Motor City Rockers | |
---|---|
City | Fraser, Michigan |
League | Federal Prospects Hockey League |
Division | Empire |
Founded | 2020 |
Home arena | Big Boy Arena |
General manager | Nick Field |
Head coach | Gordie Brown |
Website | Motor City Rockers |
Franchise history | |
2022–present | Motor City Rockers |
The Motor City Rockers are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Fraser, Michigan. [1] The team is the tenth to join the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). [1] [2] After experiencing delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rockers played their first game on October 13, 2022. [1] [3]
On July 16, 2020, a new FPHL team led by team president Adam Stio was approved to play at the 3,400 seat Fraser Hockeyland for the 2020–21 season. [1] [4] [5] On August 11, 2020, the Motor City Rockers were announced by Stio. At this event, Stio also introduced the team's first head coach, Kahlil Thomas. [6] Thomas never coached a game for the Rockers.
The team's first transactions were acquiring Ryan Alves and Tim Santopaolo from the Columbus River Dragons via a trade. [4] [7] The Rockers were originally scheduled to play in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled their launch. [1]
On April, 29, 2022, general manager Nick Field announced that the Rockers were being revived. The team was allowed to choose twelve athletes from other teams in the Federal Prospects League. [1] [2] [8] In September 2022, the Rockers named Gordie Brown as their head coach. [9] On October 13, 2022, the Rockers played their inaugural game in Fraser, Michigan. [1] [3]
The Mississippi Sea Wolves were a professional hockey team based in Biloxi, Mississippi, and play in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. The Sea Wolves were members of the ECHL.
Big Boy Arena in Fraser, Michigan, is a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) ice center and entertainment venue offering five rinks for hockey, figure skating, inline skating, camps, clinics, private lessons, leagues, and special events. Its largest ice rink is a stadium arena with a 3,400-seat capacity. The ice center was the home of the Motor City Mechanics of the former United Hockey League. It was also home to the Metro Jets junior and youth hockey organization from 2015 to 2021. The complex was the host of the 2007 USA Hockey National Championships for the Midget division.
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 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 Detroit Thunder was a professional indoor football team based in Fraser, Michigan. The team was a member of the Continental Indoor Football League. The Thunder were the third indoor football team to have called the Motor City home, following two Arena Football League teams: the four-time ArenaBowl champion Detroit Drive (1988–1993) and the Detroit Fury (2001–2004). In addition, a team called the Motor City Reapers was proposed for the 2007 CIFL season, but the team folded before ever playing a single game. The Thunder were owned by Terrence and Lawrence Foster.
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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 Mississippi Sea Wolves are a professional hockey team located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and play at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. They currently play in the Federal Prospects Hockey League. The team is named after a former ECHL team that played in Biloxi from 1996 to 2009.
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 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.