The West Springfield Highlanders are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the East Division of the United States Hockey League (USHL). In 1937, a group of investors in West Springfield named Eugene Grazia, William Stafford and John Yeppistern founded the team in an effort to jump start the hockey community in Western Massachusetts. The team originally played independently but also played in leagues such as the OHL, QMJHL and they had a brief stint in the AHL. The Highlanders' home ice is the Olympia Ice Rink. This is the team's first year in USHL.