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.
The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in the Britt Brown Arena located in the northern Wichita suburb of Park City. In January 2010, the team began playing its home games at the newly built Intrust Bank Arena.
The Tulsa Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and play in the ECHL. The Oilers played their home games at the Tulsa Convention Center until 2008 when they moved into the new BOK Center. For many years, the Tulsa Oilers name was shared with Tulsa's former minor-league baseball team that pre-dated the Tulsa Drillers. To reduce confusion in local news reporting, the hockey team was often called the "Ice Oilers".
The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
Brent Bilodeau is a retired American-Canadian ice hockey defenseman. He was drafted in the first round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens while a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.
Theo "Teddy" Peckham is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently signed with the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks of the WOAA. He is the half-brother of Angela James, one of the first female hockey players to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Their father, Leo James, was an African American from Mississippi who came to Canada to escape racial segregation.
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 Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
Jimmy Bonneau is a former hockey forward who last played for the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL. He was drafted 241st overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He is an assistant coach for the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League, and served as their co-head coach in 2019–20.
The Kansas City Mavericks are an ice hockey team in the ECHL. Founded in 2009 as the Missouri Mavericks, the team plays in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, at the Cable Dahmer Arena.
The Allen Americans are an ice hockey team headquartered at the Allen Event Center in Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the ECHL. The team was founded in 2009 in the Central Hockey League (CHL) where they played for five seasons, winning the Ray Miron President's Cup twice. The CHL folded in 2014 and the ECHL accepted the remaining CHL teams as members for the 2014–15 season. In their first two seasons in the ECHL, Allen advanced to the Kelly Cup finals, winning the championship in both years.
The Quad City Mallards were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa that competed in the International Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. They were named after the Mallards team that played in the United Hockey League from 1995 to 2007, this Mallards franchise marked their debut in 2009 in the International Hockey League. The Mallards played their home games at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Illinois.
Sébastien Thinel is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey Winger.
Josh Unice is an American professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently interim Head Coach for the CBR Brave in the Australian Ice Hockey League. Josh joined the Brave in Canberra as their starting import goaltender before the start of the 2015 AIHL season after leaving the Sheffield Steelers in the EIHL. He was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 3rd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Kent Patterson is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Lake Erie Monsters.
Ray DiLauro is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 9th round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.
The Brampton Beast were a professional ice hockey team based in Brampton, Ontario. The team originally played in the Central Hockey League for one year during the 2013–14 season prior to the league's folding before joining the ECHL from 2014 to 2020. The Beast played their home games at the CAA Centre. The team was one of only two Canadian members of the ECHL along with the Newfoundland Growlers from 2018 to 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beast voluntarily suspended operations through at least the 2020–21 ECHL season, but ceased operations entirely.
The 2009–10 Missouri Mavericks season is the inaugural season of the Central Hockey League (CHL) franchise in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri.
Joe Ferras, also known as Joe Ferraccioli, is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Ferras is currently the general manager for the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL.
The 2014–15 Missouri Mavericks season is the 6th season of the ECHL franchise in Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri.
Hardy Sauter is an Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman and coach.
