1995-96 SHL season

The 1995-96 SHL season was the first and last season of the Southern Hockey League and the league's fourth season overall. The league was previously known as the Sunshine Hockey League. After the season the league merged with the Central Hockey League.

Franchise changes

 * The Fresno Falcons joined the West Coast Hockey League.
 * The West Palm Beach Blaze were renamed the West Palm Beach Barracudas
 * The Daytona Beach Sun Devils folded and were replaced by the Daytona Beach Breakers.
 * The Lakeland Ice Warriors were renamed the Lakeland Prowlers.
 * The league added the Huntsville Channel Cats and Winston-Salem Mammoths were added as expansion teams

Standings
Team                      GP  W  L T OTL PTS  GF  GA  PIM Lakeland Prowlers         60 41 13 6   0  88 342 229 1291 Daytona Beach Breakers    60 33 20 7   0  73 297 251 2487 Winston-Salem Mammoths    60 30 23 7   0  67 273 274 2110 Huntsville Channel Cats   60 27 31 2   0  56 274 294 2191 West Palm Beach Barracudas 60 26 32 2  0  54 251 319 2084 Jacksonville Bullets      60 23 33 4   0  50 282 352 1791

Format
The top four teams qualified for the playoffs. The first and fourth place teams playe one another and the second and third place teams played one another in a best-of-five series. The winners of these two series met for the league championship in a best-of-seven series.

Semifinals

 * Huntsville Channel Cats defeated Lakeland Prowlers three games to two, 6-7, 5-8, 3-2, 5-3, 5-2
 * Winston-Salem Mammoths defeated Daytona Beach Breakers, three games to one, 3-4, 6-1, 5-3, 8-3

Final

 * Huntsville Channel Cats defeated Winston-Salem Mammoths four games to one, 3-5, 4-3, 4-3, 8-7, 5-2

Top 10 goal scorers
Player          Team             G Craig Mittleholt Jacksonville    60 Yvan Corbin     Winston Salem   52 Jim Larkin      Lakeland        50 Justin Tomberlin Lakeland       46 Chris George    Daytona Beach   45 Lenny Pereira   Lakeland        44 Randy Murphy    Lakeland        40 Greg Murray     Jacksonville    38 Alexei Deev     Winston Salem   37 Angelo Russo    West Palm Beach 36 Scott Milroy    Daytona Beach   36 Alex Kholomeyev Huntsville      36

Top 10 assists
Player            Team           A Lenny Pereira      Lakeland      73 Randy Murphy      Lakeland      69 Ben Wyzansky      Lakeland      62 Stephen Sangermano Daytona Beach 60 Marty Diamond     Lakeland      58 Jonathan Dubois   Huntsville    55 Donald MacPherson Daytona Beach 53 Alexei Deev       Winston Salem 51 Cory Gustafson    Jacksonville  50 Justin Tomberlin  Lakeland      48 Jim Larkin        Lakeland      48

Top 10 points
Player            Team         PTS Lenny Pereira     Lakeland     117 Randy Murphy      Lakeland     109 Craig Mittleholt  Jacksonville 104 Jim Larkin        Lakeland      98 Yvan Corbin       Winston Salem 95 Stephen Sangermano Daytona Beach 94 Justin Tomberlin  Lakeland      94 Marty Diamond     Lakeland      89 Alexei Deev       Winston Salem 88 Jonathan Dubois   Huntsville    83 Chris George      Daytona Beach 83

Top 10 penalty minutes
Player         Team            PIM Bryce Davidson Daytona Beach   413 Mike Degurse   Winston Salem   302 Marty Gareau   West Palm Beach 256 Roger Larche   West Palm Beach 238 Dan O'Brien    2 teams         237 Jamie Allan    Winston Salem   233 Jonathan Dubois Huntsville     230 Phil Esposito  Jacksonville    210 Jack Greig     Huntsville      205 Tom Moulton    Winston Salem   200

Fallout from the merger with the Central Hockey League

 * The league had already announced three expansion teams for the 1996-97 season, they were the Columbus Cottonmouths, Macon Whoopee, and Nashville Nighthawks.  All of these teams were added as expansion teams in the Central Hockey League.
 * The Huntsville Channel Cats joined the Central Hockey League
 * The Daytona Beach Breakers, Jacksonville Bullets, Lakeland Prowlers, and West Palm Beach Barracudas folded with the league.
 * The Winston-Salem Mammoths had folded prior to the merger