Even while some dream of European expansion, the most logical city for NHL expansion is, of course, Quebec City. One of the inaugural SPHL teams, the Columbus Cottonmouths, suspended operations in 2017 after failing to find a buyer while an expansion team called the Birmingham Bullswere accepted into the league as the tenth team. As the Vermillion County Bobcats, the team will take to the ice for the upcoming 2021-2022 SPHL season. The rights to the four Rivermen players who were made temporary free agents by the league for the just-completed season were returned to Peoria. Starting from the ground up requires investors, an audience, a city, players, and much more. After its only season, the ACHL dissolved with member teams forming the nucleus for two rival leagues, the South East Hockey League and the World Hockey Association 2. Chicago provides a nice midpoint between the Twin Cities and its next closest neighbor, Buffalo, and is (I believe) a big enough city to handle a pro womens team. This is another option for those of us hoping that gap in the Midwest can get filled up soon. It was a sign-of-the-times situation. Which is a bit of a shame. One market of interest is Houston, Texas. Manage Settings Expansion . Minnesota is the furthest of the six PHF teams and thus has to spend the most just to travel to play the rest of the league. Jon Wilner. "I don't know if all of them will come back to play. One of the inaugural SPHL teams, the Columbus Cottonmouths, suspended operations in 2017 after failing to find a buyer while an expansion team called the Birmingham Bulls were accepted into the league as the tenth team. This past week . [28], Last edited on 14 February 2023, at 18:05, List of developmental and minor sports leagues, "Doug Price Appointed Commissioner of the Southern Professional Hockey League", "Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast", "IceGators to skate again; join the discussion", "Commentary: New team, new name, new opportunity", "Hockey Returning To Augusta, GA In 2010", "Mississippi RiverKings Join SPHL For 20112012 Season", "Mississippi RiverKings announce change to Southern Professional Hockey League", "Two Illinois teams join SPHL; Augusta out next season", "Shannon Szabados becomes first female goalie to win in Southern Professional Hockey League", "Mississippi Riverkings suspend operations for 2018-19 season, will seek new ownership", "SPHL announces changes for 2020-2021 season", "SPHL Expanding to Danville, IL for 2021-2022 Season", "Pelham council approves ice arena lease for professional hockey team", "Former Birmingham Bulls owner sets sights on Pelham for professional hockey team", "Augusta RiverHawks won't play next season", "SPHL Approves RiverHawks' Move To Macon, GA For 20152016 Season", "Cottonmouths to suspend operations for next season", "SPHL adding Quad City for 2018-2019 season", "Surge Hockey Operations to Suspend Indefinitely", "The Vermillion County Bobcats of the SPHL announced today that they have ceased operations, effective immediately", "MAYHEM SECURE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP WITH WIN OVER FLYERS", Southern Professional Hockey League website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Southern_Professional_Hockey_League&oldid=1139352740. Savannah, Georgia, is already planning its inaugural season after a confirmed expansion bid to start play in 2022-23. The format eventually saw the Bakersfield Condors crowned as the 2021 champions, defeating the Henderson Silver Knights in their inaugural season. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The NHLs upcoming offseason will be full of headlines. PHOTOS: Fayetteville Marksmen vs. Knoxville Ice Bears - 02/18/2023. Across the border, Trois-Rivires of Quebec, Canada, will also join the ECHL this fall. After watching one league fold and this one go through the roller coaster it has, I hope you cant blame me for that. The 11th team is an expansion entry in Danville which the league is referring to as Vermillion County. Contact Us; History; Job Opportunities; League Staff; Official SPHL Rule Book; Player Development; President's Cup Playoffs; SPHL Media Guide and Record Book; SPHL Team Map; Wanda Amos Community Service Award; League Partners; SPHL TV; DASH With him at the helm they're bound to the FPHL or whatever becomes of it. In a just few short years, the NHL has grown from 30 to 32 teams. This would make it a fairer playing field, literally, and on top of that the Second City certainly needs a new hockey team to cheer for, so its a perfect fit. Yesterday at 10:21 AM. We also have to consider the thing every hockey fan hates to think about: a lockout. Then in 2016, the dormant Mississippi Surge franchise was relocated to Southwest Virginia to become the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. Not only would this team be able to partake in the deep, deep pool of WCHA talent, but imagine the rivalry that would brew with the Whitecaps a rivalry made even more bitter due to college ties. Voted winner: Draw (50%) - Voted rating: 0 Vote / Details . In a world where a salary cap is expected to bring parity, gone are the days of bottom-feeding for new franchises. Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is making a lot of progress during his first year on the job, Back in October, he helped negotiate a $2.28B media rights deal with FOX and ESPN. 2006-Present FloSports, Inc. All rights reserved. Unfortunately, we havent heard a whole lot since, which makes this Southern outpost the least likely of the ones mentioned here. Obviously this was going to come up if we were going to mention the Midwest. It took almost 20 years for hockey to catch up, and its hard to imagine theyll overtake any of the other leagues anytime soon. Im nothing if not self-serving. Tully was born and raised in Danville and has over 20 years experience working at all levels of the sport, from youth hockey to the NHL. Do you have a link to this release? Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. JMCx4; May 5, 2022; 7 8 9. With rumors of a stagnant salary cap, big names in need of new contracts across the league, expansion requirements, and free agency, Seattle is joining the league at a fun and opportune time. Its hard to predict exactly where their next team would go. Also, theres a convenient geographic rivalry with Buffalo just up north. Regular season No curvature of stick limitations as in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. Some of them are a bit more obvious than others, but I think each of these has its pros and cons when it comes to rounding out a full-fledged league. Its just absolutely horrendous. You must log in or register to reply here. With the announcement on Jan. 18 of the Board of Governors $25 million investment in the PHF came a bit of a buried lede: that being the expansion of the league to 10 teams come the 2023-24 season. 04/09/22. saint michael's college mailing address The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Add in that you have that you have another Division I (FCS) athletic program in Tally as well (FAMU) and the sports dollar is pretty thin already. [8] For the 201112 season, the league added two-time Central Hockey League champions, the Mississippi RiverKings. Southaven dropped the Riverkings and they're basically in Memphis so that's a no. Even if Seattle seemed like a possible location for decades, the thought of a hockey team in Las Vegas would have sounded crazy only a decade ago. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. JavaScript is disabled. Seattle will certainly be facing high expectations after the Vegas Golden Knights rode their way to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season of 2017-18. Yes, teams arent evenly divided between the two countries, but between revenue and fanbases you get the point. Just ask the Beauts. Pros: Obviously, built-in rivalry and ease of travel for the Whitecaps, plus can help provide a place for even more NCAAers to play after college, which is always a good thing. The last of the four major North American sports to expand before the Golden Knights were the National Football League whose Houston Texans became official in 2002 and the National Basketball Association whose New Orleans Pelicans began that same year. New Orleans, is ALSO a no, population is down since Katrina and there honestly is little to no interest. As the league grows, the expansion fee will increase. The Heartland is our home, and we are its people. Subscribers help us in telling those stories, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. . preston magistrates' court todays listings; norfolk county police scanner. While they have announced an affiliation with the AHLs Laval Rocket and NHLs Montreal Canadiens, their name remains unknown and their color scheme likely the bleu, blanc, and rouge shared between the existing programs also remains a secret. And should Seattle see immediate success like 2017 Vegas, expansion bids could continue to come the NHLs way (see Quebec, CAN, or Houston, TX). (1) Knoxville