Western Professional Hockey League - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

league.

It operated in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

from 1996 to 2001, with teams in the southern United States

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

, mainly Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The league started with six teams in the 1996-1997 season and grew to 18 teams in 1999-2000. After the 2000-2001 season, the WPHL was bought out by the Central Hockey League

Central Hockey League

The Central Hockey League is a mid-level professional hockey league, owned by Global Entertainment Corporation. Its current champions are the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, which defeated the Colorado Eagles four games to three in the 2011 playoffs....

and has operated under the CHL name.

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)

1996-97
1996–97 WPHL season
-Regular season:- President's Cup-Playoffs :- External Links :* on hockeydb.com...

- New Mexico Scorpions
1997-98
1997–98 WPHL season
-Regular season:- President's Cup-Playoffs :- External Links :* on hockeydb.com...

- Fort Worth Brahmas
1998-99
1998–99 WPHL season
-Regular season:- President's Cup-Playoffs :- External Links :* on hockeydb.com...

- Shreveport Mudbugs
1999-00
1999–00 WPHL season
-Regular season:- President's Cup-Playoffs :- External Links :* on hockeydb.com...

- Central Texas Stampede
2000-01
2000–01 WPHL season
-Regular season:- President's Cup-Playoffs :- External Links :* on hockeydb.com...

- Tupelo T-Rex

Teams in Alphabetical Order

Abilene Aviators
Abilene Aviators
The Abilene Aviators were an American ice hockey team in Abilene, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1998-2000.-Season-by-season record:-Records:*Games Terho Koskela 94*Goals Jean-Francois Gregoire 49...

1998-2000
Alexandria Warthogs
Alexandria Warthogs
The Warthogs were an ice hockey team based in Alexandria, Louisiana. They played from 1998 to 2000, as a member of the Western Professional Hockey League, in the Rapides Parish Coliseum. The team folded at the end of the 1999-00 season, while the league folded in 2001....

1998-2000
Amarillo Rattlers
Amarillo Gorillas
The Amarillo Gorillas were a minor league hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. The team was affiliated with the Central Hockey League. The Gorillas began play in the Western Professional Hockey League in 1996 as the Rattlers, the name they would carry until an ownership change in 2002...

1996-2001
Arkansas Glacier Cats 1998-2000 (based in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...

)
Austin Ice Bats
Austin Ice Bats
The Austin Ice Bats were a professional minor-league ice hockey team based in Austin, Texas, United States. They played in Austin from 1996 to 2008. Affiliated with the Central Hockey League, the team was named in honor of the Mexican Free-tailed Bats which nest under the Ann W. Richards Congress...

1996-2001
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were a professional ice hockey team which played in the Bossier City-Shreveport metropolitan area of Louisiana. From 1997 to 2001 the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were members of the Western Professional Hockey League, until the a 2001 merger between the WPHL with the...

2000-2001 (based in Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...

)
Central Texas Stampede
Central Texas Stampede
The Central Texas Stampede are a defunct minor league professional ice hockey team which was located in Belton, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001. The team folded during the fifth season of its operation...

1996-2001 (based in Belton, Texas
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...

)
Corpus Christi Ice Rays
Corpus Christi Rayz
The Corpus Christi IceRays were a minor-league ice hockey team based in Corpus Christi, Texas affiliated with the Central Hockey League. The "IceRays" moniker derives from the many different species of stingrays who inhabit the nearby Gulf of Mexico....

1998-2001
El Paso Buzzards
El Paso Buzzards
The El Paso Buzzards were a professional ice hockey team. They were a member of the Central Hockey League. They played their home games at El Paso County Coliseum....

1996-2001
Fort Worth Brahmas
Fort Worth Brahmas
The Texas Brahmas are a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League. Dan Wildfong is the head coach and General Manager and Mike Barack is the President. Stuart Fraser is the majority owner of the franchise along with minority owners; Andy Moog, Dr...

1997-2001
Lake Charles Ice Pirates
Lake Charles Ice Pirates
The Lake Charles Ice Pirates were an American ice hockey team in Lake Charles, Louisiana. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997-2001.-Season-by-season record:-Records:*Games Billy Lund 277*Goals John Hanson 121...

1997-2001
Lubbock Cotton Kings
Lubbock Cotton Kings
The Lubbock Cotton Kings are a professional ice hockey team formerly based in Lubbock, Texas. Affiliated with the Central Hockey League, the team played home games in City Bank Coliseum.-History:...

1999-2001
Monroe Moccasins
Monroe Moccasins
The Monroe Moccasins were a professional ice hockey team that played in the Western Professional Hockey League. Based in Monroe, Louisiana from 1997 until the end of the 2001 season, the team played its home games at the Monroe Civic Center.- History :...

