| Ice hockey in South Dakota | |
|---|---|
 Flag of South Dakota | |
| Country | United States |
| Governing body | USA Hockey [1] |
| National team(s) | Men's national team Women's national team |
| First played | 1999 |
Club competitions | |
South Dakota has a curious history with ice hockey. Despite the state having relatively little history with the sport, South Dakota's proximity to other very engaged states has resulted in a high level of engagement by its residents.
For much of its history, South Dakota has had a low population with the entire state having yet to amount to 1 million (approximately 910,000 in 2022). [2] Despite cold winters, which would provide a natural playing surface, ice hockey did not take off in the state for many years.
It wasn't until 1999 that the state received its first franchise when USHL expanded to Sioux Falls. [3] The Sioux Falls Stampede played at the highest level of junior hockey in the US and was routinely stocked with future NHL talent. The team struggled through a few lean years early on but built itself into a force by the mid 00s. Shortly after the Stampede won it first Clark Cup in 2007, the state received its second team when the Rapid City Rush were founded in 2008. The team found success straight away and won the league championship in just its second season. The team was able to quickly establish itself partly by being the only professional game in town and that fact was key in keeping the team alive.
In 2014, the CHL folded, leaving 10 teams scrambling to find a new home. The Rush were one of seven who were accepted into the ECHL for the next season. While their new league made the Rush a more attractive team (now playing AA hockey), the tradeoff was that the team's expenses were also increasing. To help offset those costs, the team was able to sign an affiliate deal and become part of the Phoenix Coyotes system in 2015. [4] The team struggled on the ice afterwards, missing the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, however, that wasn't the worst calamity to befall the Rush. In 2019, the team's business manager was investigate by federal authorities for embezzlement. He later pled guilty to stealing $700,000 between 2010 and 2018 and was ordered to pay $1 million in restitution. [5]
Junior hockey expanded in the state when the Aberdeen Wings were founded in 2010. The team began play as a member of the NAHL, a second-tier junior league. Just like the Stampede, it took a few years for the Wings to build itself into a contender but the team won its first league title in 2019, the same year Sioux Falls earned their third championship. [6]
In 2021 Augustana University announced that, following a successful fundraising campaign spearheaded by T. Denny Sanford, the school would sponsor varsity ice hockey beginning with the 2023–24 season. In order to help the team receive greater exposure, the school signed a deal with Midco, a regional cable broadcaster headquartered in Sioux Falls, to not only become namesake for their new facility (Midco Arena) but to also be the television provider for the team. [7]
| Team | City | League | Arena | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid City Rush | Rapid City | ECHL | The Monument | 2008 |
| Team | City | Gender | Division | League | Arena | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augustana Vikings | Sioux Falls | Men's | NCAA Division I | CCHA | Midco Arena | 2023 |
| Team | City | League | Arena | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls Stampede | Sioux Falls | USHL | Denny Sanford Premier Center | 1999 |
| Aberdeen Wings | Aberdeen | NAHL | Odde Ice Center | 2010 |
Active Active (out of state)
In spite of the state not having an established ice hockey team for decades, South Dakota has a very high level of engagement with the sport. While less 3,000 residents were registered with USA Hockey in 2023, the population percentage of 0.339% placed South Dakota at 13th in the nation, ahead of 'traditional' hockey states like New York and Pennsylvania. [8] While several collegiate players have hailed from South Dakota over the years, no player from the Mount Rushmore state has yet to achieve a significant level of notoriety.
South Dakota is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota Sioux Native American tribe, which comprises a large portion of the population with nine reservations currently in the state and has historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the 17th largest by area, but the 5th least populous, and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. They are the 39th and 40th states admitted to the union; President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became a state first. Pierre is the state capital, and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 192,200, is South Dakota's most populous city.
The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which operated the league from 2000 to 2013, at which point it was purchased by the individual franchise owners. As of the end of its final season in 2014, three of the 30 National Hockey League teams had affiliations with the CHL: the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Sioux Falls Arena is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The facility was built in 1961. It seats 6,113 for basketball games and 4,760 for indoor football and hockey.
Midco is a regional cable provider, providing a triple play service of cable television, Internet and telephone service for both North Dakota and South Dakota, along with much of Minnesota, and several communities in Kansas and Wisconsin. The company's business-class service also provides direct fiber-optic communications services via leased data circuits for larger companies.
The following is a chronicle of events during the year 2006 in ice hockey.
Alexander Dwight Foster is an American former professional ice hockey forward who last played with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL.
The New York Apple Core are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from Brewster, New York, playing in the Eastern Hockey League. The team plays home games at the Brewster Ice Arena. The Apple Core organization is based out of Long Beach, New York, on Long Island, however, their top level junior team has played in Brewster since the start of the 2011–12 season.
The Rapid City Rush are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL based in Rapid City, South Dakota, and play their home games at The Monument. The Rush are currently a minor affiliate of the Calgary Flames NHL franchise.
Kellen Briggs is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender.
Joseph Dominic Vitale is an American former professional ice hockey player and the current radio color analyst for the St. Louis Blues. Vitale was drafted 195th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he made his NHL debut. He also played with the Arizona Coyotes.
The Augustana Vikings are the athletic teams that represent Augustana University, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Vikings compete as members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for all 14 varsity sports. The Vikings joined the NSIC from the North Central Conference, which folded in 2008.
Rylan Galiardi is an American former professional ice hockey center. His younger brother, TJ Galiardi, is also a former professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League.
Riley Weselowski is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who predominantly played in the ECHL. He is currently serving as an assistant coach with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL.
Brendan Perlini is an English-born Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who is currently playing with the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The 1954 South Dakota Coyotes football team was an American football team that represented the University of South Dakota as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC) during the 1954 college football season. In their 16th season under head coach Harry Gamage, the Coyotes compiled a 5–4 record, tied for fifth place out of seven teams in the NCC, and were outscored by a total of 149 to 115. They played their home games at Inman Field in Vermillion, South Dakota.
Dakota Joshua is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).He was selected 128th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
The Augustana Vikings men's ice hockey is an announced NCAA Division I ice hockey team that is set to begin play in the fall of 2023.
The Midco Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is a planned 3,082-seat ice hockey arena on the campus of Augustana University. The arena broke ground on October 5, 2021.
The 1977 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota in the 1977 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the North Central Conference (NCC). Led by third-year coach Beanie Cooper, the Coyotes compiled an overall record of 4–7 and a mark of 2–4–1 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the NCC. The team played two games against Nebraska–Omaha in order to save money on travel; each game counted as a half-game in the conference standings.
Michael Eyssimont is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fifth round, 142nd overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
