Western Professional Hockey League

The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league.[1]

Western Professional Hockey League
SportIce hockey
Founded1996
Ceased2001
Replaced byCentral Hockey League (partial)
No. of teams18
Country United States
Last
champion(s)
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Most titlesBossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (3)

The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with six teams in the 1996–97 season and grew to 18 teams in 1999–00. After the 2000–01 season, the WPHL merged with the Central Hockey League.[2] Former WPHL teams continued to play in the CHL until the 2012–13 season.

Teams in alphabetical order

Location of historical Texas- and New Mexico-based WPHL teams, 1996–2001. Note teams were not necessarily contemporaneous with each other. For teams based east of Texas, see map below.
Location of historical WPHL teams based east of Texas, 1996–2001. Not shown: Arkansas GlacierCats (Little Rock, AR), Tupelo T-Rex (Tupelo, MS).

Champions

President's Cup winners

Playoff champions:

  • 1997 – El Paso Buzzards
  • 1998 – El Paso Buzzards
  • 1999 – Shreveport Mudbugs
  • 2000 – Shreveport Mudbugs
  • 2001 – Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

Governor's Cup

Regular season champions:

Individual league awards

1996–97

  • Coach of the year - Todd Brost, El Paso
  • Most valuable player - Chris Brooks, Amarillo
  • Scoring champion - Chris Brooks, Amarillo
  • Most outstanding goaltender - Daniel Berthiaume, Central Texas
  • Most outstanding defenseman - Jody Praznik, New Mexico
  • Playoff most valuable player - Chris MacKenzie, El Paso
  • All-star game most valuable player - Doug Smith, Central Texas

1997–98

  • Coach of the year - Bill McDonald, Fort Worth Brahmas
  • Most valuable player - Jamie Thompson, El Paso
  • Man of the year - Jamie Thompson, El Paso
  • Scoring champion - Carl Boudreau, San Angelo
  • Rookie of the year - Sami Laine, Odessa
  • Most outstanding goaltender - Kevin St. Pierre, Shreveport
  • Most outstanding defenseman - Eric Ricard, New Mexico
  • Playoff most valuable player - Billy Trew, El Paso
  • All-star game most valuable player - Sylvain Naud, New Mexico

1998–99

  • Coach of the year - Todd Lalonde, Waco
  • Most valuable player - Chris Robertson, Corpus Christi
  • Man of the year - Graeme Townshend, Lake Charles
  • Scoring champion - Carl Boudreau, San Angelo
  • Rookie of the year - Kory Cooper, Waco
  • Most outstanding goaltender - Kory Cooper, Waco
  • Most outstanding defenseman - Eric Brule, Abilene
  • Playoff most valuable player - John Vecchiarelli, Shreveport
  • All-star game most valuable player - Billy Trew, El Paso

1999–00

  • Coach of the year - Brian Curran, Monroe
  • Most valuable player - Ron Newhook, Central Texas
  • Man of the year - Brad Haelzle, Amarillo and Scott Muscutt, Shreveport
  • Scoring champion - Geoff Bumstead, Corpus Christi
  • Rookie of the year - Dan Price, Austin
  • Most outstanding goaltender - Matt Barnes, Central Texas
  • Most outstanding defenseman - Arturs Kupaks, Lubbock
  • Playoff most valuable player - Hugo Hamelin, Shreveport
  • All-star game most valuable player - Dorian Anneck, Monroe

2000–01

  • Coach of the year -Don McKee, Odessa
  • Most valuable player - Jason Firth, Tupelo
  • Man of the year - Travis Van Tighem, New Mexico
  • Scoring champion - Jason Firth, Tupelo
  • Rookie of the year - Ken Carroll, Bossier-Shreveport
  • Most outstanding goaltender - Ken Carroll, Bossier-Shreveport
  • Most outstanding defenseman - Mark DeSantis, New Mexico
  • Playoff most valuable player - Jason Campbell, Bossier-Shreveport
  • All-star game most valuable player - Kyle Reeves, Lubbock
  • Rick Kozuback Award - Trent Eigner, El Paso[3]

See also

References

  1. Scott, Jon C. (2006). Hockey Night in Dixie: Minor Pro Hockey in the American South. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd. p. x. ISBN 1-894974-21-2.
  2. "WPHL/CHL merger story". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. May 31, 2001.
  3. "CHL-WPHL Award Winners".
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