Current season, competition or edition: 2013–14 AWHL season | |
Sport | Ice Hockey |
---|---|
Founded | 2011 |
Inaugural season | 2011-12 |
CEO | Garry Swain [1] |
No. of teams | 7 |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) | Helena Bighorns (2nd) [2] |
Most titles | Helena Bighorns (2) |
Official website | theawhl.com |
The American West Hockey League (AWHL) was an American Tier III Junior ice hockey league based in Montana and Wyoming. The league was a member of USA Hockey and was founded in 2011. [3] The AWHL merged into the NA3HL in March 2014.
The AWHL was formed in the summer of 2011 by teams breaking away from the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac). The league shares a similar area as the former America West Hockey League that merged into the North American Hockey League in 2003. Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Helena all had teams in the old AWHL. [3]
In 2012, the AWHL welcomed the Yellowstone Quake from Cody, Wyoming, to the league. The Quake was previously a member of the NorPac and began play in the AWHL for the 2012–13 season. [4] In February 2013 it was announced the Glacier Nationals from Whitefish, Montana were accepted in the AWHL for the 2013-2014 season. The Nationals, another former member of the NorPac, had played a split schedule with the NorPac and the AWHL for the 2012–13 season. [5] The Nationals would join the AWHL as a full-time member in 2013–14.
In April 2013 the Missoula Maulers announced that they will be leaving the AWHL and joining the Western States Hockey League for the 2013–14 hockey season. [6]
In March 2014, the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) announced that the AWHL would merge into the league as the new Frontier Division. [7]
Team | Joined | Left | New League | City | Arena |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Missoula Maulers | 2011 | 2013 [6] | WSHL | Missoula, MT | Glacier Ice Rink |
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 47th season of operation in 2021–22. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternative to the Tier I United States Hockey League (USHL). The NAHL is one of the oldest junior hockey leagues in the United States and is headquartered in Addison, Texas.
The Bozeman Icedogs are a Tier III Junior ice hockey team located in Bozeman, Montana. The team is a member of the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The Icedogs play home games at the Haynes Pavilion located at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds.
The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)-sanctioned, junior ice hockey league. Established in 1993, the WSHL was previously sanctioned by USA Hockey from 1994 to 2011. Teams played approximately 50 games in the regular season schedule, mimicking what players would experience at the collegiate level. As of January 2022, there are no active teams in the league following the creation of the Can-Am Junior Hockey League by former WSHL teams.
The America West Hockey League (AWHL) was a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league. The AWHL was formed in 1992 to offer junior ice hockey to the Rocky Mountain region of USA Hockey. It originally was called the American Frontier Hockey League (AFHL), and the name change to AWHL came in 1998. The AWHL merged with the North American Hockey League in 2003 and after the merger, the NAHL name was kept.
The Billings Bulls were a junior ice hockey organization based in Billings, Montana. They most recently played home games at the 550-seat Centennial Ice Arena and due to the arena's small size, the Bulls frequently sold out games. They previously played their home games in the Metrapark which had a max capacity of 9,000 for hockey games. However, a negotiating dispute with arena officials and local county commissioners resulted in the team losing its lease.
The El Paso Rhinos are a junior ice hockey organization based in El Paso, Texas. Their home games are played at the County Events Center located within the El Paso County Coliseum complex. The Rhinos are members of the South Division of the Tier III junior North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The organization was originally a member of the Amateur Athletic Union-sanctioned Western States Hockey League from 2006 to 2020. They plan on adding a Tier II team to the South Division of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) in the 2021–22 season.
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is an American Tier III junior ice hockey league that consists of teams from Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Sanctioned by USA Hockey, for most of the league's existence, the winner of the NA3HL playoffs would advance to play for the Tier III National Championship, however, this has not been held since 2015.
The Northern Pacific Hockey League (NPHL) was an American Tier III junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. Its championship trophy was the Cascade Cup.
The Missoula Maulers were a junior ice hockey team from Missoula, Montana. The team played in the Northern Pacific Hockey League, the American West Hockey League, and the Western States Hockey League. out of Missoula's Glacier Ice Rink.
The Butte Roughriders were a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team located in Butte, Montana. The team joined the Northern Pacific Hockey League's America West Division in 2003 when the league competed at the Tier III Jr. B level. In 2007 The NorPac was granted Tier III Junior A status by USA Hockey.
The Helena Bighorns are a Tier III Junior A ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) based in Helena, Montana United States. The team plays their home games at the 1,600-seat Helena Ice Arena.
The Yellowstone Quake is a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey team playing in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at Victor Riley Arena in Cody, Wyoming. The franchise is a non-profit corporation operated by the Park County Junior A Hockey Program.
The Metro Jets are a non-sanctioned junior ice hockey team that plays their home games at Mount Clemens Ice Arena in Mount Clemens, Michigan. They are members of the Great Lakes Conference in the United States Premier Hockey League's Premier Division. Players are ages 16–20, carry amateur status under Junior A guidelines and hope to earn a spot on higher levels of junior ice hockey in the United States and Canada, Canadian major junior, collegiate, and eventually professional teams. The Jets won the 2002 USA Hockey Junior B Silver Cup national championship.
The Glacier Ice Rink is a two-sheet ice arena located in Missoula, Montana, on the Missoula County Fairgrounds. The rink and its programs are operated by the Missoula Area Youth Hockey Association (MAYHA), a non-profit organization for promoting ice sports. The rink is open 10 months a year and offers youth and adult hockey leagues, hockey tournaments, and public skating sessions. Glacier Ice Rink is also home to the Missoula Figure Skating Club, the Missoula Curling Club, the Missoula Referees Association, the Women's Hockey Association of Missoula (WHAM) and the University of Montana men's hockey team. The ice is removed each summer for the Western Montana Fair.
The Great Falls Americans are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior A ice hockey team from Great Falls, Montana, playing at the Great Falls IcePlex in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The players, ages 16–20, carry amateur status under Junior A guidelines and hope to earn a place on a Canadian major junior, collegiate or minor professional team.
The 2012–13 AWHL season was the second season of the American West Hockey League. The regular season schedule ran from September 28, 2012, to March 2, 2013.
The 2011–12 AWHL season was the first season for the newly formed American West Hockey League. The AWHL was formed in the summer of 2011 by teams breaking away from the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NorPac). The league shared a similar area as the former America West Hockey League that merged into the North American Hockey League in 2003. Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Helena all had teams in the old AWHL.
The 2013–14 AWHL season was the third and final season of the American West Hockey League. The regular season schedule ran from September 19, 2013, to March 8, 2014.
The Minnesota Loons are a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III Junior ice hockey team playing in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at Breezy Point Ice Arena in Breezy Point, Minnesota. The organization was originally known as the Breezy Point North Stars and was founded as a non-profit corporation operated by Whitebirch, Inc.
The North Iowa Bulls are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). They play their home games at the Mason City Multipurpose Arena in Mason City, Iowa. The organization also operates a Tier III junior team in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) that was known as the North Iowa Bulls from 2011 to 2021 before relocating the Tier II Amarillo Bulls' franchise to Mason City and rebranding the Tier III team as the Mason City Toros. The Bulls are coached by Todd Sanden, who has been with the North Iowa team since its inception in 2011.