The league originally formed as the Midwest Junior Hockey League in 1972, merged with the USHL in 1977 and became all juniors in 1979. The United States Hockey League, which is governed by USA Hockey, is now positioned as the premier Junior 'A' hockey league in the U.S. Players must be 20 years old or under before the season begins. The USHL will have 13 teams in two divisions for the 2001-2002 season. The US National Development team also has games in the USHL schedule.