The St. Louis Heartland Eagles was a Tier I junior ice hockey team playing in the East Division of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The USHL is the top junior hockey league in the United States, the league is geared for the development of 17 to 20-year-old players as a step between high school and lower jr. hockey levels and college and professional ice hockey. The Eagles's home ice was The Summit Center in Chesterfield, Missouri (about 30 minutes west of downtown St. Louis on I-64). The Summit Center, now Hardee's Iceplex, is also the former home of the NAHL's St. Louis Bandits.