Texas Hockey League Announces 2026-27 Divisions and Playoff Formats

The Texas Hockey League (THL) announced its official 2026-27 division alignment and playoff qualification format for every division, from 10U through 18U. Divisions were set through the pre-season leveling process, the September leveling weekend, and review by the THL Leveling Committee, with competitive balance as the guiding principle.


Publishing the playoff path now means clubs, coaches, and families know exactly what every team is playing for from the first weekend of the season.

Playoffs at a Glance

  • 15 divisions across 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U

  • 12 THL playoffs with 64 playoff berths in total

  • 14UAA, 16UAA and 18U AA have no THL league playoff; these teams compete on the TAHA State Tournament path

10U Divisions

  • 10UA2 (10 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

  • 10UA (8 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

  • 10UAA White (6 teams): 4 teams qualify. Top 4 in the standings.

  • 10UAA Red (6 teams): 4 teams qualify. The top 4 eligible teams in the standings.

    • Ineligible: Dallas Stars Elite 2017-Love

12U Divisions

  • 12UA2 (10 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

  • 12UA (8 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

  • 12UAA White (8 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 eligible teams in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

    • Ineligible: Dallas Stars Elite 2016-Toninato

  • 12UAA Red (5 teams): All 4 eligible teams qualify.

    • Ineligible: Dallas Stars Elite 2015-Kaebel

14U Divisions

  • 14UA2 (11 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

    • Ineligible: Dallas Stars Elite Girls 19UT2-Cain, HTX Storm 19T2-Rarick

  • 14UA (10 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

    • Ineligible: Dallas Stars Elite Girls 19AAA-Smith

  • 14UAA: No THL league playoff. Teams compete for qualification to the TAHA State Tournament.

    • Ineligible: Team Dallas 13O-Cellio

16U Divisions

  • 16UA (10 teams): 6 teams qualify. Top 5 in the standings, plus 1 at-large team selected by the THL Playoff Committee.

    • Ineligible: Dallas Stars Elite Girls 19UT1-Salekin

  • 16UAA: No THL league playoff. Teams compete for qualification to the TAHA State Tournament.

    • Ineligible: McKinney North Stars 16U-Dupont

18U Divisions

18U will have two divisions this season: 18U AA and 18U White.

  • 18U AA: No THL league playoff. Teams compete on the TAHA State Tournament path.

  • 18U White: THL playoff. A four-team 18U White THL Playoff, detailed below.

    • Ineligible: Austin Capitals 18U-Swank

Introducing the 18U White THL Playoff

The THL is proud to provide an 18U White THL Playoff this season, giving our oldest players a league championship to chase in their final years of youth hockey.

  • Format: A four-team playoff.

  • Selection: All four teams will be determined by the THL Playoff and Competition Committee based on the published rankings (see below).

  • Rankings: The committee will track every eligible 18U White team throughout the season and publish rankings of all eligible teams three times: early December, mid-January, and at the end of the regular season, ahead of the THL Playoffs.

Published rankings give every 18U White team, family, and coach a clear view of where they stand throughout the season.

How Teams Qualify

  • Standings berths. Automatic berths go to the highest-ranked teams in the final regular-season standings, calculated under the THL Playoff Policies, Game Rules & Procedures, including head-to-head and other tiebreakers.

  • At-large berths. In divisions with an at-large spot, the THL Playoff Committee selects additional team(s) after the regular season. The committee considers total points, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and other relevant competitive factors.

  • 18U White THL Playoff. The THL Playoff and Competition Committee determines the four-team field, with rankings of all eligible 18U White teams shared in early December, early February, and at the end of the season.

  • Ineligible teams. Teams listed as ineligible play a full THL schedule, and their games count in the standings. They are not eligible for a THL playoff berth, so each berth goes to the next eligible team. On the THL website's standings and division pages, teams ineligible for the THL Playoff are marked with an asterisk (***) next to their name, and teams ineligible for the state tournament are marked with an asterisk (###) next to their name.

  • TAHA State Tournament. 14UAA and 16UAA teams pursue qualification through the TAHA State Tournament process, and 18U AA teams compete on the TAHA State Tournament path. The THL will share qualification details as they are confirmed with TAHA.

Playoff Dates and Registration

The 2027 THL Playoffs will be held Friday, February 26, through Sunday, February 28, 2027. Host rinks and registration details will be announced later this season. Current standings for every division are available on the THL website.


The THL looks forward to a great 2026-27 season and to seeing all of our teams on the ice.


See you on the ice!