| Current season or competition: 2010–11 USHL season |
|
| Sport | Ice Hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 |
| Commissioner | Ellis T. "Skip" Prince |
| No. of teams | 16 |
| Country(ies) | USA |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dubuque Fighting Saints |
| Most titles | (overall) Waterloo Black Hawks (9) (Clark Cup era) Omaha Lancers (7) |
| Official website | www.ushl.com |
The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger. The USHL is strictly amateur, allowing former USHL players to compete in NCAA college hockey.
The Sioux Falls Stampede won the 2006–07 USHL championship in an expanded, 12-team playoff format. The league reverted to an 8-team divisional playoff format for the 2007–08 season.
The Indiana Ice won the 2008–09 Clark Cup championship, defeating the Fargo Force 3 games to 1 in the finals. The Ice defeated the Anderson Cup champion Green Bay Gamblers in the semi-finals.
The Green Bay Gamblers won the 2009–10 Clark Cup championship, defeating the Fargo Force 3 games to 2 in the finals. The Gamblers also won the Anderson Cup that season.
The Dubuque Fighting Saints took the 2010–2011 Clark Cup Championship in their inaugural season, defeating the defending champions Green Bay Gamblers 3 games to 1. The final game was played in front of a crowd of 3,480, the largest crowd ever to watch a hockey game in the city of Dubuque. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders won the Anderson Cup that season before losing to Green Bay in the Clark Cup semifinals.
Contents |
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Team | Founded | City |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids RoughRiders | 1999 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Chicago Steel | 2000 | Bensenville, Illinois |
| Dubuque Fighting Saints | 2010 | Dubuque, Iowa |
| Green Bay Gamblers | 1994 | Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| Indiana Ice | 2004 | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Muskegon Lumberjacks | 2010 | Muskegon, Michigan |
| USA Hockey National Team Development Program | 1996 | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| Youngstown Phantoms | 2003 | Youngstown, Ohio |
| Western Conference | ||
| Team | Founded | City |
| Des Moines Buccaneers | 1980 | Urbandale, Iowa |
| Fargo Force | 2008 | Fargo, North Dakota |
| Lincoln Stars | 1996 | Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Omaha Lancers | 1986 | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Sioux City Musketeers | 1972 | Sioux City, Iowa |
| Sioux Falls Stampede | 1999 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota |
| Tri-City Storm | 2000 | Kearney, Nebraska |
| Waterloo Black Hawks | 1962 | Waterloo, Iowa |
Precursors to this league were:
The American Amateur Hockey League was established in 1947 as the Minnesota-based American Amateur Hockey League with teams in Minneapolis, Rochester and St. Paul.[1] Since its debut, the league has progressed and changed its name several times: In 1952, it became the Central Hockey League; then the next season it became the Minnesota Hockey League; and in 1956 the name was changed again to the Central Hockey League. In 1961, it adopted its present name, the United States Hockey League (USHL),[2] but operated as a minor professional league until 1979.
