United Hockey League on arvau

Wikipedia / United Hockey League

The United Hockey League (UHL), originally known as the Colonial Hockey League from 1991 to 1997 and last known as the International Hockey League from 2007 to 2010, was a low-level minor professional ice hockey league, with teams in the United States and Canada. The league was headquartered in Rochester, Michigan, and, in its last year, consisted of seven teams. It folded in 2010, with most of its teams joining the Central Hockey League. The Central Hockey League teams still operating in 2014 were then added to ECHL. The only former CoHL/UHL/IHL teams still active as of 2024 are the Fort Wayne Komets and Kalamazoo Wings.

History

The UHL was originally formed in 1991 as the Colonial Hockey League and had teams in Brantford, Ontario; Detroit, Michigan; Flint, Michigan; St. Thomas, Ontario; and Thunder Bay, Ontario; the avowed goal of the league organizers was to fill the low-level niche in the Great Lakes area abandoned by the original International Hockey League as the latter league engaged in upmarket expansion. As time passed, the CoHL moved eastward, into places like Glens Falls, NY; Danbury, CT; Utica, NY; Binghamton, NY; and Richmond, VA. During that expansion, the league was renamed "United Hockey League" (UHL) and the headquarters was moved to Lake St. Louis, Missouri, in 1997.

The 2006–07 season was the last season of play for the league under the UHL name. Following the 2006–07 season, the league lost half of its ten teams. The franchises in Moline and Rockford, Illinois moved to the American Hockey League, the team in Elmira, New York, went to the ECHL, and the franchises in Chicago, Illinois and Port Huron, Michigan ceased operations. In June 2007, at the league’s annual meeting, the UHL announced that it was changing its name to the "International Hockey League" (IHL). Paul L. Pickard was named the first president and CEO of the new IHL. During that summer, the UHL headquarters moved from Lake St. Louis, Missouri, to Rochester, Michigan. The UHL's rebranding was intended to evoke the original IHL, which had ceased operations in 2001 and covered much of the new IHL's footprint. The Fort Wayne Komets were a longtime member of the original league while the Kalamazoo Wings and Flint Generals franchises were revived names of the original Kalamazoo and Flint IHL teams.

On July 13, 2010, the league announced an agreement with the Central Hockey League, the effects of which saw five IHL teams – the Bloomington PrairieThunder, Dayton Gems, Evansville IceMen, Fort Wayne Komets and Quad City Mallards – absorbed into the CHL. The remaining two franchises from the league's last season that were not absorbed into the CHL, the Flint Generals and the Port Huron Icehawks, folded.

Governance

Dennis Hextall was named as the president and commissioner of the International Hockey League on September 2, 2009. Hextall was preceded by Paul Pickard, who served as commissioner for the first two years of the renamed league (2007–2009).

Several UHL teams had affiliations with the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, and the All American Hockey League.

Teams

Timeline

History of teams

Adirondack Frostbite 2004–2006
Adirondack IceHawks 1999–2004, later Adirondack Frostbite
Asheville Smoke 1998–2002
Arctic Xpress 2000–2001 (did not play), later Canton Xpress
B.C. Icemen 1997–2002
Bloomington PrairieThunder 2006–2010, merged into Central Hockey League
Brantford Smoke 1991–1998, later Asheville Smoke
Canton Ice Patrol 2002 (did not play)
Canton Xpress 2001 – January 28, 2002 (did not play), later Canton Ice Patrol
Chatham Wheels 1992–1994, later Saginaw Wheels
Chicago Hounds 2006–2007
Columbus Stars 2003 – January 9, 2004
Danbury Trashers 2004–2006
Dayton Gems 2009–2010, merged into Central Hockey League
Dayton Ice Bandits 1996–1997, later Mohawk Valley Prowlers
Detroit Falcons 1992–1996
Elmira Jackals 2000–2007, moved to ECHL
Evansville IceMen 2010, merged into Central Hockey League
Flint Bulldogs 1991–1993, later Utica Bulldogs
Flint Generals 1993–2010
Fort Wayne Komets 1999–2010, merged into Central Hockey League
Kalamazoo Wings 2000–2009, Wings moved to ECHL
Kansas City Outlaws 2004–2005
Knoxville Speed 1999–2002
Lehigh Valley Xtreme 2000 (did not play)
London Wildcats 1994–1995, later Dayton Ice Bandits
Madison Kodiaks 1999–2000, later Kalamazoo Wings
Madison Monsters 1995–1999, later Knoxville Speed
Michigan Falcons 1991–1992, later Detroit Falcons
Missouri River Otters 1999–2006
Mohawk Valley Prowlers 1998–February 2001
Motor City Mechanics 2004–2006
Muskegon Fury 1992–2008, rebranded as Lumberjacks
Muskegon Lumberjacks 2008–2010, later Evansville IceMen
New Haven Knights 2000–2002
Ohio Gears December 20, 1999 – 2000, later Arctic Xpress
Port Huron Beacons 2002–2005, later Roanoke Valley Vipers
Port Huron Border Cats 1996–2002
Port Huron Icehawks 2007–2010
Port Huron Flags 2005–2007
Quad City Mallards 1995–2007
Quad City Mallards 2009–2010, merged into Central Hockey League
Richmond RiverDogs 2003–2006, later Chicago Hounds
Roanoke Valley Vipers 2005–2006
Rockford IceHogs 1999–2007, assets bought out by Rockford IceHogs of American Hockey League
Saginaw Gears 1998 – December 19, 1999, later Ohio Gears
Saginaw LumberKings 1996–1998, later Saginaw Gears
Saginaw Wheels 1994–1996, later Saginaw LumberKings
St. Thomas Wildcats 1991–1994, later London Wildcats
Thunder Bay Senators 1993–1996, later Thunder Bay Thunder Cats
Thunder Bay Thunder Cats 1996–1999, later Rockford IceHogs
Thunder Bay Thunder Hawks 1991–1993, later Thunder Bay Senators
Utica Bulldogs 1993–1994
Utica Blizzard 1994–1997, later Winston-Salem IceHawks
Winston-Salem IceHawks 1997–1999, later Adirondack IceHawks

Colonial/Turner Cup champions

The Colonial Cup was the league's championship trophy. The name was changed to the Turner Cup in 2007 to reflect the original IHL's championship trophy, also named the Turner Cup.

Awards

UHL Best Goaltender