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- see also North American Hockey League (1973–1977)
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 37th season in 2012-13. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States Hockey League (USHL). The NAHL is the oldest and largest junior hockey league in the United States.
The league currently consists of four divisions with a total of 24 teams. The teams span the United States from New York in the East to California in the West; from Alaska in the North to Texas in the South. The teams play a 60-game regular season, starting in mid-September and ending in early April. The winner of each division will meet in Frisco, Texas to play in the 2013 Robertson Cup Championship Tournament.
From its beginning in 1975, the NAHL was primarily a 6-12 team league based in the Midwest. All that changed in 2003 when the league and the defunct America West Hockey League merged to form a 19-team league, which has led to the current 24 teams playing in the 2012-2013 season.
As of the 2012-2013 season the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League will leave the NOJHL and join the NAHL.
Current teams [edit]
Locations of North American Hockey League teams
The 2013-14 season has 23 teams playing in 4 divisions:[1]
| West Division |
| Team |
Arena |
Location |
| Fairbanks Ice Dogs |
Big Dipper Ice Arena |
Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Fresno Monsters |
Selland Arena |
Fresno, California |
| Kenai River Brown Bears |
Soldotna Sports Center |
Soldotna, Alaska |
| Central Division |
| Team |
Arena |
Location |
| Aberdeen Wings |
Odde Ice Center |
Aberdeen, South Dakota |
| Austin Bruins |
Riverside Arena |
Austin, Minnesota |
| Bismarck Bobcats |
V.F.W. Sports Center |
Bismarck, North Dakota |
| Brookings Blizzard |
Larson Ice Center |
Brookings, South Dakota |
| Coulee Region Chill |
Onalaska OmniCenter |
Onalaska, Wisconsin |
| Minot Minotauros |
Maysa Arena |
Minot, North Dakota |
| North Division |
| Team |
Arena |
Location |
| Jamestown Ironmen |
Jamestown Saving Bank Arena |
Jamestown, New York |
| Janesville Jets |
Janesville Ice Arena |
Janesville, Wisconsin |
| Johnstown Tomahawks |
Cambria County War Memorial Arena |
Johnstown, Pennsylvania |
| Michigan Warriors |
Perani Arena and Event Center |
Flint, Michigan |
| Springfield Jr. Blues |
Nelson Center |
Springfield, Illinois |
| Soo Eagles |
Pullar Stadium |
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan |
| South Division |
| Team |
Arena |
Location |
| Amarillo Bulls |
Amarillo Civic Center |
Amarillo, Texas |
| Corpus Christi IceRays |
American Bank Center |
Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Odessa Jackalopes |
Ector County Coliseum |
Odessa, Texas |
| Texas Tornado |
Dr Pepper Arena |
Frisco, Texas |
| Topeka RoadRunners |
Landon Arena |
Topeka, Kansas |
| Wichita Falls Wildcats |
Kay Yeager Coliseum |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
| Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees |
N/A |
N/A
Expansion [edit]
Past teams [edit]
- Alaska Avalanche (Moved to Johnstown, PA, renamed Tomahawks)
- Albert Lea Thunder (Moved to Amarillo, TX, renamed Bulls).
- Alexandria Blizzard (Moved to Brookings, SD)
- Alpena IceDiggers (moved to Corpus Christi, TX, renamed IceRays).
- Billings Bulls (Joined the NorPac).
- Bozeman Icedogs (Joined the NorPac).
- Central Texas Blackhawks (renamed Central Texas Marshals).
- Chicago Freeze (folded after 2002-03 due to "increased operation costs and low attendance").[2]
- Chicago Hitmen Folded on May 11, 2012
- Cleveland Jr. Barons.
- Dawson Creek Rage Ceased operations after 2011-2012 season
- Detroit Compuware Ambassadors.
- Danville Wings (Moved to USHL).
- Dayton Gems dissolved after 21 games, roster dispersed amongst remaining teams.
- Dearborn Heights Nationals (Relocated to become St. Louis Sting).
- Detroit Jr. Red Wings (later Detroit Freeze).
- Detroit Freeze (Moved to Chicago, became Chicago Freeze).
- Fargo-Moorhead Jets.
- Fernie Ghostriders (Franchise rights were sold to a Kalamazoo, Michigan based group in 2003; joined the KIJHL)
- Gaylord Grizzles (Moved to Grand Rapids, became Bearcats).
- Grand Rapids Bearcats (Became Rockets. Moved to Lansing, became Capital Centre Pride)
- Helena Bighorns (Joined the NorPac).
- Kalamazoo Jr. Wings (Moved to Danville).
- Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings (Ceased operations after 2011-12 season).
- Lone Star Cavalry (Moved to Santa Fe, NM, renamed RoadRunners).
- Marquette Rangers (Moved to Flint, renamed Michigan Warriors).
- Minnesota Blizzard (Name changed to Alexandria Blizzard).
- Motor City Metal Jackets (Moved to Jamestown, NY, renamed Ironmen).
