunity, performance and accountability.

Push USA Hockey to approve the 10-game call-up model. Establish rules that prevent NA3HL organizations from obstructing legitimate opportunities. Create meaningful standards for coach conduct. Give every eligible player a chance to demonstrate that he belongs at the next level.

The details can be negotiated. The roster rules can be written. The safeguards can be established.

What should no longer be negotiable is the objective.

The NA3HL was created to provide a pathway to the NAHL. It is time for the two leagues to operate as though that purpose matters.

Stop making players wait for the pathway to work. Build a system that lets them earn their way up now.

Navigating junior hockey can be complicated. Victorious Hockey Company helps families make informed decisions about their player's hockey future, from junior hockey through college and beyond. To learn more or schedule a conversation with Stephen Heisler, book a call with us today

NA3HL Players Deserves a Real Pathway to the NAHL Forget forced draft & tenders. An up to 10-game call-up system would legitimize the NA3HL