| Elmira River Sharks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Elmira, New York |
| League | Federal Prospects Hockey League |
| Division | Empire |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Home arena | First Arena |
| Colors | Red, silver, black, white |
| Owner(s) | Federal Prospects Hockey League |
| CEO | Don Kirnan |
| Head coach | Tyler Gjurich |
| Media | WETM |
The Elmira River Sharks are a professional hockey team located in Elmira, New York, and play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. They play their home games at First Arena.
The Elmira Mammoth were founded for the 2022–23 season and were operated by Steve Donner. However, following the 2022–23 season, the Chemung County IDA evicted Mammoth Sports and Entertainment after it was found that they had not paid $250,000 in utility bills. [1] A few weeks later, the FPHL announced Elmira would return for the 2023–24 season with the league owning the team and the Mammoth roster retained by the new team. [2] On June 16, 2023, the FPHL's all-time leading goal scorer, Tyler Gjurich was announced as the first head coach for the new franchise. [3]
On July 8, 2023, the team name was announced as the Elmira River Sharks. [4] A week later, the FPHL and the Chemung County IDA finalized a one-year lease with an option to re-sign following the 2023–24 season. [5]
Elmira is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 census, down from 29,200 at the 2010 census, a decline of more than 7 percent.
The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate region of New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary widely, but generally encompass counties surrounding the Binghamton and Elmira-Corning metropolitan areas. This region is adjacent to the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, and both these regions together are known as the Twin Tiers.
The Chemung River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately 46.4 miles (74.7 km) long, in south central New York and northern Pennsylvania in the United States. It drains a mountainous region of the northern Allegheny Plateau in the Southern Tier of New York. The valley of the river has long been an important manufacturing center in the region but has suffered a decline in the late 20th century.
The Elmira Jackals were a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Elmira, New York. They were members of the United Hockey League from 2000 to 2007 and the ECHL from 2007 to 2017. The Jackals played their home games at First Arena.
The First Arena is a 3,784-seat multi-purpose facility located in downtown Elmira, New York. It features two ice surfaces, a full-service restaurant and bar, a food service center for the recreational rink, video game arcade, 31 luxury suites, party/group outing facilities, and meeting/community rooms among other amenities. The arena opened in 2000 as the Coach USA Center and changed names to the First Arena in 2004. It has been home to the Elmira Jackals from its opening until 2017 and the Elmira Enforcers of the Federal Prospects Hockey League from 2018 to 2021. It is located on the corner of W. Gray Street and N. Main Street.
The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. Don Kirnan is the league's commissioner. The league also occasionally branded itself as the Federal Professional Hockey League from 2015 to 2018 until it began using the name Federal Prospects Hockey League and completing the rebrand in 2019.
The Watertown Wolves are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Watertown, New York, and play home games at the Watertown Municipal Arena. The team was on hiatus during the 2015–16 season while renovations at the Watertown Municipal Arena were completed and then returned for the 2016–17 season. With a history dating to 2010, the Wolves are the last original franchise in the FPHL.
The New York Bobcats were a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey organization from Dix Hills, New York, at the Dix Hills Ice Arena. The team was most recently a member of the Eastern Hockey League in the 2017–18 season.
The Danville Dashers are a hockey team from Danville, Illinois, in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. The Dashers were named in honor of the original Danville Dashers. From 2011 to 2020, the team played their home games at David S. Palmer Arena, which was also home to the original Dashers that played in the Continental Hockey League from 1981 to 1986, but were voted out of the arena in 2021. On February 28, 2024, it was announced that the David S. Palmer Arena board had accepted the lease from Barry Soskin and Diane Short to bring the Danville Dashers back for the 2024-25 season.
The Mentor Ice Breakers were a professional ice hockey team based in Mentor, Ohio. The team was a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League and played at Mentor Civic Arena.
The Elmira Enforcers were a minor professional ice hockey team located in Elmira, New York, and a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Their home games were played at First Arena. The team folded in 2021 after an arena contract dispute after three seasons. The team made the playoffs in each of their 3 seasons.
The Columbus River Dragons are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Georgia. The team is a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League and plays at the Columbus Civic Center.
The Danbury Hat Tricks are a professional ice hockey team based in Danbury, Connecticut. The team is a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League and plays at the Danbury Ice Arena.
The Motor City Rockers are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fraser, Michigan. The team is the tenth to join the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). After experiencing delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rockers played their first game on October 13, 2022.
The Binghamton Black Bears are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Binghamton, New York, with home games at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena.
The Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks are a USA Hockey-sanctioned junior ice hockey organization based in Danbury, Connecticut. The organization has junior teams in the Tier II North American Hockey League and the Tier III North American 3 Hockey League, both of which play home games at the Danbury Ice Arena.
The Vermilion County Bobcats were a professional ice hockey team in Danville, Illinois, that began play in the 2021–22 season as a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League. They ceased operations effective February 9, 2023.
The Elmira Mammoth were a minor league professional hockey team located in Elmira, New York, playing in the Federal Prospects Hockey League who played in the 2022–23 season. Their home games were played at the First Arena. The team played in orange, white, and purple jerseys.
The Baton Rouge Zydeco are a professional hockey team located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, playing at the Raising Cane's River Center Arena. They are a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. Their inaugural season was the 2023–24 season.
The 2019–20 Federal Prospects Hockey League season was the tenth season of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) and the first with "Prospects" in the league's name. The regular season was an unbalanced schedule with the ten teams in the league playing somewhere from 56 to 60 games per team. On March 16, 2020, the league canceled the remainder of the 2019–20 season schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
