Western States Hockey League

The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) is an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)-sanctioned, junior ice hockey league. Established in 1993, the WSHL was previously sanctioned by USA Hockey from 1994 to 2011. Teams play approximately 50 games in the regular season schedule, mimicking what players would experience at the collegiate level.

Western States Hockey League
SportHockey
Founded1993
CommissionerRon White
No. of teams9
CountryUnited States and Canada
Most recent
champion(s)		El Paso Rhinos
(2019)
Most titlesPhoenix Polar Bears (7)
Official websiteWSHL

History

Year one consisted of six teams, spanning Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, with all member clubs playing a 30-game schedule operating as Tier III Junior B teams. The league was founded by Dr. Don Thorne and the Thorne Cup championship trophy was named in his recognition. The Anaheim Jr. Ducks won the first Thorne Cup Championship that season and was the last franchise from the inaugural season still in existence as the Long Beach Bombers until 2019.[1] The Long Beach franchise was sold and the Bombers brand was then used as an expansion team called the Barrhead Bombers.

Current commissioner Ron White took over operation of the WSHL in 1995 and continued to expand the league footprint. In 2007, the WSHL upgraded their league status from the Tier III Junior B level to Junior A to attract higher quality prospects.

In 2011, the league joined the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and dropped its USA Hockey sanctioning[2] leading to the loss of its most successful franchise, the Phoenix Polar Bears, while adding many new teams. After the WSHL's success without USA Hockey, the United Hockey Union (UHU) was formed under the AAU sanctioning along with the Northern States Hockey League (NSHL) and the Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL). The UHU leagues continued to operate with Tier III Junior A player requirements.

The WSHL has had numerous teams participate and win the USA Hockey and UHU National Championship over the years and most recently, the El Paso Rhinos were crowned the United Hockey Union National Champions in 2014. The WSHL has had great success in moving players on to the college hockey ranks through the "Western States Shootout", an annual all-league showcase held every December in Las Vegas, Nevada.[3] The event averages in excess of 80 scouts in attendance, all of whom are looking to bolster their roster for the following season.

In 2015, the WSHL Board of Governors announced the approval of the league to start competing as a Tier II-level player league for a higher caliber of play beginning in the 2015–16 season. Prior to the announcement the only Tier II-level league in the United States was the North American Hockey League. However, unlike the USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II NAHL, the UHU-sanctioned WSHL operates similar to the Canadian Junior Hockey League's Junior "A" status and continues to charge player tuition to help pay for team travel expenses.[4] In the 2015–16 season, the WSHL grew to its largest membership with 29 teams across 14 states. In 2018, the league expanded into western Canada with a Provinces Division in the WSHL that had originally been announced to play as its own league called the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA).[5][6] After one season, the WSHL's association with the WPHA dissolved and removed the teams that had been directly operated by the owners of the WPHA.[7] The WPHA then joined the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League, an independent junior league primarily based in Ontario.[8]

In 2020, the WSHL lost the Fresno Monsters, Las Vegas Thunderbirds, Northern Colorado Eagles, Ogden Mustangs,[9] Ontario Avalanche, Pueblo Bulls, San Diego Sabers, Southern Oregon Spartans, and the Utah Outliers to the United States Premier Hockey League, another independent junior hockey organization.[10]. The Oklahoma City Jr. Blazers announced in May 2020 that the team was moving to the North American 3 Hockey League, or the NA3HL.[11]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WSHL announced the league will be dormant for the 2020-21 season. In a press release in May 2020, the league said they have begun preparing to return for the 2021-22 season.[12] The El Paso Rhinos announced they were leaving the WSHL for the NA3HL for the 2020-21 season with the intention of joining the NAHL for the 2021-22 season.

Teams
2020–21 alignment
Midwest Division
Northwest Division
Western Division
Bombers
Hornets
Aeros
Timberwolves
Provincial Division


DivisionTeamCityArenaJoined
Midwest Dallas SnipersPlano, TexasDr. Pepper StarCenter2011
Wichita Jr. ThunderWichita, KansasWichita Ice Center2012
Northwest Bellingham BlazersBellingham, WashingtonBellingham Sportsplex2016
Seattle TotemsMountlake Terrace, WashingtonOlympic View Arena2012
Provincial Barrhead BombersBarrhead, AlbertaBarrhead Arena2019
Cold Lake HornetsCold Lake, AlbertaEnergy Centre2019
Edson AerosEdson, AlbertaRepsol Place2018
Hinton TimberwolvesHinton, AlbertaMurray Rec Center2019
Western Valencia FlyersValencia, CaliforniaTBD2001