- New Mexico Mustangs (Moved to Richfield, MN, renamed Minnesota Magicians)
- North Iowa Outlaws (Moved to Onalaska, WI, renamed Coulee Region Chill).
- Owatonna Express (Moved to Odessa, TX, renamed Jackalopes)
- Pittsburgh Forge (moved to Toledo, became Toledo IceDiggers).
- Saginaw Jr Gears (moved to Gaylord, became Grizzles).
- Santa Fe RoadRunners (Moved to Topeka).
- Southern Minnesota Express (Relocated to become Motor City Machine).
- Springfield Spirit (Relocated to become Wasilla Spirit).
- St. Louis Bandits (Moved to Cloquet, MN, renamed Minnesota Wilderness)
- St. Louis Sting (Moved to Springfield).
- Texarkana Bandits (Relocated to become St. Louis Bandits).
- Toledo IceDiggers (Moved to Alpena, MI).
- USA Hockey National Team Development Program (Moved to USHL).
- Wasilla Spirit (Name changed to Alaska Avalanche).
- Wenatchee Wild (Moved to Hidalgo, TX, renamed Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees)
- Wichita Falls Rustlers (Name changed to Wichita Falls Wildcats).
- Youngstown Phantoms/Mahoning Valley Phantoms (Moved to USHL).
League changes [edit]
2006–2007 season: Bozeman Icedogs, Billings Bulls, and Helena Bighorns left the league for the Northern Pacific Hockey League. Cleveland Jr. Barons were granted inactive status for the season. Wasilla Spirit changed name to Alaska Avalanche. Minnesota Blizzard changed name to Alexandria Blizzard. Texarkana Bandits moved to Chesterfield, Missouri and changed name to St. Louis Bandits. Marquette Rangers were added to the league.
2007–2008 season: Santa Fe Roadrunners moved to Topeka, Kansas. The Topeka Roadrunners now play at Landon Arena. The Kenai River Brown Bears started playing in the league.
2008-2009 season: The Southern Minnesota Express moved to Detroit and changed their name to the Motor City Machine.[3] However, the Express' home city of Owatonna was granted another NAHL team for 2008-09, named the Owatonna Express.[4] The Express are joined by another new Minnesota NAHL franschise, the Albert Lea Thunder.[5] The Texas Tornado franchise will go dark for a year as they await renovations on their arena. Wenatchee, Washington has been awarded an expansion franchise for the 2008-09 season.[6] The Fargo-Moorhead Jets are approved for dormancy. .[7]
2009-2010 season: The Janesville Jets are awarded an expansion franchise.[8] The Mahoning Valley Phantoms leave the league for the USHL.[9] The USNTDP also leave the league.[10] The Texas Tornado return to the league after taking a year off while their home arena was undergoing renovations.[11] The Motor City franchise's new ownership changes the team's nickname from Machine to Metal Jackets.[12]
2010-2011 season: The NAHL Board of Governors accepted membership of several new teams to play this season in the league. The Fresno Monsters are awarded an expansion franchise. The Monsters played in the Tier III A Western States Hockey League before getting switched over to the North American Hockey League for the 2010-2011 season. They will play at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California. The Corpus Christi IceRays are awarded an expansion franchise. The IceRays were known as the Alpena IceDiggers and Toledo in the North America Hockey League [the same league, no new league change, just name change]. They will play in the South Division at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Chicago Hitmen joined the North Division and will play starting this season at West Meadows Ice Arena in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The Marquette Rangers moved to Flint, Michigan and changed their name to Michigan Warriors. The Michigan Warriors will play in the North Division at the Perani Arena and Event Center. Port Huron joined the North Division and will play starting this season at McMorran Place in Port Huron, Michigan. The Coulee Region Chill joined the Central Division and will play at Onalaska OmniCenter in Onalaska, Wisconsin. The Aberdeen Wings joined the Central Division and will play at the Odde Ice Center in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The Austin Bruins joined the Central Division and will play at the Riverside Arena in Austin, Minnesota. The Dawson Creek Rage joined the West Division and will play at EnCana Events Centre in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The Amarillo Bulls joined the South Division and will play at Amarillo Civic Center in Amarillo, Texas. The New Mexico Mustangs joined the South Division and will play at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Robertson Cup winners [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=5681
- ^ Jack McCarthy (April 24, 2003). "Freeze hockey team shuts down". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ NAHL.com, Machine Motors into Michigan, 2nd May 2008
- ^ NAHL.com, Owatonna membership approved for 2008-09, 19th May 2008
- ^ Startribune.com, Albert Lea awarded NAHL franchise, 1st May 2008
- ^ Wenatchee World, Finally we have a hockey team, 14th May 2008
- ^ NAHL.com, Fargo-Moorhead ceases operations, 19th May 2008