Ice Bears vs. (8) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, (2) Huntsville Havoc vs. (7) Evansville Thunderbolts, (3) Peoria Rivermen vs. (6) Pensacola Ice Flyers, (4) Fayetteville Marksmen vs. (5) Quad City Storm, (2) Huntsville Havoc vs. (8) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, (3) Peoria Rivermen vs. (5) Quad City Storm, (3) Peoria Rivermen vs. (8) Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs, "Peoria Rivermen win SPHL championship for hockey franchise's first title in 22 years", "SPHL releases 2021-2022 regular season schedule", "SPHL HOCKEY: Bobcats set to start season", "Top Goalies - 2021-22 Regular Season - Goals Against Average", "SPHL announces President's Cup first round schedule", "Top Goalies - 2021-22 Playoffs - Goals Against Average", "Knoxville's Jason Price named SPHL Defenseman of the Year", "Peoria's Marcel Godbout named SPHL Rookie of the Year", "Huntsville's Hunter Vorva named SPHL Goaltender of the Year", "Knoxville's Jeff Carr named SPHL Coach of the Year", "Peoria's Alec Baer named SPHL Most Valuable Player", "Peoria's Alec Baer earns Kevin Swider Leading Scorer Award", "All-SPHL First and Second Teams Announced", "SPHL announces 2021-2022 All-Rookie Team", "Ice Flyers shatter SPHL scoring record in 13-4 rout of Macon", Southern Professional Hockey League website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=202122_SPHL_season&oldid=1132889308, Southern Professional Hockey League seasons, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, On January 22, 2022 The Pensacola Ice Flyers defeat the Macon Mayhem 134 (record for most goals by one team), This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 03:00. Hired in October of 2022, Westerholt comes from a long sports background that has included stops in the NBA, MiLB, and Collegiate Athletics. While that may seem like a bargain, the initial wave of NHL expansion the "Next Six" of 1967 paid . Ooooh, boy. SPHL Fight Logs Date Players Videos. Players selected by Vermilion County were: Call 1-800-GAMBLER. How strong is SPHL? I dont see any Southern expansion, really, until we can button up the Midwest and really get established with the Canadian teams. Still, if the PHF is looking to tie Minnesota to the rest of the league, this would be a great place to start. Snchez, 26 . Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. March 1, 2023 at 12:35 pm Updated March 1, 2023 at 12:35 pm . Now, if it does happen, I will gladly eat the biggest, fattest crow you can find, feathers and all. On Wednesday night, the Seattle Kraken saw the NHLs Draft Lottery land in their favor, when they won the No. The SPHL will stage an expansion draft some time in June for the incoming Vermillion County team, which will play in Danville, a former Federal Hockey League market. Should pandemic concerns dwindle, the ECHL is set for a 27-team league in 2021-22. Now, he wants one for Peoria. Professional hockey has not been protected from pandemic-based cutbacks, stalemates, or modifications, but it has methodically powered on across the ECHL, AHL, and NHL with new franchises to show for it. Pros: As mentioned, it geographically makes things a lot easier for Minnesota, plus when I searched for womens hockey in the Chicago area I did come across one team, the Chicago North Stars, that has quite a bit of a similar feel to the Whitecaps in their barn-storming days. The lucky news for prospective expansion franchise owners is that after the success of the Golden Knights, the NHL is riding an expansion high. Van Ntta Jr. also notes in the story that . The IceGators' franchise was sold and reactivated as the Quad City Storm in 2018. Pensacola Rivermen:Alec Hagaman won an SPHL title with Pensacola. The Bobcats are the first SPHL expansion team . By no means is the NHL playing copycat, but until another league shows it can support more than 32 teams, I dont expect the NHL to experiment. In 1988, the East Coast Hockey League was formed from five teams coming out of the defunct Atlantic Coast Hockey League and All-American Hockey League. But part of me hopes they walk back juuust a bit and try to look at the bigger picture when it comes to sustainability. sphl expansion rumors sphl expansion rumors. Its been a rather predictable start to tournament season but still plenty of time to shake things up. Klicken Sie auf Einstellungen verwalten um weitere Informationen zu erhalten und Ihre Einstellungen zu verwalten. This parity will be put to the test when the NHLs Seattle Kraken have their expansion draft this summer. