Dutchess Luke here, ready for the nieuw season of the NABHL. This is our most exciting season yet, with our most teams ever, the return of the Oranje and Grijs divisions, and now we even have this great Medium set up to bring even more content to the league. With this in mind, I’ll get right into it and kick off the 2026 Fall season with previews for each team, including our expansion franchise. These previews are in the order I expect the teams to finish in the regular season standings.
Oranje Division
1-More Tooth: There’s not much to say about these guys except they’re a wagon. They seem to have a good amount of turnover, but I probably would have said that last season as well, but somehow they have won the last 3 ships in the league. This season I expect them to have some new faces like always, but I still think they will play strong fundamental hockey, put in a bunch of goals, and be up there with the best teams in the league. As previously mentioned, they’ve won 3 ships in a row, so they’ve earned this top spot for now.
2-Liabilities: Formerly known as Wampa Wrath, Captain Mike Cardello made it a mission this offseason to put his mark on this franchise. They have not yet submitted a formal roster, but if everything I’ve heard is true, these guys should be very legit. I’ve also been promised a rowdy bench, and a Chano’s presense that should supercede every other team in this league. If these guys can match their talk on the rink, it should be a fun season for this crew. I could see a stronger playoff showing than regular season showing, but I like these guys to rattle off a bunch of wins.
3-Black Squirrels: They had won several ships in a row before Tooth started their current streak, but these guys aren’t going down without a fight. They’ve always been built on strong defense and top goaltending in the league, but have they answered the scoring question mark that has plagued them in recent seasons? As of this moment, I’ve not seen an answer on the roster, but they still have time to make some moves. I’m not convinced this is the year they will return to the promised land, but their strength in net should be enough to win a bunch of regular season games.
4-Baseball Bats: These guys were nieuw to the league last season, but after a few weeks, their young legs and ice hockey background proved to be very formidable, bringing them all the way to the championship game. It will be a tough road for them to get back to glory, but after watching them grow last season, it would also be hard to predict much of a drop-off. The also have by far the largest goalie in the league, so there may be fewer opportunities for opponents than in their prior season. The youngest team in the league will look for their first ship, and I wouldn’t count them out. Come playoff time watch out for these guys, but I don’t think they’re a strong attendance team in the regular season, so 4th place might be in their future.
Grijs Division
1-Flying Hellfish: Formerly known as the Jawa Junkers, this team finished last season strong, but fell to the Bats come playoff time. Sporting a pretty similar roster to last season with a few key additions (including what I’m pretty sure is the most rostered women in league history), they expect to have a very strong showing and looking at the roster it’s easy to understand why. If captain Mike Milstein (who is definitely not me) continues to lead the team in points though, they will need very strong defending to hold off the competition. With no bias at all, give me the Hellfish to not be wrinkly gibberish and have the best record in the Grijs.
2-Steinway Baby Grands: Shout out to captain Pete Slife for pushing for an 8th team, and splitting off some of his existing players to help make it happen. The 8 team 2 division concept wouldn’t have worked without support from him and his squad. Baby Grands have made some serious strides in the last 2 seasons, and this season they’re looking stronger than ever. Although their top players don’t have quite the name recognition that some of the players on Hellfish do, they sport a strong lineup and have great chemistry, having played together for 5 seasons at this point. I think Cam in net will be the big story for this team, and if he plays well, could be the key to them winning games and a ship this season. Chemistry and an overall strong lineup will lead them to a good finish this season, enough for second in the division.
3-Dutch Killer Bees: They used to be the Ewok Enforcers, but they spent the offseason retooling their roster and did a good job bringing in players who will vibe with their bench, and bring a positive energy to match their quality of play. If they continue to have fun on the bench, more wins are going to come for this team, and they will continue to grow within the league. I’m expecting some improvement from this squad, but I personally have my eye on Max Piche to take another step this season fresh off his D5 championship in the summer and lead the team in scoring.
4-Terminators: In case you haven’t heard, our nieuwest expansion franchise will be known as Terminators. Also major props to captains Sky Bento and Megan Haralovich for stepping up and making this team a reality. The bones of this roster are shaping up nicely, but it’s very hard to start up in a league like this one. A successful first season usually looks like a single win, but I feel they have what it takes to get there in season one. They’ve already asked me about things like a league wide mandatory goal horn…so I think they’re going to fit in just fine.
That’s a wrap on our season preview. We would love to keep presenting our fans more content to have fun with, and if you want to be a guest contributor, reach out to us at nabhlxyz (at) gmail.com.