2008-09 Season Changes
The off-season always brings with it a fair amount of change in youth hockey across the country. New leagues are formed, old ones die. New clubs are formed, change names, or change affiliations while existing ones sometimes return to their origins (dust). I have been tracking these during the past couple months and feel that I have probably identified more than half of the major changes. What follows below is a list of changes I have identified. If you know of other changes that are of a similar nature, please don't hesitate to email MYHockey.
• At the Midget Major level the MWEHL has modified its membership and formed a 20 team “Superleague”. With 4 divisions of 5 teams, the league will feature a 46 game schedule that will keep these teams busy. The divisions are Detroit (Belle Tire, Compuware, Honeybaked, Little Caesars, Victory Honda), Chicago (Fury, Mission, CYA, TI, Madison), Mid-Am (Cleveland Barons, Mahoning Valley Phantoms, Pittsburgh Hornets, S2 Hockey, St Louis Blues) and West (Colorado Rampage, Dallas Stars, LA Jr Kings, PF Changs, Russell Stover).
• At the Midget Major Level the following teams will be part of the inaugural 2008-09 Northern Lakes Hockey League (NLHL) season – Green Bay Jr Gamblers, Marquette Electricians, Ojibwa Eagles, Soo Indians, Thunder Bay Kings.
• Texas Attack have combined with Alliance Bulldogs and have formed the Dallas Stars AAA. The Alliance Bulldogs will continue to be a Tier II program.
• The Dallas Penguins are now fielding midget AAA teams in the Dallas area to fill the void left by the above merger.
• Florida Jr Panthers and S Florida Golden Wolves have combined at the AAA level to form Panthers Alliance Hockey. They will be identified as the “Florida Panthers Alliance” in MYHockey.
• Team nXi is now S2 Hockey and has joined the MAHL below the midget level.
• The MAHL is not fielding midget level divisions for the 2008-09 season.
• Richmond Hill Stars AAA program has changed its name to the South Central Ontario Coyotes and will continue to play in the OMHA ETA – the Richmond Hill Stars continue to exist as a AA, A level program.
• St Louis Amateur Blues are no longer a member of the MAHL, but will play an independent schedule.
• Belle Tire AAA will continue to operate as a member of the MWEHL but has moved from Fraser, MI to Taylor, MI. Belle Tire’s main Tier 2 level teams have also moved to the south side of Detroit, merging with Dearborn and/or the Lincoln Park Lakers.
• Dearborn Brand, an upstart Detroit area AAA program, no longer exists • The Fraser Falcons have been created to, in part, fill a vacancy left by Belle Tire in Fraser, MI.
• The Motor City Machine is a new program affiliated with a new NAHL Jr team playing out of Brownstown, MI by the same name. They are fielding two midget AAA teams and a number of Tier 2 LCAHL teams.
• IJYHL league from Massachusetts was formed. It includes new clubs Boston Jr Blackhawks and New England Predators and existing programs New England Bulldogs, New England Moose, North Shore Jr Raiders and the PHD Elites.
• The New England Rhinos have formed and have joined the EHF fielding Tier II teams. They have replaced the Connecticut Riptide which has folded.
• The NECDL has joined the EHF fielding AA teams.
• The Yorba Linda Blackhawks have become the Orange County Hockey Club.
• California Heat is the AA Tier II program of the Valencia Express and the West Valley Wolves.
• The Mountain States Renegades of Greeley CO have three teams playing in the Colorado Competitive Youth Hockey League (CCYHL) this season for the first time.
• Boston Red Rangers formed and have joined the NEHL.
• The Manchester (NH) Flames have joined the MASS league and there first picked birth year teams will be designated AAA.
• The Connecticut Clippers have placed some teams in the MASS league.
• Hershey Jr Bears joined the AYHL fielding a number of AAA teams.
• Greenwich Blues are no longer members of the AYHL and are no longer.
fielding AAA level teams – there AAA teams have merged with the Mid-Fairfield Blues.
• The Mid-Fairfield Blues are now a member of the AYHL.
• The Albany Storm are now called the Albany Jr River Rats – they remain a member of the NEHL.
• At the 96 birth year level the LA Selects, Dallas Stars, Colorado Thunderbirds and the Phoenix Lemieux Academy Bulls have formed a league called the Western Elite Hockey League (WEHL).
• The Marietta (GA) Jr Thrashers (not to be confused with the Kennesaw (GA) Jr Thrashers or the Duluth (GA) Jr Thrashers) have changed their name to the Atlanta Knights. They are still a member of the SYTHL.
• The Midwest Maniax (Dyer, IN), the Crystal Lake Yellowjackets (Crystal Lake, IL) and the Glen Ellyn Admirals (Glen Ellyn, IL) have all been admitted to the NIHL and field travel teams for the first time.
• The Madison Capitols AAA program is no longer playing in the Tier II Central States Developmental Hockey League (CSDHL).
• The United Prospects Hockey League (UPHL) was formed as an elite midwest Tier II league with founding members Orland Park Vikings (IL), Chicago Hawks, St Peters Spirit and Twin Bridges Lightning.
• The St Peters Spirit and Glenview Stars are no longer a members of the CSDHL.
• The Skyland Kings have joined the NJYHL.
• The New Jersey Kings and the New Jersey Stars have merged their programs and will play in the NJYHL as the New Jersey Stars going forward.
• The Arizona Hockey Union has been created to field Tier I and Tier II teams from the Arizona Heat, the Phoenix (Chandler) Polar Bears and the Peoria Roadrunners.
• The Massachusetts has formed a Tier II Midget League that is now being followed by MYHockey under the abbreviation MASS2. A number of MASS programs are fielding teams in addition to other traditionally strong Tier 2 or town-based programs.
