National College Prospects Hockey League
Current season or competition: 2016–17 | |
| Director of Operations | Bob Black |
|---|---|
| Deputy Commissioner | Peter Preteroti |
| Founded | 2016 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Website | NCPHL |
The National College Prospects Hockey League junior ice hockey league based in Northeast United States and Ontario. The NCPHL is sanctioned as a Tier III league by the United Hockey Union, the Junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union.
History
The NCPHL was announced in the spring of 2016. Originally announced as an eight team league, twelve different teams have been announced for the 2016–17 season with several team changes before making it to opening night. Several teams have announced an affiliation with teams from the Western States Hockey League.[1][2]
Leading up to the first season, several of the original announced teams were changed. The Buffalo Hornets of Buffalo, New York, were first replaced by the New York Sharks of Niagara Falls, New York in July and then again by the Mississauga Bruins in Rexdale, Ontario, in September. The Pittsburgh Royal Knights were also removed from the NCPHL website in July and replaced with the Ottawa Sharpshooters U-18, the developmental team of the Almonte Jr Sharpshooters of the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League.
The Lake Erie Warriors later garnered media attention when the logo was largely criticized for its depiction of a Native American warrior and was called racially insensitive. The team quickly rebranded as the Lake Erie Gulls[3] for one day and then again to the Lake Erie Eagles on July 30.[4]
On August 29, the House O' Hockey Mallers were renamed the Blyth Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets, however, just before the season began the team was removed from NCPHL leaving the league with seven teams. One week later, the Niagara Red Cats also were removed before their first game reducing the league to six teams.
On October 8, 2016, the Toronto Stealth defeated the Lake Erie Eagles 7-5 in the first-ever league game.
Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Affiliations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie Eagles | Erie, Pennsylvania | Erie Insurance Arena | Phoenix Knights/Springfield Express (WSHL) |
| Mississauga Bruins | Rexdale, Ontario | Westwood Arena | |
| Ottawa Sharpshooters U-18 | Ottawa, Ontario | Almonte & District Community Centre | Almonte Jr. Sharpshooters (CPJHL) |
| Pittsburgh Kings | Connellsville, Pennsylvania | The Ice Mine | El Paso Rhinos (WSHL) |
| Rochester Rebels | Rochester, NY | Bill Gray's Regional Iceplex | Oklahoma City Jr. Blazers (WSHL) |
| Toronto Stealth | Burlington, Ontario | Wave Twin Rinks |
Former teams
- Buffalo Hornets (Buffalo, New York) – One of the first eight announced teams for 2016–17; folded and immediately replaced by the New York Sharks.
- House O' Hockey Mallers (Kittanning, Pennsylvania) – One of the first eight announced teams for 2016–17; rebranded as the Blyth Pittsburgh Yellow Jackets but folded just prior to the first week of the season.
- New York Sharks (Niagara Falls, New York) – Replaced the Buffalo Hornets for 2016–17; folded and immediately replaced on the NCPHL website by the Mississauga Bruins organization.
- Niagara Red Cats (Lockport, New York) – One of the first eight announced teams for 2016–17 but were removed from the schedule one week into the season; folded.
- Pittsburgh Royal Knights (Bakerstown, Pennsylvania) – One of the first eight announced teams for 2016–17; folded and immediately replaced on the NCPHL website by the Ottawa Sharpshooters U-18 team.
References
- ↑ "Blazers Sign Affilitaion with Rochester Rebels for 16-17 Season". Oklahoma City Blazers. May 15, 2016.
- ↑ "Knights Announce Affiliate". Phoenix Knights. May 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Hockey Team's Logo Was So Bad, They Changed The Whole Damn Team Name". Deadspin. July 29, 2016.
- ↑ Paul Lukas (July 30, 2016). "Lake Erie Warriors Renamed Lake Erie Eagles (probably)". Uni-Watch.