Ice Breaker Showcase set to kick off 2026-27 Showcase Series
HAVERHILL, MA – The 2026-27 EHL and EHLP seasons are set to take another step forward this weekend with the Ice Breaker Showcase, taking place Oct. 1-4 at Cadillac Ice Arena in Walpole, Massachusetts. Hosted by the Express Hockey Club, the Ice Breaker Showcase will be the first showcase of the new season and will bring all 28 EHL and EHLP teams together.
The first few games of the regular season have already given teams a chance to settle in before heading to Walpole. In the EHL Northeast, the Express Hockey Club has gotten off to a 2-0 start, while the Mid-Atlantic’s Connecticut Nor’Easter has also opened the season with a trio of wins . The Elite Golden Knights, meanwhile, picked up the first win in franchise history in their inaugural season.
There has also been plenty of early action between teams from the Mid-Atlantic Conference. The Hershey Cubs, New Jersey 87’s, New Jersey Bears, Pennsylvania Huntsmen, Philadelphia Hockey Club and Philadelphia Little Flyers have each played their first two games across three different series: the Cubs and Huntsmen, Bears, and 87’s, and PHC and the Little Flyers.
For the Hershey Cubs and Elite Golden Knights, the Ice Breaker will also mark their first showcase appearances as EHL teams. Both organizations are entering their first EHL seasons as part of the league’s new conference structure.
The EHLP has had a smaller sample size to start the season, but the Connecticut Nor’easter has already played twice and will look to carry that early momentum into Walpole. In addition, the Cubs EHLP squad has already checked off their first franchise win under the EHL banner. With every team scheduled to play at least three games at the Ice Breaker, the showcase will provide the first extended look at the league’s new-look conferences.
Four days of Action
The EHL schedule opens on Thursday with six games, highlighted by the Seahawks Hockey Club taking on Philadelphia Hockey Club. The matchup will also mark the Seahawks’ first game of the season as the defending EHL champions begin their title defense. The Seahawks won their first EHL championship last season, making every matchup involving the defending champions an early opportunity to see how the new roster comes together.
Friday brings another six-game slate, including a pair of matchups featuring teams that have already established themselves as contenders. The New Jersey 87’s will face the Express Hockey Club, while the New Jersey Bears take on the New Hampshire Avalanche. Both games will bring together teams with plenty of recent postseason experience and should provide an early test for each side.
Saturday will feature another six EHL games, including the Valley Jr, Warriors against the Hershey Cubs. With both teams looking for their first win of the season entering the showcase, the matchup could provide an important opportunity for one team to get into the one column.
On Sunday, the Showcase will close out with six more EHL games, including the Seahawks Hockey Club and H.C Rhode Island. Rhode Island enters a season following a franchise-best 37-win campaign in 2025-26 and an impressive 7-3 win over the Elite Golden Knights.
The EHLP will also have plenty of action throughout the weekend, with its opening slate featuring six games on Thursday and six more on Friday before the showcase continues. Two matchups to keep an eye on include the Seahawks Hockey Club against the New Jersey 87’s on day one and the New Hampshire Avalanche against the Atlantic City Seals on day two.
Those two games also feature the four teams that competed in the EHLP Regional Finals last season. The Avalanche and the 87’s met for the EHLP championship in April, with the Avalanche entering the 2026-27 season as the defending champions.
With four days of hockey, all 28 teams in action, and several teams getting their first extended test of the new season, the Ice Breaker Showcase will provide the first major snapshot of what the 2026-27 EHL and EHLP seasons could look like.
The puck drops Thursday in Walpole.