• A number of programs are fielding new Bantam AAA teams this season including the Pikes Peak Miners (Colorado Springs), PF Changs (Phoenix), LA Jr Kings, Pittsburgh Viper Stars as an extension to their existing Midget AAA programs.
• At the Midget Major level the MWEHL has modified its membership and formed a 20 team “Superleague”. With 4 divisions of 5 teams, the league will feature a 46 game schedule that will keep these teams busy. The divisions are Detroit (Belle Tire, Compuware, Honeybaked, Little Caesars, Victory Honda), Chicago (Fury, Mission, CYA, TI, Madison), Mid-Am (Cleveland Barons, Mahoning Valley Phantoms, Pittsburgh Hornets, S2 Hockey, St Louis Blues) and West (Colorado Rampage, Dallas Stars, LA Jr Kings, PF Changs, Russell Stover).
• At the Midget Major Level the following teams will be part of the inaugural 2008-09 Northern Lakes Hockey League (NLHL) season – Green Bay Jr Gamblers, Marquette Electricians, Ojibwa Eagles, Soo Indians, Thunder Bay Kings.
• Texas Attack have combined with Alliance Bulldogs and have formed the Dallas Stars AAA. The Alliance Bulldogs will continue to be a Tier II program.
• The Dallas Penguins are now fielding midget AAA teams in the Dallas area to fill the void left by the above merger.
• Florida Jr Panthers and S Florida Golden Wolves have combined at the AAA level to form Panthers Alliance Hockey. They will be identified as the “Florida Panthers Alliance” in MYHockey.
• Team nXi is now S2 Hockey and has joined the MAHL below the midget level.
• The MAHL is not fielding midget level divisions for the 2008-09 season.
• Richmond Hill Stars AAA program has changed its name to the South Central Ontario Coyotes and will continue to play in the OMHA ETA – the Richmond Hill Stars continue to exist as a AA, A level program.
• St Louis Amateur Blues are no longer a member of the MAHL, but will play an independent schedule.
• Belle Tire AAA will continue to operate as a member of the MWEHL but has moved from Fraser, MI to Taylor, MI. Belle Tire’s main Tier 2 level teams have also moved to the south side of Detroit, merging with Dearborn and/or the Lincoln Park Lakers.
• Dearborn Brand, an upstart Detroit area AAA program, no longer exists • The Fraser Falcons have been created to, in part, fill a vacancy left by Belle Tire in Fraser, MI.
• The Motor City Machine is a new program affiliated with a new NAHL Jr team playing out of Brownstown, MI by the same name. They are fielding two midget AAA teams and a number of Tier 2 LCAHL teams.
• IJYHL league from Massachusetts was formed. It includes new clubs Boston Jr Blackhawks and New England Predators and existing programs New England Bulldogs, New England Moose, North Shore Jr Raiders and the PHD Elites.
• The New England Rhinos have formed and have joined the EHF fielding Tier II teams. They have replaced the Connecticut Riptide which has folded.
• The NECDL has joined the EHF fielding AA teams.
• The Yorba Linda Blackhawks have become the Orange County Hockey Club.
• California Heat is the AA Tier II program of the Valencia Express and the West Valley Wolves.
• The Mountain States Renegades of Greeley CO have three teams playing in the Colorado Competitive Youth Hockey League (CCYHL) this season for the first time.
• Boston Red Rangers formed and have joined the NEHL.
• The Manchester (NH) Flames have joined the MASS league and there first picked birth year teams will be designated AAA.
• The Connecticut Clippers have placed some teams in the MASS league.
• Hershey Jr Bears joined the AYHL fielding a number of AAA teams.
• Greenwich Blues are no longer members of the AYHL and are no longer.
fielding AAA level teams – there AAA teams have merged with the Mid-Fairfield Blues.
• The Mid-Fairfield Blues are now a member of the AYHL.
• The Albany Storm are now called the Albany Jr River Rats – they remain a member of the NEHL.
• At the 96 birth year level the LA Selects, Dallas Stars, Colorado Thunderbirds and the Phoenix Lemieux Academy Bulls have formed a league called the Western Elite Hockey League (WEHL).
• The Marietta (GA) Jr Thrashers (not to be confused with the Kennesaw (GA) Jr Thrashers or the Duluth (GA) Jr Thrashers) have changed their name to the Atlanta Knights. They are still a member of the SYTHL.
• The Midwest Maniax (Dyer, IN), the Crystal Lake Yellowjackets (Crystal Lake, IL) and the Glen Ellyn Admirals (Glen Ellyn, IL) have all been admitted to the NIHL and field travel teams for the first time.
• The Madison Capitols AAA program is no longer playing in the Tier II Central States Developmental Hockey League (CSDHL).
• The United Prospects Hockey League (UPHL) was formed as an elite midwest Tier II league with founding members Orland Park Vikings (IL), Chicago Hawks, St Peters Spirit and Twin Bridges Lightning.
• The St Peters Spirit and Glenview Stars are no longer a members of the CSDHL.
• The Skyland Kings have joined the NJYHL.
• The New Jersey Kings and the New Jersey Stars have merged their programs and will play in the NJYHL as the New Jersey Stars going forward.
• The Arizona Hockey Union has been created to field Tier I and Tier II teams from the Arizona Heat, the Phoenix (Chandler) Polar Bears and the Peoria Roadrunners.
• The Massachusetts has formed a Tier II Midget League that is now being followed by MYHockey under the abbreviation MASS2. A number of MASS programs are fielding teams in addition to other traditionally strong Tier 2 or town-based programs.
• A number of programs are fielding new Bantam AAA teams this season including the Pikes Peak Miners (Colorado Springs), PF Changs (Phoenix), LA Jr Kings, Pittsburgh Viper Stars as an extension to their existing Midget AAA programs.
