What Hockey Team Is in New Hampshire? (Pro, College, Juniors)

It took quite some time for New Hampshire to get its first professional hockey team. In 2001, the AHL introduced the Manchester Monarchs to the hockey world in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Over the years, the Granite State has had several pro hockey teams that have come and gone.

Fast-forward to the 2020s, and, while New Hampshire doesn’t currently have a top-tier pro team, they still have a few high-level hockey teams.

In this article, I’ll show you what hockey teams are in New Hampshire, what college and junior teams compete in the state, and what pro teams they’ve had over the years.

Pssssst! Are you curious about hockey teams in other U.S. states? You can learn more by checking out our other posts: What Hockey Team Is in Florida, What Hockey Team Is in Vermont, and What Hockey Team Is in Pennsylvania.

Let’s dive in.

Here’s What Hockey Teams Are In New Hampshire:

While New Hampshire doesn’t have an NHL team, its top team is Dartmouth College, a D1 college hockey team in the NCAA. Two of the top junior ice hockey teams are the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs and the Northern Cyclones which are Tier II teams in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL).

Does New Hampshire Have a Hockey Team?

So, what is New Hampshire’s top hockey team?

New Hampshire only has a few high-level ice hockey teams. However, they don’t have an NHL team as it’s a smaller state (1.4 million people).

The top hockey team in New Hampshire is Dartmouth College, a D1 college hockey team in the NCAA. Some of the top junior ice hockey teams include the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs and the Northern Cyclones of the USPHL – NCDC Tier II.

Does New Hampshire Have an NHL Team?

Wondering if you’ll find an NHL hockey team in New Hampshire?

Unfortunately, no. New Hampshire’s population is about 1.4 million people which is too small for an NHL team, let alone any major sports team.

New Hampshire has had several professional teams over the years in multiple leagues including the AHL, ECHL, and FPHL.

What NHL Team Does New Hampshire Root For?

New Hampshire doesn’t have its own NHL team. However, The Granite State still has an active NHL fanbase.

The most popular NHL team for New Hampshirites is the Boston Bruins. This is primarily because the Bruins (in Boston, MA) are very close geographically to New Hampshire and are the closest NHL team to the state.

The “runner-up” team would likely be the Montreal Canadiens.

What Hockey Teams Are in New Hampshire?

So, what hockey teams are in New Hampshire? The Granite State has several high-level hockey teams as seen below:

NHL

New Hampshire doesn’t have an NHL team.

AHL

New Hampshire’s past AHL team was called the Manchester Monarchs. They operated between 2001 and 2015. They played their home games at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

ECHL

While New Hampshire doesn’t have an ECHL team right now, they used to have a team that played out of Manchester, New Hampshire. Between 2015 and 2019 the Manchester Monarchs played in the ECHL out of the SNHU Arena.

FPHL

Right below the SPHL is the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). This is a lower-level professional hockey league located in the eastern United States.

New Hampshire doesn’t currently have an FPHL team. However, they have had one in the past. Between 2015 and 2017, the Berlin River Drivers played out of Berlin, New Hampshire at the Notre Dame Arena.

D1, D2, D3 College Hockey

While New Hampshire is better known for its junior hockey, it still has a few high-level college hockey teams. The state has a total of ten (D1, D2, D3) varsity college hockey teams that compete within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA):

Dartmouth College (NCAA Men’s D1)
Franklin Pierce University (NCAA Men’s D2)
New England College (NCAA Men’s D3)
Plymouth State University (NCAA Men’s D3)
Rivier University (NCAA Men’s D3)
Keene State College (ACHA Men’s D2)
St. Anselm College (ACHA Men’s D2)
University of New Hampshire (ACHA Men’s D2)
Dartmouth College (ACHA Men’s D3)
Colby-Sawyer College (ACHA Men’s D3)

Juniors

New Hampshire has several junior ice hockey teams that play within the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL) and the Eastern Hockey League (EHL):

New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (USPHL – NCDC Tier II)
Northern Cyclones (USPHL – NCDC Tier II)
New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (USPHL – Premier Tier III)
Northern Cyclones (USPHL – Premier Tier III)
Northern Cyclones (USPHL – Elite Tier III)
New England Wolves (EHL – Tier III)
New Hampshire Avalanche (EHL – Tier III)
Seacoast Spartans (EHL – Tier III)
New England Wolves (EHLP – Tier III)
New Hampshire Avalanche (EHLP – Tier III)

Is There High School Hockey in New Hampshire?

Yes, there’s high school hockey in New Hampshire. The top high school hockey league in New Hampshire is the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA).

There are 38 varsity teams broken up into 3 divisions (D1, D2, D3).

Division I

Bedford
Bishop Brady-MV-CCA
Bishop Guertin
Bow
Concord
Exeter
Hanover
Keene
Londonderry
Man. Central-West-Memorial
Nashua North-Souhegan
Nashua South-Pelham
Pinkerton
Salem
Trinity
Windham

Division II

Alvirne-Milford
Dover
Goffstown
Merrimack
Oyster River
Portsmouth-Newmarket
Somersworth-Coe-Brown
Spaulding
St. Thomas Aquinas
Timberlane
Winnacunnet

Division III

Belmont-Gilford
Berlin-Gorham
Hollis Brookline-Derryfield
John Stark-Hopkington-Hillsboro-Deering
Kearsarge-Plymouth
Kennett
Kingswood
Laconia-Winnisquam-Inter-Lakes
Lebanon-Stevens-Mount Royal
Pembroke-Campbell
Sanborn-Epping

Are you curious to know more about hockey in other states across the U.S.? Don’t forget to check out our other full guide: Hockey Teams in Every U.S. State: Complete NHL & College List (2023).