This is the 2020-21 North American 3 Hockey League season. This is the league's 11th season under this name and it's 23rd dating back to it founding as the Central States Hockey League in 1988.
Membership Changes[]
For 2020-21[]
- Shortly after the cancellation of the 2020 playoffs it was announced that the Maine Nordiques (NAHL) purchased the Androscoggin Bank Colisée and that the Lewiston/Auburn Nordiques would be ceasing operations.[1]
- After the 2019-20 season, the Biddeford, Maine based Maine Wild and Stockholm, New Jersey based Skylands Kings both dropped their junior level team while continuing to run youth level teams.
- On April 1, 2020 the league announced the relocation of the Evansville Jr. Thunderbolts franchise to Oregon, Wisconsin a suburb of Madison. The team will be based out of the Oregon Ice Arena and would be called the Oregon Tradesmen.[2]
- In early April 2020, it was announced the Coulee Region Chill (NA3HL) would not play during the 2020–21 season due to the city's decision to no longer operate Green Island Ice Arena.[3]
- On April 8, 2020 it was announced that the Elmira Jr. Soaring Eagles would be relocating to the Fitzpatrick Arena in Holyoke, Massachusetts and would be known as the Bay State Bobcats[4]
- On April 15, 2020 the Breezy Point North Stars announced they would not be participating in the 2020-21 season.[5]
- On April 19, 2020 the New Jersey Junior Titans announced they had purchased the franchise rights of the New England Stars and would be putting a franchise in the Middletown Ice World Arena in Middletown, New Jersey for the 2020-21 season which is the home to the organization's NAHL and NAPHL teams.[6]
- On May 19, 2020 the NA3HL announced that the Coulee Region Chill would be relocated to the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Edmond, Oklahoma. The team took the name Oklahoma City Blazers which was the name of several other professional and junior teams to play in the area. The team was purchased by the owner of the former WSHL franchise of the same name.[7][8]
- On June 16, 2020 the El Paso Rhinos were added to the league from the Western States Hockey League. They will also join the North American Hockey League for the 2021-22 season.[9]
- The New England Knights were quietly removed from the league website in late August.[10]
- Due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Milwaukee Power relocate to the Ozaukee Ice Center in Mequon, Wisconsin.[11]
Temporary Relocations[]
Due to restrictions in place due to the pandemic the East division teams that weren't already based out of Massachusetts, temporarily relocated to the state when restrictions are lifted that had the teams shutdown from early November until late January or early February.
- The Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks were renamed the Springfield Jr. Hat Tricks and played out of the Smead Arena in Springfield, Massachusetts. A return to Danbury is hoped for in early March.
- The Long Beach Sharks (NA3HL) are renamed the New England Sharks and play home games in the opposing team's rink for the early part of the season before returning to the Long Beach Municipal Ice Arena in early February.
- The New Jersey Junior Titans relocated to the Allied Veterans Rink in Everett, Massachusetts and temporarily take the name Mass Titans when the team returns in February from a lengthy break.
For 2021-22[]
On March 5, 2021, the North American Hockey League announced the Board of Governors approval of the relocation of the Amarillo Bulls to Mason City, Iowa to be based out of the Mason City MPA. The ownership of the team already operates a team in the North American 3 Hockey League out of the arena. The former Amarillo Bulls will also take the name North Iowa Bulls.[12] On June 1st the NA3HL team was announced as being renamed the Mason City Toros.[13]
- On April 23rd the Wausau RiverWolves were announced as being sold and were renamed the Wausau Cyclones[14]
- On April 27th the league announced that the Missoula Bruins franchise had been sold and would be moving to Roosevelt Park Ice Arena in Rapid City, South Dakota and would be renamed the Badlands Sabres.[15]
- On April 27th the league announced the addition of an expansion team to be based out of the Chaparral Ice in Austin, Texas. The team will be known as the Austin Ice Bats. A previous minor league team by the same name played in the same arena from 1996 to 2008.[16]
- On April 28th the league announced that the inactive membership of the Breezy Point North Stars was purchased and that the Minnesota Loons will take to the ice for the 2021-22 season. The organization will continue to play out of the Breezy Point Hockey Center in Breezy Point, Minnesota[17]
- On April 30th the league announced the addition of the Norwich Sea Captains. The ownership purchased the dormant membership of the Skylands Kings who withdrew after the 2019-20 season. The team will be based out of the RoseGarden Ice Arena in Norwich, Connecticut.[18]
- The Wausau RiverWolves were sold during the off-season and renamed the Wausau Cyclones.[19]
- The Oklahoma City Blazers were renamed the Oklahoma City Ice Hawks.[20]
Current Teams[]
Standings[]
Central Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Grizzlies | 40 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 185 | 63 | 69 |
| Peoria Mustangs | 40 | 29 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 146 | 76 | 60 |
| St. Louis Jr. Blues | 40 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 130 | 113 | 45 |
| Oregon Tradesmen | 40 | 19 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 125 | 128 | 39 |
| Milwaukee Power | 40 | 11 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 161 | 22 |
| Wausau RiverWolves | 40 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 70 | 218 | 13 |
East Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast Generals | 41 | 32 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 245 | 108 | 64 |
| Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks/ Springfield Jr. Hat Tricks |
36 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 123 | 46 |
| New Jersey Titans/ Mass Titans |
35 | 16 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 111 | 125 | 36 |
| Bay State Bobcats | 38 | 13 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 172 | 26 |
| Long Beach Sharks/ New England Sharks |
38 | 9 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 102 | 177 | 23 |
