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33-670: The Phoenix Polar Bears were formed as an expansion team by Harry Mahood for the Western States Hockey League in 1999. Until 2009, Mahood operated as the owner, general manager, and head coach of the Polar Bears and became one of the most successful franchises in the WSHL under his tenure. In 2011, the Polar Bears left the WSHL when the league dropped their USA Hockey membership and joined the United Hockey Union . After folding,

66-781: A 1–3 record. The teams finished fourth and fifth in the six-team event. The 2014 summer break brought more changes to the MWJHL. The league transferred the franchise rights in Alpena from the Street Cats to the Flyers and the Bloomington Blaze relocated to Decatur. The league also announced the expansion of the MC Monarchs (MC for Motor City) playing out of Mount Clemens. July saw the team decide on Fraser as their base of operations. Mid-August noted that

99-511: A best-of-three format played at the higher seed's rink. The second round would also be a best-of-three series with Games 1 and 2 played at the higher seed's rink and if necessary, Game 3 would be played at the lower seed's rink. The championship final would be a best-of-five with the first three games at the higher seed's rink and the last two, if needed, at the lower seed's rink. On August 30, 2012 The Junior Hockey News reported Kankakee, Ironwood, Traverse City, Cincinnati, Erie (PA) folded before

132-747: 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. In

165-833: A new Midwest Division pending USA Hockey approval. After the 2014–15 season concluded, the MWJHL ceased to be a league and were no longer a members of the AAU. Prior to their first season in the USPHL Midwest, the MC Monarchs became the Motor City Hawks, the Michigan Ice Dogs became the Michigan Wild, and the Soo Firehawks ceased operations. The MWJHL member teams competed in the Veterans Memorial Cup playoffs. The winners of

198-629: The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). On May 26, 2020, the WSHL announced it would be dormant for the 2020–21 season due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic , stating the league was already they have begun preparing to return for the 2021–22 season. In June 2020, the El Paso Rhinos also left for the NA3HL for the 2020–21 season with the intention of joining the NAHL for the 2021–22 season. In January 2021,

231-487: The UHU National Championship against teams from the Western States Hockey League and Northern States Hockey League . Both MWJWHL teams went 1–3–0 in the tournament with Hartland finishing sixth in the standings and Tennyson finishing fifth. The league went through a number of changes during the summer of 2013. The Michigan Grrrowl left the MWJHL to apply to another league, and later ceased operations when

264-545: 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). After one season, the WSHL's association with the WPHA dissolved and removed the teams that had been directly operated by

297-771: The Berkley Bruins, the Rhinelander Street Cats relocating to Alpena, Michigan , Tennyson Chevrolet renamed to the Detroit Fighting Irish, and the Hartland Hounds moving to Traverse City, Michigan , The West Michigan Freeze were initially announced as an expansion franchise but decided to hold out until the 2014–15 season, dropping the league to seven teams for the 2013–14 season. The MWJHL began its second season with seven teams. Traverse City Hounds earned their second regular season title. The Hounds swept

330-612: The Jr. Polar Bears. They had teams ranging from Mites to Midget and competed annually across the United States. The Polar Bears have won seven Thorne Cups, awarded to the WSHL playoff champions in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010. In addition to WSHL championships the team won the USA Hockey Tier III Junior B National Championship in 2003, were runners-up in 2002, and third place in 2008. Western States Hockey League The Western States Hockey League (WSHL)

363-642: The Northwest Division was announced as going dormant for the season with no games played by Bellingham, Rogue Valley, or Seattle. Bellingham and Vernal then joined the Provincial Division, but Bellingham withdrew after playing five games. By January 2022, the six remaining teams left the WSHL and started another league called the Can-Am Junior Hockey League (CAJHL) to finish the season independently. Full list of teams that have played in

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396-559: The Phoenix Polar Bears raised several hundred thousands of dollars for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, American Heart Association, Phoenix Thunderbirds, Child Find, American Red Cross and various other community programs and charities. Among the many alumni to play college and advanced levels of junior and major junior hockey , including: Initially, the youth hockey program at Polar Ice, Peoria, Polar Ice Chandler and Polar Ice Gilbert were named after this team and were called

429-599: The Polar Bears received the National Fair Play Award at the National Tournament. Under Mahood, the Phoenix Polar Bears recorded 575 wins, seven WSHL Thorne Cup Championships, nine consecutive National Tournament appearances, three undefeated seasons in WSHL play, one nationally undefeated season in 2003, the 2004 National Fair Play award and graduated over 170 players to all levels of NHL, NCAA, CIAU, minor professional, major junior, and ACHA hockey. Concurrently,

462-585: The Tennyson Chevrolet. The teams were divided into two conferences and four divisions. The American Conference comprised the North (Rhinelander and Soo) and Central (Great Lakes, Hartland, Michigan, Tennyson) Divisions. The National Conference included the East (Dayton, Lake Erie, NWO) and West (Bloomington and Holland) Divisions. The top two teams in each division would qualify for the post-season. The first round would be