1997-2001
New Mexico Scorpions
New Mexico Scorpions
The New Mexico Scorpions were a Central Hockey League team located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The team was established in 1953 as a part of the Western Professional Hockey League . In 2001, the WPHL merged with the CHL...

1996-2001 (based in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...

)
Odessa Jackalopes
Odessa Jackalopes
The Odessa Jackalopes were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Odessa, Texas. The team played in the Central Hockey League , and was an affiliate of the New York Islanders...

1997-2001
San Angelo Outlaws
San Angelo Outlaws
The San Angelo Saints were an American minor ice hockey team in San Angelo, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997-2001, and the Central Hockey League from 2001-2004...

1997-2001
Shreveport Mudbugs
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were a professional ice hockey team which played in the Bossier City-Shreveport metropolitan area of Louisiana. From 1997 to 2001 the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were members of the Western Professional Hockey League, until the a 2001 merger between the WPHL with the...

1997-2000
Tupelo T-Rex
Tupelo T-Rex
The Tupelo T-Rex was a professional ice hockey team, a member of the Western Professional Hockey League and played their home games at BancorpSouth Center from 1998 through 2001...

1998-2001
Waco Wizards
Waco Wizards
The Waco Wizards were an American ice hockey team in Waco, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1996-2000. They played their home games in the Heart of Texas Coliseum.-Season-by-season record:-Records:*Games Tim Green 145...

1996-2000

Teams that went to Central Hockey League

Amarillo Rattlers
Amarillo Gorillas
The Amarillo Gorillas were a minor league hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. The team was affiliated with the Central Hockey League. The Gorillas began play in the Western Professional Hockey League in 1996 as the Rattlers, the name they would carry until an ownership change in 2002...
Austin Ice Bats
Austin Ice Bats
The Austin Ice Bats were a professional minor-league ice hockey team based in Austin, Texas, United States. They played in Austin from 1996 to 2008. Affiliated with the Central Hockey League, the team was named in honor of the Mexican Free-tailed Bats which nest under the Ann W. Richards Congress...
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were a professional ice hockey team which played in the Bossier City-Shreveport metropolitan area of Louisiana. From 1997 to 2001 the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were members of the Western Professional Hockey League, until the a 2001 merger between the WPHL with the...
Corpus Christi Ice Rays
Corpus Christi IceRays
The Corpus Christi IceRays are a Junior A ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League . The IceRays are based in Corpus Christi, Texas and play in the North American Hockey League's South Division. The "IceRays" moniker derives from the many different species of stingrays who...
El Paso Buzzards
El Paso Buzzards
The El Paso Buzzards were a professional ice hockey team. They were a member of the Central Hockey League. They played their home games at El Paso County Coliseum....
Fort Worth Brahmas
Fort Worth Brahmas
The Texas Brahmas are a professional ice hockey team in the Central Hockey League. Dan Wildfong is the head coach and General Manager and Mike Barack is the President. Stuart Fraser is the majority owner of the franchise along with minority owners; Andy Moog, Dr...
Lubbock Cotton Kings
Lubbock Cotton Kings
The Lubbock Cotton Kings are a professional ice hockey team formerly based in Lubbock, Texas. Affiliated with the Central Hockey League, the team played home games in City Bank Coliseum.-History:...
New Mexico Scorpions
New Mexico Scorpions
The New Mexico Scorpions were a Central Hockey League team located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The team was established in 1953 as a part of the Western Professional Hockey League . In 2001, the WPHL merged with the CHL...
Odessa Jackalopes
Odessa Jackalopes
The Odessa Jackalopes were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Odessa, Texas. The team played in the Central Hockey League , and was an affiliate of the New York Islanders...
San Angelo Outlaws
San Angelo Outlaws
The San Angelo Saints were an American minor ice hockey team in San Angelo, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997-2001, and the Central Hockey League from 2001-2004...

Teams that folded during merger with CHL

Central Texas Stampede
Central Texas Stampede
The Central Texas Stampede are a defunct minor league professional ice hockey team which was located in Belton, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001. The team folded during the fifth season of its operation...
Lake Charles Ice Pirates
Lake Charles Ice Pirates
The Lake Charles Ice Pirates were an American ice hockey team in Lake Charles, Louisiana. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997-2001.-Season-by-season record:-Records:*Games Billy Lund 277*Goals John Hanson 121...
Monroe Moccasins
Monroe Moccasins
The Monroe Moccasins were a professional ice hockey team that played in the Western Professional Hockey League. Based in Monroe, Louisiana from 1997 until the end of the 2001 season, the team played its home games at the Monroe Civic Center.- History :...
Tupelo T-Rex
Tupelo T-Rex
The Tupelo T-Rex was a professional ice hockey team, a member of the Western Professional Hockey League and played their home games at BancorpSouth Center from 1998 through 2001...

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 & 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