Frontier Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan Hawks | 40 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 289 | 81 | 78 |
| Great Falls Americans | 40 | 27 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 154 | 113 | 56 |
| Gillette Wild | 40 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 175 | 148 | 48 |
| Missoula Bruins | 40 | 21 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 173 | 163 | 44 |
| Helena Bighorns | 40 | 17 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 126 | 133 | 37 |
| Bozeman Icedogs | 40 | 13 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 124 | 163 | 31 |
| Yellowstone Quake | 40 | 12 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 116 | 220 | 27 |
| Butte Cobras | 40 | 8 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 101 | 237 | 20 |
South Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Jr. Brahmas | 40 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 189 | 70 | 69 |
| Oklahoma City Blazers | 40 | 29 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 189 | 97 | 62 |
| El Paso Rhinos | 40 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 193 | 102 | 62 |
| Atlanta Capitals | 40 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 154 | 118 | 46 |
| Louisiana Drillers | 40 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 110 | 147 | 30 |
| Texas RoadRunners | 40 | 10 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 96 | 179 | 24 |
| Mid-Cities Jr. Stars | 40 | 5 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 268 | 10 |
West Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Iowa Bulls | 40 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 182 | 104 | 56 |
| Granite City Lumberjacks | 40 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 156 | 105 | 55 |
| Willmar WarHawks | 40 | 22 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 147 | 138 | 44 |
| Alexandria Blizzard | 40 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 118 | 157 | 37 |
| New Ulm Steel | 40 | 7 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 86 | 185 | 18 |
Playoffs[]
Play-in Round[]
- New England Sharks defeated Bay State Bobcats 2 games to none
Division Semifinals[]
- Rochester Grizzlies defeated Oregon Tradesmen 2 games to none
- Peoria Mustangs defeated St. Louis Jr. Blues 2 games to none
- Northeast Generals defeated New England Sharks 2 games to 1
- Mass Titans defeated Springfield Jr. Hat Tricks 2 games to none
- Sheridan Hawks defeated Missoula Bruins 2 games to none
- Great Falls Americans defeated Gillette Wild 2 games to 1
- Texas Jr. Brahmas defeated Atlanta Capitals 2 games to none
- Oklahoma City Blazers defeated El Paso Rhinos 2 games to none
- North Iowa Bulls defeated Alexandria Blizzard 2 games to 1
- Willmar WarHawks defeated Granite City Lumberjacks 2 games to none
Division Finals[]
- Rochester Grizzlies defeated Peoria Mustangs 2 games to 1
- Northeast Generals defeated Mass Titans 2 games to 1
- Sheridan Hawks defeated Great Falls Americans 2 games to 1
- Texas Jr. Brahmas defeated Oklahoma City Blazers 2 games to 1
- North Iowa Bulls defeated Willmar WarHawks 2 games to 1
2021 Fraser Cup[]
The 2021 Fraser Cup Championship, which crowns the National playoff champion of the NA3HL, will take place at the St. Peters Rec Plex in St. Peters, Missouri from April 15-19. The 2021 NA3HL Top Prospects Tournament will also take place at the St. Peters Rec Plex in St. Peters, Missouri, on April 18-19.
Format[]
The five division playoff winners and a wildcard team advance to the Fraser Cup. The teams are seeded and divided into two three team pools and play each of the two teams in their pool with the top two teams in each pool advancing to a single elimination cross over semifinal with the pool winner of one pool playing the 2nd place team in the other pool. The semifinal winners meet for the Fraser Cup championship.
Pool A[]
Results[]
- Sheridan Hawks defeated Northeast Generals 13-2
- North Iowa Bulls defeated Sheridan Hawks 2-1 (ot)
- North Iowa Bulls defeated Northeast Generals 8-1
Standings[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Iowa Bulls | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 5 |
| Sheridan Hawks | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 4 |
| Northeast Generals | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 0 |
Pool B[]
Results[]
- Rochester Grizzlies defeated Texas Brahmas 4-3
- Rochester Grizzlies defeated Oklahoma City Blazers 3-1
- Oklahoma City Blazers defeated Texas Brahmas 5-1
Standings[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Grizzlies | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| Oklahoma City Blazers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Texas Brahmas | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Semifinals[]
- North Iowa Bulls defeated Oklahoma City Blazers 2-1
- Rochester Grizzlies defeated Sheridan Hawks 7-1
Final[]
- North Iowa Bulls defeated Rochester Grizzlies 5-1
References[]
- ↑ https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/weekly-sports-league-and-franchise-report/n-5612260
- ↑ http://www.na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=29306
- ↑ Coulee Region Chill won’t play in 2020-21 NA3HL season. WKBT (April 6, 2020).
- ↑ http://www.na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=29348
- ↑ http://breezypointnorthstars.com/
- ↑ http://www.na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=29414
- ↑ http://www.na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=29562
- ↑ https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/na3hl-new-england-knights-killed-off/
- ↑ https://www.aberdeennews.com/sports/professional/wings/nahl-approves-el-paso-texas-team-for-2021-22/article_2b1ce9be-b00a-11ea-8401-6bcd813acc2e.html
- ↑ https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/na3hl-new-england-knights-killed-off/
- ↑ https://www.cbs58.com/news/milwaukee-power-all-revved-up-for-a-new-season-on-the-ice-in-a-new-arena
- ↑ http://www.nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31228
- ↑ http://www.na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=32028
- ↑ https://www.wausaucyclones.com/2371-2
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31753
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31751
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31759
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31781
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=32366
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=32341