495-712: 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. Midwest Junior Hockey League The Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL)

528-595: 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 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)

561-674: The WSHL. 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. 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,

594-618: The West Michigan Freeze (initially delayed from a 2013 expansion to start 2014) has been dropped from the MWJHL webpage as one of the current year franchises. League website promptly acknowledged the folding of the Freeze. After playing 17 league games, the Berkley Bruins ceased operations on November 17, 2014. On March 10, 2015, the MWJHL announced it would be joining the United States Premier Hockey League as part of

627-453: The college hockey ranks through the "Western States Shootout", an annual all-league showcase held every December in Las Vegas, Nevada . 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

660-575: 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. 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,

693-455: The first member teams, conference alignment of the teams, and playoff format. On July 18, 2012 The MWJHL announced that Kevin Shanahan was named as the director of hockey operations. As the league continued to form, the MWJHL named Patrick Pylypuik president and chief executive officer for the 2012–13 season. He had previously been serving on an interim basis. Randy Montrose of the Hartland Hounds

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726-654: The franchise was sold and their WSHL membership license was transferred to Arizona Hockey Club, Inc. to create the Phoenix Knights junior hockey team. In 2003, the team won the USA Hockey Tier III Junior B National Championship, beating the St. Louis Jr. Blues , 1–0, after a perfect regular season record of 47–0. In 2002 and 2004, the team won a silver medal at the USA Hockey Junior B National Tournament. In 2004,

759-452: The league following the creation of the Can-Am Junior Hockey League by former WSHL teams. 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

792-545: The league stated that it still intended to return for a 2021–22 season. In August, the league gave an update with six new teams and five returning teams split into two divisions: Northwest and Provincial. The schedule was released in September and the league had lost the Vancouver Devils expansion team. The season started the last weekend of October and the expansion Utah Altitude folded after one game played. By November 5,

825-484: The league's inaugural season. In early September, the league pushed back the start of the season to allow teams more time to sign players and establish their rosters. The MWJHL began the 2012–13 season in mid-September with 10 teams. Dayton, playing in Monroe, Michigan , folded after playing 12 games. The league continued to season with nine teams and the games against Dayton recorded as forfeits. The Hartland Hounds claimed

858-767: The owners of the WPHA. The WPHA then joined the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League , an independent junior league primarily based in Ontario. In April 2020, the WSHL lost the Fresno Monsters , Las Vegas Thunderbirds , Northern Colorado Eagles, Ogden Mustangs , 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. The Oklahoma City Jr. Blazers then left on May 19, 2020, to join to

891-523: The regular season title with a 47-0-1 record. The Hounds continued their success in the playoffs with a two-game sweep of the Bloomington Jr. Blaze in the semifinal round. Tennyson Chevrolet defeated Soo in two games to face the Hounds for the inaugural Veterans Memorial Cup. The Hounds then swept Tennyson in the championship series. Both Hartland and Tennyson traveled to six-team Las Vegas, Nevada , for

924-515: The series against the Alpena Street Cats in the playoff semifinal while the Soo Firehawks defeated the Detroit Fighting Irish two-games-to-one. The Hounds claimed their second straight Veterans Memorial Cup title with a win over Soo in game three of the championship series. Soo went 2–2 at the 2014 UHU National Championship against teams from the Western States Hockey League and Northern States Hockey League while Traverse City finished with

957-607: The team was unable to secure a new league. The dormant Traverse City Cohos' franchise was sold and moved to Marquette, Michigan , but within a few months, the newly named Marquette Royales left the MWJHL for the MnJHL. In June 2013, the AAU suspended the Holland River Bandits franchise due to the team's on-going financial struggles. Several of the core franchises changed names, including the Great Lakes Lightning becoming

990-409: Was a junior ice hockey league established in 1993. It was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union , the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union . Previously, it was sanctioned by USA Hockey from 1994 to 2011. Teams played approximately 50 games in the regular season schedule, mimicking what players would experience at the collegiate level. As of January 2022, there are no active teams in

1023-700: Was an American junior ice hockey league. The MWJHL were members of the United Hockey Union and sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). On March 10, 2015, the league announced it would be joining the United States Premier Hockey League as part of a new Midwest Division beginning in the 2015–16 season. The MWJHL began in 2012 with a league office in Sylvania, Ohio consisting of six full-time employees to support members vision and objectives. The first league meetings were in July 2012 in Deerfield, Illinois , to establish

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1056-500: Was elected chairman of the board for the MWJHL. Keith Lang of Tennyson Chevrolet named executive vice-president. Doug Goudreau from the Soo Firehawks was named secretary/treasurer. The league initially planned for a total of 11 teams for the inaugural season, including: Bloomington Jr. Blaze, Dayton Aeros, Great Lakes Lightning, Hartland Hounds, Holland River Bandits, Ironwood Bears, Lake Erie Steelheads, Michigan Ice Dogs, Northwest Ohio Grrrowl, Rhinelander Street Cats, Soo Firehawks, and

1089-825: 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

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