John Moreland is very familiar with all the battles between the CHL and USHL, but he would like to believe there's a different — and better — path forward.
The new owner of the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada has a unique perspective on the ever-changing landscape of North American junior hockey. The California businessman also is involved in bringing a USHL expansion franchise to Orange County with business partner and hockey legend Teemu Selanne.
The NHL got the commissioners of the OHL, WHL, QMJHL and USHL along with Hockey Canada and USA Hockey reps together late last year in New York, seemingly in an effort to develop tighter bonds following the NCAA's groundbreaking 2024 decision to allow CHL players to play.
But there have been no signs of any work between the leagues since then — and the player-recruitment battle is as fierce as ever.
Moreland is all for healthy competition, but he also can envision more co-operation.
"I wish that the leagues could maybe take a step back and say, 'Hey, let's focus on what we're really doing here,'" Moreland said. "I get that it's business, I understand that, but we are talking about teenagers. What can we do to make it better for them as opposed to going what can I do to make this better for me?
"I think that (attitude) would be great (across the leagues). I feel like if I've got a kid, contract or no contract, I don't care. If you've got the opportunity to play somewhere better or somewhere else, 'Hey, I want you to go play there, I want you to go experience this.'"
A father of six, including a couple of hockey-playing children, and a former police officer, Moreland founded Avetta, a supplier management and compliance platform, in 2003. EQT Private Equity acquired the company in a $3-billion deal in 2024, per the QMJHL.
Moreland's wife has Quebec roots and over the years he's gotten to know several prominent Quebec-born people in the hockey world, including Los Angeles Kings president Luc Robitaille (who is helping the USHL's southwest expansion) and player agent Pat Brisson. Another Quebec-born hockey man — former Quebecor employee Ben Robert, who also is involved in USHL expansion — was the initial contact who pointed Moreland toward the purchase of the Armada, located in a suburb of Montreal.
Moreland said he's committed to making it work in Boisbriand, despite attendance challenges and stiff hockey competition from the Montreal Canadiens, the AHL's Laval Rocket and the reigning PWHL champion Montreal Victoire.
"I think it's too good a market to ignore ... I think the fan base is here," Moreland said.
But that doesn't mean he's going to shy away from trying to develop deeper connections between the U.S. and Canada.
"My personality, I'm OK with people having their own opinions. It doesn't bother me. I'm more of, how can we bring everybody together and try to work through things?" he said. "I think ... having somebody who is kind of an intermediary that can be sitting back and trying to figure out a way to bring everybody together is a positive."
What does bringing everybody together mean?
Moreland is the first to admit he doesn't have all the answers, but he'd like to see people put their best foot forward to try to improve things for everyone.
He supports American expansion for the QMJHL, the only CHL league without a U.S. presence.
"Just like in business, competition is good. It makes all of us have to be better," Moreland said.
"... I don't know what will end up happening, nobody seems to know. But I think driving the best league in North America, whatever you call it, and tier down from there, I'd love it. I think it would be great."
Count Moreland as a supporter of the USHL competing for the Memorial Cup, too.
"I really think it would be a good opportunity," he said. "If we could get everybody to not worry about their egos and whether they get beat or whatever it is and just say, 'Hey, let's do it,' I think it would be a great fan experience, I think we'd fill a stadium, that's for sure."
Moreland, of course, is well aware it will take plenty of work to make something like that a reality. He simply believes it's important to be open-minded.
"I've raised a lot of kids, so I feel if I'm an expert in anything, it's learning about children," he said. "You look at the age of these kids, and we've got 16- to 20-year-olds. The reality is, from my perspective, I want to raise good husbands, good siblings, good brothers, whatever it is. That's important to me. I struggle a little bit with how it's turned into looking at 16- and 17-year-olds and having it be so focused on the business aspect of it."
Model citizens
After Regina Pats teammates Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue were trailblazers for a program allowing 15-year-olds to play half a WHL season last year, at least three more players will be part of the Western Canadian Development Model in 2026-27.
Forward Madden Daneault, the first-overall pick in this year's WHL Draft by the Kelowna Rockets, and forward Parker McMillan and defenceman Jevin Morrison, picked second and fifth, respectively, by the Wenatchee Wild, were announced as part of the program this week.
Players can play up to 34 regular-season games with their WHL teams, while spending the rest of the season in minor hockey.
Daneault already has generated plenty of buzz after notching 149 points (65 goals, 84 assists) in 34 regular-season games last season with the under-15 Red Deer Rebels.
Meanwhile, Schultz and Pue are not on the list for this week's national under-17 development camp in Oakville, Ont., meaning they figure to be in camp for the Canadian under-18 team ahead of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup next month in Edmonton.
Remparts reel in top prospect
It has been quite an off-season for the Quebec Remparts.
After getting 2025 first-round pick James Scantlebury to commit following a year in the USHL, the Remparts landed an even bigger name this week when Carter Meyer was granted his release from the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Meyer is a considered a top-10 prospect for next year's NHL Draft. His older brother Freddy also plays for the Remparts. Their father, also named Freddy, played 281 career NHL games.
After not having a player picked in the top 15 of this year's NHL Draft, the QMJHL has two of the top prospects for next year's event in Meyer and Saint John Sea Dogs star Alexis Joseph.
Scantlebury and new Sea Dogs forward Jamie Glance, another ex-U.S. Development Program member, also are first-round prospects.
Big import additions in OHL
The OHL's Midwest Division just got a lot stronger.
The Memorial Cup host Guelph Storm signed Timothy Kazda this week after selecting the Slovakian forward fourth overall in the CHL Import Draft last month.
Kazda was named MVP of the world under-18 championship in the spring for silver-medal-winning Slovakia.
He'll get a chance to play on the biggest stage in junior hockey just before he figures to be picked in the first round of the 2027 NHL Draft.
Meanwhile, the London Knights, a division rival of the Storm, announced the signing of Finnish forward Luca Santala on Thursday. He's also seen as a potential first-round pick in next year's NHL Draft.
