This is the 2022-23 North American Hockey League season. This is the league's 38th season under this name and its 48th dating back to its founding as the Great Lakes Junior Hockey League in 1975 when the Michigan Junior Hockey League and the Wolverine Junior A Hockey League merged.
Membership Changes[]
On March 16, 2022 the league announced that the Minnesota Magicians had been sold and would relocate to the Eagle River Stadium in Eagle River, Wisconsin for the 2022-23 season.[1] On May 3, 2022 the team was announced as being renamed the Wisconsin Windigo.[2]
On April 4, 2022 the Wichita Falls Warriors announced that they had mutually agreed with the city of Wichita Falls, Texas to part ways.[3] On April 5th the league announced they had approved the relocation of the francishe to the Blazers Ice Centre in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where they would be renamed the Oklahoma Warriors for the 2022-23 playing season.[4]
On May 17, 2022, the Jamestown Rebels announced that the team had been sold and would be relocated to the Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, New Jersey for the 2022-23 season. The name will revert to the Philadelphia Rebels moniker.[5]
On December 8, 2022 the league announced the addition of the Rochester Jr. Americans to the league for the 2023-24 season. The team will be based out of the Rochester Ice Center in Fairport, New York.[6] The league previously had a team by the same name that played in the league for the 1999-2000 season. Other teams with the same name was also a member of the Eastern Junior Hockey League (1993-2013) and United States Premier Hockey League, a previous to that version played in the Golden Horseshoe Junior B Hockey League in the late 1990's, and an even earlier version played in the Northeastern Junior Hockey League in the 1980's.
An 1,500 seat arena under construction in Watertown, South Dakota is rumored to be the future home of an NAHL franchise. The Prairie Lakes Ice Arena is the working name of the arena. The arena is expected to open in September of 2023.[7]
On January 6, 2023 the league announced the addition of the Greeley, Colorado based Colorado Grit to the league for the 2023-24 season. The team will be based out of the Greeley Ice Haus and will be members of the South Division.[8]
On March 16, 2023 the league annouced the addition of the Hooksett, New Hampshire based New Hampshire Mountain Kings to begin play with the 2023-24 season. The team will be based out of the Tri-Town Ice Arena and be members of the East Division.[9] On April 18th the organization would also be announced as having a team in the NA3HL starting with the 2023-24 season.[10]
Teams[]
Standings[]
Central Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Bruins | 60 | 34 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 187 | 151 | 78 |
| Aberdeen Wings | 60 | 30 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 176 | 177 | 66 |
| St. Cloud Norsemen | 60 | 28 | 23 | 4 | 5 | 163 | 184 | 65 |
| Minot Minotauros | 60 | 31 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 180 | 189 | 59 |
| Bismarck Bobcats | 60 | 29 | 25 | 4 | 2 | 197 | 182 | 64 |
| North Iowa Bulls | 60 | 29 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 167 | 179 | 62 |
East Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland Black Bears | 60 | 40 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 215 | 140 | 85 |
| New Jersey Titans | 60 | 38 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 212 | 167 | 80 |
| Maine Nordiques | 60 | 33 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 208 | 188 | 69 |
| Northeast Generals | 60 | 30 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 190 | 191 | 65 |
| Johnstown Tomahawks | 60 | 29 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 189 | 211 | 63 |
| Philadelphia Rebels | 60 | 27 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 166 | 181 | 57 |
| Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks | 60 | 6 | 47 | 5 | 2 | 102 | 246 | 19 |
Midwest Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Windigo | 60 | 39 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 210 | 147 | 81 |
| Minnesota Wilderness | 60 | 35 | 18 | 3 | 4 | 168 | 146 | 77 |
| Kenai River Brown Bears | 60 | 32 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 170 | 185 | 68 |
| Chippewa Steel | 60 | 31 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 186 | 172 | 66 |
| Anchorage Wolverines | 60 | 28 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 208 | 218 | 64 |
| Fairbanks Ice Dogs | 60 | 28 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 181 | 196 | 63 |
| Springfield Jr. Blues | 60 | 26 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 147 | 174 | 55 |
| Janesville Jets | 60 | 23 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 167 | 180 | 55 |
South Division[]
| Team | GP | W | L | OL | SL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma Warriors | 60 | 44 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 253 | 139 | 90 |
| Lone Star Brahmas | 60 | 37 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 155 | 126 | 82 |
| Shreveport Mudbugs | 60 | 37 | 16 | 2 | 5 | 183 | 135 | 81 |
| Amarillo Wranglers | 60 | 34 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 183 | 154 | 71 |
| New Mexico Ice Wolves | 60 | 33 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 195 | 170 | 70 |
| Odessa Jackalopes | 60 | 30 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 174 | 199 | 63 |
| El Paso Rhinos | 60 | 18 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 111 | 201 | 40 |
| Corpus Christi IceRays | 60 | 11 | 42 | 6 | 1 | 140 | 255 | 29 |
Robertson Cup Playoffs[]
Format[]
The top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The first place team plays the fourth place team and the second place team plays the third place team in a best-of-five series over two weekends. The division semifinal winners meet in a best-of-five series over two weekends. The division winners advance to the Robertson Cup tournament. The event will be held at the Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota May 19 to 23, 2023. The teams are seeded 1 to 4 and are paired off 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3 in best-of-three series. The semifinal winners meet in a single championship game on May 24th.
Central Division Semifinals[]
- Austin Bruins defeated Minot Minotauros 3 games to none
- St. Cloud Norsemen defeated Aberdeen Wings 3 games to none
East Division Semifinals[]
- Maryland Black Bears defeated Northeast Generals 3 games to none
- Maine Nordiques defeated New Jersey Titans 3 games to none
Midwest Division Semifinals[]
- Wisconsin Windigo defeated Chippewa Steel 3 games to none
- Minnesota Wilderness defeated Kenai River Brown Bears 3 games to none
South Division Semifinals[]
- Oklahoma Warriors defeated Amarillo Wranglers 3 games to none
- Shreveport Mudbugs defeated Lone Star Brahmas 3 games to 2
Central Division Final[]
- Austin Bruins defeated St. Cloud Norsemen 3 games to 1
East Division Final[]
- Maryland Black Bears defeated Maine Nordiques 3 games to 1
Midwest Division Final[]
- Minnesota Wilderness defeated Wisconsin Windigo 3 games to 1
South Division Final[]
- Oklahoma Warriors defeated Shreveport Mudbugs 3 games to none
Robertson Cup[]
The semifinal round and the championship game will be held May 19 to May 23 at the Fogerty Arena in Blaine, Minnesota. The semifinal pairings are based upon regular season point percentage with the teams matched up 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd.
Seeding[]
Semifinals[]
(Best-of-three - May 19-22)
- Oklahoma Warriors defeated Minnesota Wilderness 2 games to none
- Austin Bruins defeated Maryland Black Bears 2 games to 1
Championship Game[]
(Single game - May 24th)
- Oklahoma Warriors defeated Austin Bruins 4-3
References[]
- ↑ http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=34014
- ↑ http://www.nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=34382
- ↑ https://twitter.com/WFWarriorsNAHL/status/1511153179043446787
- ↑ https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/wichita-falls-warriors-announce-relocation-to-oklahoma-city/n-5807909
- ↑ https://www.rebelshockey.us/rebels-franchise-sold-team-to-relocate-to-new-jersey
- ↑ http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=35551
- ↑ https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/more-nahl-expansion-on-the-way/
- ↑ http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=35748
- ↑ http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=36290
- ↑ http://na3hl.com/news/story.cfm?id=36493