The United States Hockey League (USHL) operated as a senior ice hockey league 1961 to 1979.[3]
The USHL welcomed the first female professional hockey player in 1969–70, when the Marquette Iron Rangers signed Karen Koch.[4]
By the late 1970s, the USHL had fallen on hard times. In the summer of 1977, clubs from the recently folded Midwest Junior Hockey League contacted the USHL. A unique merger was formed, with the three junior teams (Bloomington Junior Stars, Austin Mavericks, St. Paul Vulcans) and three remaining pro teams (Sioux City Musketeers, Waterloo Black Hawks, Green Bay Bobcats) gathered under the USHL banner. League governors decided on a two-division format, with the junior-aged teams in the Midwest Division and the professionals in the U.S. Division. The teams played an interlocking schedule that was, predictably, dominated by the professionals. The USHL's split existence would last just two seasons. The minor-pro wing of the league folded following the 1978–79 season, providing junior hockey operators with the opportunity to redefine the circuit. The 1979–80 season was the league's first as an entirely junior arrangement.[5]
The league's last season as a senior hockey league was 1978–79. During this final season the league comprised seven teams in two conferences. The U.S. Conference (with the Green Bay Bobcats, the Sioux City Musketeers and the Waterloo Black Hawks); while the Midwest Conference (with the Anoka Nordiques, the Austin Mavericks, the Bloomington Junior Stars, and the St. Paul Vulcans. All seven teams were made up with players categorized as "Senior Amateur".[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Following the 1978–79 season the senior league teams in the U.S. Conference folded and the USHL became an all-junior league the following season.[13]
| Team | City | Years |
| Anoka Nordiques | Anoka, Minnesota | 1978–1979 |
| Austin Mavericks | Austin, Minnesota | 1977–1979 |
| Bloomington Junior Stars | Bloomington, Minnesota | 1977–1979 |
| Calumet-Houghton Chiefs | Calumet Township, Michigan | 1972–1973 |
| Central Wisconsin Flyers | Stevens Point, Wisconsin | 1974–1976 |
| Chicago Warriors | Chicago, Illinois | 1972–1975 |
| Copper-Country Chiefs | Calumet, Michigan | 1974–1976 |
| Copper-Country Islanders | Calumet, Michigan | 1973–1974 |
| Des Moines Oak Leafs | Urbandale, Iowa | 1968–1969 |
| Duluth Port Stars | Duluth, Minnesota | 1968–1969 (Duluth dropped out of league on December 30, 1968)[14] |
| Fox Valley Astros | Dundee, Illinois[15] | 1965–1966 |
| Grand-Rapids Blades | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 1976–1977 |
| Grand-Rapids Bruins | Grand Rapids, Minnesota | 1968–1969 |
| Green Bay Bobcats | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 1961–1979 |
| Madison Blues | Madison, Wisconsin | 1973–1974 (transferred to CHL) |
| Marquette Iron Rangers | Marquette, Michigan | 1964–1976 |
| Milwaukee Admirals | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1973–1977 (transferred to IHL) |
| Milwaukee Metros | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 1961–1962 (Milwaukee folded Jan 16, 1962 due to financial trouble)[16] |
| Minneapolis Rebels | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 1961–1962 |
| Minnesota Nationals | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1967–1968 (U.S. 1968 Olympic team[17]) |
| Rochester Mustangs | Rochester, Minnesota | 1961–1970 |
| Sault Ste. Marie Canadians | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | 1968–1972 |
| Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario | 1972–1973 |
| Sioux City Musketeers | Sioux City, Iowa | 1972–1979 |
| St. Paul Steers | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1962–1966 |
| Thunder Bay Twins | Thunder Bay, Ontario | 1970–1975 (transferred to OHA) |
| Traverse City Bays | Traverse City, Michigan | 1975–1977 |
| U.S. Nationals | Saint Paul, Minnesota | 1966–1967 |
| Waterloo Black Hawks | Waterloo, Iowa | 1962–1969, 1970–79 |
| Team | City | Years |
| Austin Mavericks | Austin, Minnesota | 1977–1985 |
| Danville Wings | Danville, Illinois | 2003–2004 |
| Dubuque Fighting Saints | Dubuque, Iowa | 1980–2001 |
| Fargo-Moorhead Bears | Fargo, North Dakota | 1995–1996 |
| Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks | Fargo, North Dakota | 1996–2000 |
| Green Bay Bobcats | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 1958–1981 |
| Hennepin Nordiques | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 1979–1980 |
| Minneapolis Stars | Minneapolis/Bloomington, Minnesota | 1977–1985 |
| North Iowa Huskies | Mason City, Iowa | 1983–1999 |
| Ohio Junior Blue Jackets | Columbus, Ohio | 2006–2008 |
| Rochester Mustangs | Rochester, Minnesota | 1985–2002 |
| St. Louis Heartland Eagles | Chesterfield, Missouri | 2003–2004 |
| Twin Cities/St. Paul Vulcans[18] | St. Paul/Bloomington, Minnesota | 1977–2000 |
| Thunder Bay Flyers | Thunder Bay, Ontario | 1984–2000 |
| Topeka ScareCrows | Topeka, Kansas | 2001–2003 |
| Tulsa Crude | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 2001–2002 |
| Madison/Wisconsin Capitols | Madison, Wisconsin | 1984–1995 |
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