|
Coming off the most successful season in the 17-year history
of the league, the Western States Hockey League is proud to announce not only
six new member clubs coming into the fold for the 2012-2013 season but also a
complete overhaul to the alignment of the divisions.
For the fourth consecutive season, the WSHL has expanded the
amount of member clubs, up from 16 in 2011-2012, to an all-time high of 22
teams that will compete across four divisions in the 2012-2013 season. The 22
member clubs is second to only the Tier II North American Hockey League,
amongst all US Junior Hockey Leagues.
The new member clubs are as follows: Bay Area Seals (San Mateo, CA) Ontario Avalanche (Ontario, CA) Seattle Totems (Seattle, WA) Southern Oregon Spartans (Medford, OR) Tulsa Jr. Oilers (Tulsa, OK) Wichita Jr. Thunder (Wichita, KS)
They will join all 16 teams that competed in the '11-'12
season, as no organization ceased operations or relocated.
The four divisions is also an all-time high for the league,
which will look like the following:
Pacific Division (six-teams)
Long Beach Bombers (Lakewood, CA) San Diego Gulls (Escondido, CA) Valencia Flyers (Valencia, CA) Fresno Monsters (Fresno, CA) Bay Area Seals (San Mateo, CA) Ontario Avalanche (Ontario, CA)
Northwest Division (five-teams)
Idaho Jr. Steelheads (McCall, ID) Ogden Mustangs (Ogden, UT) Salt Lake City Moose (Salt Lake City, UT) Seattle Totems (Seattle, WA) Southern Oregon Spartans (Medford, OR)
Mountain Division (six-teams)
El Paso Rhinos (El Paso, TX) New Mexico Renegades (Rio Rancho, NM) Phoenix Knights (Chandler, AZ) Arizona Redhawks (Peoria, AZ) Boulder Bison (Superior, CO) Cheyenne Stampede (Cheyenne, WY)
Midwest Division (five-teams)
Texas Brahmas (North Richland Hills, TX) Dallas Ice Jets (Grapevine, TX) Dallas Snipers (Euless, TX) Tulsa Jr. Oilers (Tulsa, OK) Wichita Jr. Thunder (Wichita, KS)
Just as in seasons' past, each team will play a full 46
game schedule, 21 of which will be played on home ice, 21 on the road and four
games at the Western States Shootout All-League Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Each team will play every team in their division a total of six
times during the regular season, three of which coming on the road and three at
home.
For the Pacific and Mountain Division teams, they'll each
play two out of division away series and two out of division home series.
For the Mid and Northwest Division teams, they'll each play
three out of division away series and three at home, due to their divisions
having one less team than the two six-team divisions.
The post-season format has still yet to be decided but
changes are expected that will make the playoffs more thrilling and competitive
than ever.
Commissioner Ron White and the rest of the Western States
Hockey League are excited for what is sure to be another fantastic year of
hockey, for both the players and the fans, alike.
The full regular season schedule is expected to be released
within the next few weeks, so be sure to keep up to date with our website and
become a fan of our Facebook page!
(Story by: Brent Maranto, Director of Communications for the Western States Hockey League)
| 
