The Atlanta Knights Junior Hockey Club are a USA Hockey Sanctioned Tier III Junior Franchise, with a stated mission to advance players to be recruited and play for Varsity Collegiate Hockey Programs at the NCAA Division I and III level.
The Atlanta Knights Junior Hockey Club provides unique opportunities for advanced players to improve and showcase their individual and team skills. These opportunities are provided through a professional hockey organization, experienced coaching, and a schedule of highly competitive league games and participation in league and national Junior showcases.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, The Atlanta Knights Field Two Junior Hockey Franchises, providing players between the ages of 15 and 20 the full range of opportunities to achieve their career goals and to reach their potential. The Atlanta Knights maintain relationships with more than 30 NCAA Collegiate teams, affiliations with numerous Junior Hockey Franchises, and AAA / AA Youth hockey programs to provide each player and family a comprehensive method to promote talent and provide players pathways to achieve their goal athletic and academic goals.
The Knights field two Junior Hockey teams:
Atlanta Knights Junior Elite Team
The Atlanta Knights Junior Elite team is a member of the EJHL South, and affiliate of the prestigious Eastern Junior Hockey League, and plays a schedule of more than 50 games, with half the season played against EJHL South teams and the remainder of the schedule played against EJHL and other Junior A teams in a series of EJHL Showcase events. Atlanta Knights Junior Select Team
The Atlanta Knights Junior Select team participates in the Empire Junior Hockey League or Empire, with a 36 game league schedule and the remainder of the schedule comprising roughly 20 games against prominent Junior teams through a series of National Showcase events, generally hosted by the Empire Junior Hockey League (B).
The Atlanta Knights Hockey Club is owned by the Atlanta Knights Hockey Foundation, with the principal benefactors being the Falkenstein Family Foundation. The franchise was established in 2006 and commenced operations in the 2007-2008 season. In the first season of operations, the Knights captured the SEJHL Season Championships and progressed to the semi-final game of the USAH Junior National Championship. In the first season play, the Knights posted a 35-6-1 record against all competition. The Knights practice and play out of Knights Arena at the Marietta Ice Center, the original practice facility for the Atlanta Flames franchise and original Atlanta Knights IHL franchise. The ice facility is also owned by the Falkenstein Family Foundation.
In 2008-2009, the Knights were admitted to the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League (MJHL)that is located primarily in the northeastern US. The MJHL is the oldest junior hockey league in the USA and competes at the Tier III, Junior B level on a national basis. In 2008-2009, the MJHL Knights (Elites) finished second in the MJHL South and posted a 41-8-3 record. In 2008-2009, the Atlanta Knights Selects (SEJHL) won their second consecutive SEJHL Season Championships and progressed to the finals of the USAH National Championship losing to the National Champion Chicago Huskies of the GLJHL. in 2008-2009, the Knights Selects posted a 34-1-0 record, with the only loss occurring in the National Championship game.
In 2009-2010, The Atlanta Knights Elites of the MJHL were Met South Division winners, overall regular season champions of the MJHL, and Keegan Cup champions. At the USAH Junior National Championships, the Knights lost in overtime to New York Applecore and finished as USAH Junior National Championship Runner-up. The loss in the national championship game marked the only loss of the season for the Knights at their level. The Knights Elites are invited participants in a series of EJHL Junior A Showcases, where they compete against teams for the EJHL, OPJHL, NOJHL, and Prep Junior A programs.
In 2009-2010, the Atlanta Knights Selects claimed their third consecutive SEJHL championship, with a 28-0-0-1 record. The Knights then qualified for the USAH Junior National Championships and then went on to win the USAH Junior National Championship with a 4-1 victory of Suffolk Juniors of the CHA. The USAH championship marked the first ever for a team from the deep south and also the first time in USAH Junior history that two teams from the same organization competed in National Championship games in the same year and at the same event. The Knights Selects are invited participants in a series of Empire League showcases, where they compete against junior B teams from the Empire, Canada, the CHA, and the MJHL.
The Atlanta Knights are currently affiliated with a number of organizations. At the program level, the Knights partners with the Eastern Junior Hockey League, as the Knights Elites are under the full administration and control of the EJHL, including all player development and promotion initiatives. The Knights maintain direct affiliations, player placement, and scouting relationships with several USHL teams (Tier I, Junior A, and the Michigan Warriors, Topeka Roadrunners, Motor City Metal Jackets of the NAHL (Tier II, Junior A) and a number of Canadian and US based Junior A franchises.
On the collegiate front, the Knights maintain relationships with more than 30 NCAA Division I, II and III programs, and more than 20 direct relationships with ACHA Division I, II and III programs. in 2009, 8 Knight's players received NCAA offers with 9 moving on to play ACHA Collegiate hockey. In 2010, the Knights placed another 21 players in collegiate programs, raising the total of collegiate player placement since 2009 to 33 players, the highest of any Tier III junior team outside of the EJHL and several teams in the AJHL.