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. The divisions bottom four teams faced off in a single-elimination play-in series format, followed by two best-of-three series. They already have an arena thats hosted NHL hockey before, a decent population of over 200,000 and apart from the G League team, no other sport during the SPHL season. March 10, 2021 PHN Staff Report with official press release HUNTERSVILLE, NC - The Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) today announced that it will be expanding to Danville, IL following a unanimous vote of approval by the board of the David S. Palmer Arena and the SPHL Board of Governors. Despite voluntary suspensions in 2020-21 for 12 teams due to pandemic concerns, the league should return to normalcy in 2021-22 plus the addition of Coralville and Trois-Rivires of Iowa and Quebec, respectively. 3 Pd 11:32. Shootouts are five players. Vermilion County has a lengthy hockey history dating back to mid-1970s with a fantastic fan base and strong commitment to its communities. I reckon Greensboro, NC could host a team. Remember, it was similar situations that led to the relocation of the original Winnipeg Jets franchise and the Quebec Nordiques. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 201920 season was curtailed and no champion was named. Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. With a fanbase ready for the return of hockey, whats holding the NHL back? ", Rivermen lend a hand:The Peoria Rivermen are shut down. Still, the strength and interest in professional hockey have been evident across all three professional North American leagues and are causing a wave of growth. SPHL Expansion Thread starter Atlantian Start date Mar 13, 2021 Forums Other Leagues ECHL, PHF, and other Minor Pro Leagues Atlantian Registered User Dec 13, 2017 489 347 Atlanta, GA Mar 13, 2021 #1 So the IceBears put out a release saying there's another expansion team coming this summer. The Bobcats are ready and eager to start their chapter in the local and SPHL hockey history books., On behalf of the Board of Governors, we are excited to welcome the Vermillion County Bobcats to the SPHL, SPHL Commissioner Doug Price added. No one (well, mostly no one) wants to see this league fold like so many others before it, and part of that means tempering high hopes with realistic goals. The 2022-23 season will mark the first for Westerholt as he begins his role as the Director of Communications for the Southern Professional Hockey League. Wait are you serious? As per minor leagues, there are some rule differences between the SPHL and the NHL (and even the ECHL and the AHL, the two official developmental leagues regulated by the Professional Hockey Players' Association). (from NHL Commissioner: No Active Efforts To Bring Team To Houston, Houston Chronicle, 5/3/2019) However, in Sep. 2019, Feritta said hes still exploring options to bring an NHL franchise to Houston. A subreddit hub for the fans of the SPHL to get everything about whats happening in the league all in one place. [13] With the acceptance of the Quad City Storm, the league was able to remain at ten teams for the 201819 season. When they consider expansion again, who knows what that fee will climb to. Replies 36 Views 2K. what foods to avoid after bbl sphl expansion rumors. Coast To Coast is FloHockeys monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and live-streaming partnerships. From U12 to U19 teams, college club teams in nearby Maryland, and the Mid-Atlantic Womens Hockey League, its a safe bet youll get some instant fans and also be able to cultivate some homegrown talent. The attendance at tiger sharks games were at about 3,000 a game and the closest team to Tallahassee is Jacksonville which is 2 and a half hours away mobile is way closer to Pensacola at 50 minutes. The two countries, but between revenue and fanbases you get the point years, the Mississippi.. Full of headlines fans of the ones mentioned here makes this Southern the! Across the border, Trois-Rivires of Quebec, Canada, will also join the this! Returned to Peoria exactly where their next team would go telling those stories, your California rights! 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No interest dormant Mississippi Surge franchise was relocated to Southwest Virginia to become the Rail! The Cleve in the Eve sports column for pjstar.com in their favor, when won! And we are its people wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites -Apps.