Daily Dish: Alaska's Dilemma - Junior Hockey News

Before we get started, my fingerprints are all over the foundation of Alaska junior hockey.

Dave Childers, Jack Knue, and I got the snowball going when we formed the Alaska Arctic Ice back in 95-96 ('96 USA Jr. C Champions). That team played the second season as the lone Alaska team in the Western States Hockey League before we added three additional teams in 1997-98. One of those teams, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs has been playing ever since.

I feel partially responsible for the level of play in Alaska and will always do whatever possible to help junior hockey find success in the state.

With that said, I know that the North American Hockey League's Alaska teams are in a bit of a dilemma. The Wenatchee Wild are expected to depart the league's west division for the British Columbia Hockey League after this season. This move is likely to have a dramatic effect on the Fresno Monsters' ability to remain in the league, leaving the west division with just two teams.

How do the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and Kenai River Brown Bears survive?  The simple answer is to become members of one of the other divisions. 

The Central Division is expected to add Richfield (MN) and Dickinson (ND) which would bring the division to eight teams. 

The South Division is expected to add teams to both Rio Grande Valley and Laredo. Early speculation is that the Texas Tornado would simply move to Laredo while others are saying that the Tornado could end up back in North Richland Hills at NYTEX. For giggles, let's just say that the south also grows to eight teams.

The North Division already has eight teams and all signs indicate that everyone will be returning for 2013-2014.

A quick Google search of airfares shows that flying in and out of Dallas ($612) is cheaper than Minneapolis ($804), Chicago ($704), and Detroit ($822). I did find it very interesting that rates to New York City ($640) are just slightly more that Dallas.

The rate variance between Dallas and Minneapolis amounts to about $5,000 per trip. That's a savings that would likely get washed out due to the travel distances of the south division. There would be roughly a $3,000 savings by flying in-and-out of Chicago.

While talk of a new Chicago team has been going from hot-to-cold, I see the market as being an important part of the equation. The league could replace the West division with a new Midwest Division that includes the two Alaska teams, Richfield, Austin, Coulee Region, Janesville, Springfield, and maybe Chicago.

Another major possibility, that makes a lot more economical sense, would be to move two teams back to Alaska. The cost savings of limiting travel outside of the state to just a pair of trips each season could more than cover the additional budgets of two more teams.

Anchorage is hockey mecca. With the University of Alaska-Anchorage. Alaska Aces, and a very deep talent pool, the area is one of the purist hockey towns on the planet. Do Anchorage residents love the game enough to support a third major team in the market? I have to believe so.

How could it work? When the Aces moved from the Ben Boeke Ice Arena to the high-end Sullivan Arena next-door, the hockey folks in town thought the Aces owners had lost their minds. The team had a marketing contractor named Patrick Flatley on staff with the sole job of making the transition successful. Boys and girls, Flatley's successful efforts back in the 90's is the foundation of the success the Aces, and even JuniorHockey.com, enjoys today.

Flatley's vision was to give hockey fans something they did not even know they wanted. Cold beer being poured at the seats became a signature of the Aces success. Aces games became social experiences. Veteran players like Tim Molle, Keith Street, Dean Larson, and even brothers Vern and Wally III were icons of Aces' history.

A new Anchorage NAHL team could also find success by giving area fans something else they did not know they wanted; Tuesday Night Hockey at Sullivan Arena. Combining an innovative schedule with a firm commitment to developing home-grown talent and community ownership would be a winner in this market. I believe that Anchorage supports this team enough to sustain itself if the Alaska group of teams can reduce operational expenses.

The same model works in Wasilla at the Menard Memorial Sports Center IF the arena can come up with a pricing structure that does not handicap the team. I like Thursday Nights Hockey for the Mat-Su Valley because it would seldom interfere with other area youth hockey schedules, and could quickly become the must-go-to event for the area valley hockey community.

Each team could effectively be operated with a budget under $300,000 a year or $1.2M for all four teams. Without selling a single additional ticket, sponsorship package, or even adding owners, this is a number that could be covered by simply adding the budgets of the Ice Dogs and Brown Bears now.

There has also been talk over the years of combining Fairbanks and Kenai River into a single non-profit entity. Maybe those discussions should be taken further by adding Wasilla and Anchorage. Marketing and business could be collectively managed leaving hockey operations to each Head Coach / General Manager.

This would be a logical approach that could ensure Alaska Junior Hockey is no longer dependent on the whims of the Wenatchee's, Fresno's, and Dawson Creek's of the junior hockey world.

I feel that the single entity approach is the only sustainable long-term solution for junior hockey in Alaska. 

JuniorHockey.com is the premier website dedicated to delivering the latest news and developing stories from junior hockey across North America, as well as providing online tools for junior hockey players and prospects. With over 225,000 views each month Juniorhockey.com is the internet's leading source of junior hockey news and information. 

Stephen Heisler resides in Puerto Penasco, Mexico with his wife, Maria, and their two children, Sonia and Tomas. Tune in to his Mexico based Classic Rock Station, GoPenasco Radio.