Founded in 2012, the USPHL has grown to over 60 organizations from across the United States/Canada fielding teams in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), Premier, Elite, EHF, 18U, 16U, 15U, and High Performance youth divisions.

From 2013 to 2017, USA Hockey sanctioned the Premier, Elite, Empire, Midwest, and USP3 Divisions as Tier III junior leagues.

In 2017, the USPHL added a higher level junior league named the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) for the 2017–18 season.

The NCDC was seeking free-to-play Tier II junior league sanctioning, but was denied by USA Hockey.

[3] Beginning in the 2024–25 season, the league plans to expand into Canada’s Quebec/Ontario provinces, effectively creating an entire new division.

The changes for the 2015–16 continued into April when the New York Aviators announced their decision to leave the USPHL and join the North American 3 Eastern Hockey League (NA3EHL).

In late April 2015, the Charlotte Rush was announced as an expansion franchise by adding two teams, one in the Elite Division and one in the USP3.

The Wooster Oilers from the former MnJHL decided against fielding two Tier III teams and dropped their membership in the USPHL Midwest and would only play in the North American 3 Hockey League.

In October 2016, the USPHL announced it had applied to USA Hockey for approval to start a Tier II junior league for the 2017–18 season.

[13] In response, the USPHL dropped USA Hockey sanctioning from their junior level leagues and operates unsanctioned beginning with the 2017–18 season.

[2] In December 2016, the USPHL also announced the addition of six organizations from the Eastern Hockey League for the 2017–18 season: the previously mentioned Bandits, Rockets, and Cyclones would be joined by the Connecticut Nighthawks, Hartford Jr. Wolfpack, and New Hampshire Junior Monarchs.

[20] In 2020, the USPHL Premier added the Anaheim Avalanche, Fresno Monsters, Las Vegas Thunderbirds, Northern Colorado Eagles, Ogden Mustangs, Pueblo Bulls, San Diego Sabers, Southern Oregon Spartans, and the Utah Outliers from the Western States Hockey League, another independent junior hockey organization.

[29] Finally, several former teams from the WSHL—the Bellingham Blazers, Rock Springs Prospectors, Rogue Valley Royals, Seattle Totems, and Vernal Oilers—created a new North West Division in the USPHL Premier.