- ^ NAHL.com, Jets touch down in Janesville, 5th June 2009
- ^ NAHL.com, Zoldan, NAHL make a deal, 13th August 2009
- ^ NAHL.com, NTDP to no longer compete in NAHL, 26th February 2008
- ^ NAHL.com, Tornado to hit the ice again in 2009-10, 29th April 2009
- ^ NAHL.com, Motor City changes nickname, logo, 25th June 2009
External links [edit]
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 North American Hockey League About the NAHL www.NAHL.com. |  Fresno Monsters Recruitment Video The Fresno Monsters 2012-2013 recruiting video. The Fresno Monsters are members of the North American Hockey League and Western States Hockey League. The tea... |  2012-2013 All-NAHL Team 2012-2013 All-NAHL Team - www.NAHL.com Forward: Kyle Sharkey, Topeka RoadRunners Forward: Brandon Wahlin, Austin Bruins Forward: Jared VanWormer, Soo Eagles ... |  Four minutes of Michigan Warriors hockey action during Saturday's 5-2 win over Port Huron The Michigan Warriors played two of their best periods (first and second) of the season Saturday during a 5-2 win over the visiting, North American Hockey Le... |  2013 NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Highlights 2013 NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Highlights May 10-13, 2013 - Dr Pepper Arena - Frisco, Texas Amarillo Bulls, Bismarck Bobcats, Jamestown Ironmen, Wenatc... |  NAHL Plays of the Week - March 4-10, 2013 www.NAHL.com Eric Purcell - Corpus Christi Ice Rays Brett Skibba - Springfield Jr. Blues Easton Powers - Port Huron Fighting Falcons John Simonson - Austin B... |  NAHL Plays of the Week - February 25-March 3, 2013 NAHL Plays of the Week - February 25-March 3, 2013 www.NAHL.com Sean Murphy - Soo Eagles Aaron Nelson - Bismarck Bobcats (Save) Mike Economos - Corpus Christ... |  2013 NAHL Robertson Cup Commercial 2013 NAHL Robertson Cup - May 10-13, 2013 Dr Pepper Arena - Frisco, TX www.NAHL.com www.RobertsonCup.com USA Junior Hockey National Championship May 10-13, 2... |  NAHL Plays of the Week - March 18-24, 2013 NAHL Plays of the Week - March 18-24, 2013 www.NAHL.com Scott Conway - Texas Tornado Drew Anderson - Bismarck Bobcats Nikita Zagryadskiy - Soo Eagles Tomas N... |  NAHL Plays of the Week - April 1-7, 2013 NAHL Plays of the Week - April 1-7, 2013 www.NAHL.com North Division Quarter-Finals, South Division Semi-Finals Mac McDonnell - Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings Mike Fa... |
![]() NAHL.com |
NAHL.com
Fri, 17 May 2013 13:33:07 -0700
The Soo Eagles, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), have announced that defenseman Nathan Harris has made an NCAA Division I commitment to Lake Superior State University. For the upcoming 2013-14 season, Lake Superior ...
| ![]() NAHL.com |
NAHL.com
Thu, 16 May 2013 10:24:47 -0700
The Minnesota Wilderness, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), have announced that Corey Millen has been named the team's new head coach. Millen is a Cloquet, Minnesota native and has had previous head coaching ...
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NAHL.com
Fri, 17 May 2013 08:36:15 -0700
All season long, NAHL.com has shared with you the Plays of the Week, a weekly look at some of the best goals, saves and plays over the course of the 2012-13 season. Now, the NAHL is excited to announce its newest and most recent video, the Robertson ...
| ![]() NAHL.com |
NAHL.com
Fri, 10 May 2013 15:52:51 -0700
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced that the Minnesota Wilderness, a Cloquet, Minnesota-based junior hockey team, has been granted a membership into the NAHL effective for the 2013-14 season. The group was granted approval ...
| ![]() NAHL.com |
NAHL.com
Tue, 14 May 2013 09:21:41 -0700
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced that the Wenatchee Wild, who has been a member of the NAHL for the past five seasons, are relocating their membership to Hidalgo, Texas. The team will be known as the Rio Grande Valley Killer ...
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MassLive.com
Fri, 10 May 2013 16:35:45 -0700
It starts with the 1935-36 season, when both cities became charter members of the AHL, then called the North American Hockey League. The Syracuse Stars won the first Calder Cup. Syracuse dropped out of the league after the 1939-40 season. In the fall ...
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NAHL.com
Wed, 08 May 2013 12:53:02 -0700
The 2013 NAHL Robertson Cup Championship Tournament begins in a few days and will be held from May 10-13, 2013 at the Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas. The Robertson Cup crowns the NAHL's playoff champion and also represents USA Hockey's ...
| ![]() SooToday.com |
NAHL.com
Wed, 08 May 2013 08:18:10 -0700
NAHL announces 2012-13 season awards. May 8, 2013. The North American Hockey League (NAHL) has announced the remainder of its awards for the 2012-13 season. The selections are based on performance during the 2012-13 regular season, as voted ...
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