Champions
SeasonThorne Cup championRunner-upNational Tournament result
1994–95Anaheim Jr. Ducks
1995–96Anaheim Jr. Ducks
1996–97Flagstaff Mountaineers
1997–98[13]Flagstaff Mountaineers
1998–99Ventura Mariners
1999–00Ventura MarinersTier III Junior B National Champions
2000–01Ventura Mariners
2001–02Phoenix Polar BearsTier III Junior B National runner-up
2002–03[14]Phoenix Polar BearsTier III Junior B National Champion
2003–04[15]Phoenix Polar Bears
2004–05[16]Phoenix Polar Bears
2005–06[17]Fort Worth TexansPhoenix Polar Bears
2006–07[18]Phoenix Polar BearsEl Paso Rhinos
2007–08[19]El Paso RhinosPhoenix Polar Bears
2008–09[20]Phoenix Polar BearsEl Paso Rhinos
2009–10[21]Phoenix Polar BearsBoulder Bison
2010–11[22]Idaho Jr. SteelheadsEl Paso RhinosTier III Junior A National runner-up (Rhinos)
2011–12[23]Idaho Jr. SteelheadsDallas Ice Jets[24]
2012–13[25]Idaho Jr. SteelheadsBay Area Seals[26]UHU National Champion (Steelheads)
2013–14[27]El Paso RhinosIdaho Jr. Steelheads[28]UHU National Champion (Rhinos)[29]
2014–15[30]Idaho Jr. SteelheadsEl Paso RhinosNo National Championship competed this year
2015–16Idaho Jr. SteelheadsColorado Jr. Eagles
2016–17Wichita Jr. ThunderIdaho Jr. Steelheads
2017–18El Paso RhinosOgden Mustangs
2018–19El Paso RhinosOgden Mustangs
2019–20Not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Team history

Full list of teams that have played in the WSHL.[31]
Bold = Current franchise

League staff
  • Don Thorne - Chairman of the Board
  • Ron White - Commissioner/President
  • Bob Armando - Deputy Commissioner/Vice President
  • Teri Talluto - Treasurer
  • Carol Grinstead - Secretary
  • Arthur Kitano - Director of Officials
  • Roger Klein - Referee in Chief
  • Braden Grindstead - Referee in Chief
  • Bill Palter

Western Prospects League

As part of the approval of the WSHL to Tier II status in 2015, the WSHL Board of Governors also announced the formation of the Western Prospects League (WPL), a United Hockey Union approved Tier III development league for the WSHL.[37] In its only season (2015–16), the WPL played with four Tier III prospect teams under Tier II organizations (the Casper Coyotes, Cheyenne Stampede, El Paso Rhinos, and Ogden Mustangs) with occasional games against non-WSHL affiliated teams.

In 2016, the UHU approved of two other Tier III leagues, the Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League (CPJHL) and the National College Prospects Hockey League (NCPHL). Several of the WSHL organizations then announced affiliations with some of the NCPHL teams to act as a developmental team and the WPL appears to have been disbanded.

Western Prospects League Champions
SeasonWPL ChampionResults
2015–16Casper Coyotes Tier III18–3–0–0
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References
  1. "The WSHL: 25 Years In and Only Getting Started". USAJuniorHockey.com. December 12, 2018.
  2. "WSHL, AAU Official Release". Junior Hockey News. August 16, 2011.
  3. "WSHL Gets it Right With 2019 Western States Shootout". USA Junior Hockey Magazine. January 25, 2020.
  4. "WSHL to Become Tier II Hockey League". WSHL. June 1, 2015.
  5. "WESTERN STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE TO EXPAND TO CANADA FOR 2018-19 SEASON". WSHL. January 7, 2018.
  6. "Jr. A could be coming to town". Morinville News. January 8, 2018.
  7. "Hinton's WPHA hockey fate could be decided in court". Regina Leader-Post. June 7, 2019.
  8. "The GMHL to Expand to Western Canada". GMHL. June 13, 2019.
  9. "Ogden Mustangs to Join USPHL Premier Division For 2020-21". USPHL. April 21, 2020.
  10. "United States Premier Hockey League Adds Eight New West Coast Member Organizations". USPHL. April 17, 2020.
  11. "OKC Joins NA3HL; Begins Play in 2020-21 Season". Oklahoma City Blazers. May 19, 2020.
  12. "2020-2021 WSHL Season". WSHL. May 2020.
  13. 1997–98 WSHL Standings
  14. 2002–03 WSHL Standings
  15. 2003–04 WSHL Standings
  16. 2004–05 WSHL Standings
  17. 2005–06 WSHL Standings
  18. 2006–07 WSHL Standings
  19. 2007–08 WSHL Standings
  20. 2008–09 WSHL Standings
  21. 2009–10 WSHL Standings
  22. 2010–11 WSHL Standings
  23. 2011–12 WSHL Standings
  24. "Gamesheet". WSHL. 5 April 2012.
  25. 2012–13 WSHL Standings
  26. "Gamesheet". WSHL. 31 March 2013.
  27. 2013–14 WSHL Standings
  28. "Gamesheet". WSHL. 6 April 2014.
  29. "El Paso Rhinos Win 2014 UHU National Championship". Junior Hockey News. 21 April 2014.
  30. 2014–15 WSHL Standings
  31. "WSHL History". WSHL.
  32. "It's official: Greeley has a Junior A hockey team, the Northern Colorado Eagles". Greeley Tribune. June 6, 2018.
  33. "CASPER COYOTES HOCKEY TEAM SUSPENDS OPERATIONS". K2 Radio. May 4, 2018.
  34. "Mustangs Fold". Northern Pride. January 27, 2020.
  35. @SWranglers (November 24, 2019). "Steamboat Wranglers cease operations midseason" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. "WSHL RETURNS TO COLD LAKE, ALBERTA FOR THE 2019-2020 SEASON". WSHL. July 5, 2019.
  37. "WSHL to Become Tier II Hockey League Share". WSHL. May 21, 2015.
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