lafountain Posted October 17, 2008 Report Share Posted October 17, 2008 So while looking around at websites about Wichita Falls, TX, I find out that Wichita Falls has a Junior Team in the NAHL called the Wichita Falls Wildcats. So anyone know anything about this league? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted October 18, 2008 Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 So while looking around at websites about Wichita Falls, TX, I find out that Wichita Falls has a Junior Team in the NAHL called the Wichita Falls Wildcats. So anyone know anything about this league? It's a junior A league that has been around for some time now. They've got some seriously odd geography happening. There's teams ranging from Alaska to Texas to Ohio with some giant gaps in between. They've had some turnover in franchises and used to have some teams in the deep south as well. I don't know where the money comes from, but they seem to have some real travel budgets to contend with. The USA National Development Team is one of the members of the league, and some real good players pass through that program. I've actually been to a couple of games in Bismarck when I was visiting the in-laws. http://www.nahl.com/about/history.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabinsurance Posted October 18, 2008 Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 The NAHL is a tier 2 junior league. It is a step below the USHL, which is a tier 1 league, in the United States. Their championship is contested in a tournament called the Robertson Cup tournament. The winner of the playoffs in the three divisons, plus the host team compete in a round robin. As Jeff said, teams are stretched from Alaska to Youngstown, OH. In fact, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms, owned by a fireworks distibutor also called Phantom (with the same logo BTW), is moving to the Chevrolet Center in Youngstown to fill dates vacated by the now-defunct CHL Youngstown Steelhounds. Two years ago, the Columbus BlueJackets convinced the NAHL Cleveland Barons to move to Columbus and the USHL and become the Ohio Junior BlueJackets. It was a disaster, on and off the ice. The team, basically unchanged, went from Robertson Cup tourney in the NAHL to USHL doormats, finishing dead last. The team had Doug Maclean's son Clark on the team, and many felt that was the reason for the move. Once Doug got fired, the CBJ no longer wanted to support a team drawing in the dozens. I was at one game, played at the attached practice rink at Nationwide Arena, and counted 36 people. They announced around 380. The Ohio Junior BlueJackets folded this spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SabreFaninNYC Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 On a jersey note, I love me some of Alaska's jersey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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