Is the FHL slowly legitimizing itself?

[JMCx4]

... First, Bloomington.... this is a college town first, last, and almost only. I'd love to have an immediately local hockey option higher than the ACHA, but this market has yet to show itself as capable of sustaining a hockey team. Maybe the F(P)HL has such low operating costs that the barrier to surviving is very low, but even still I have doubts when all other forms of pro and junior hockey have failed at the gate. My honest hunch is that the only way a hockey team would be successful here would be if Illinois State got a varsity hockey program, which ain't happening. But hey, I'd give a new team in town a whirl. ...

I've got a hunch that Soskin will have to fill seats with butts without benefit of season ticket holders. From speaking to former STH-ers from the Prairie Thunder & Blaze & Thunder & Thunder/Flying Aces days over the last several years, that segment of B-N hockey fans are fed up with promises unkept & hopes unfulfilled. The latest team will have to tap untapped market segments for more than one 'n' done fans. Maybe that's what he's done in Port Huron, or maybe the FPHL business model can truly survive on single-ticket buyers & group sales. But that would seem to be a battle on severely tilted ice in Bloomington.

Nonetheless, proximity to my hometown is likely to draw me north for a game or two in their inaugural season. So I hope this expansion team makes it at least into April 2021, to give me some scheduling flexibility.

 

[JMCx4]

Looks like Soskin was serious ...

From: The Federal Prospects Hockey League > Press Release
FPHL ANNOUNCES THREE NEUTRAL SITE GAMES

November 20, 2019

Syracuse, New York- The Federal Prospects Hockey League, “The FED” is proud to announce the following neutral site regular season games will take place this season at the Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington, IL.

On Friday January 3rd, 2020 and Saturday January 4th, 2020 at 7:30 P.M. the Danbury Hat Tricks an expansion team will face off against the defending Federal Prospects Hockey League Champion Carolina Thunderbird's, Danbury will be the home team on Friday and Carolina will be on Saturday.

After starting the New Year off on the right foot with some good old hockey, follow us at www.federalhockey.com then join us once again for are final game this season at Grossinger Motors Arena on Saturday March 21st, 2020 when the Port Huron Prowlers will play host to the Danville Dashers, game time once again will be 7:30 P.M.

The Federal Prospects Hockey League is proud to be coming to Bloomington beginning with the 2020-2021.

Come, have fun, enjoy and cheer your favorite team to victory.

 

[JMCx4]

I attended the first two "neutral site games" in Bloomington this weekend. Haven't seen any official attendance numbers published (and probably won't), but my estimates were 250-300 on Friday night and no more than 200 on Saturday night. The ice will be tilted against Bloomington FPHL hockey come next winter.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

I attended the first two "neutral site games" in Bloomington this weekend. Haven't seen any official attendance numbers published (and probably won't), but my estimates were 250-300 on Friday night and no more than 200 on Saturday night. The ice will be tilted against Bloomington FPHL hockey come next winter.

I heard BLH said the games were not advertised or marketed at all. If that is the case, then a few hundred is not horrible. Although it is certainly not a good outlook for the future. If the marketing department cannot get something together for a weekend exhibition, then marketing a team for a whole season is unlikely.

 

[CMUBrent]

This picture was retweeted by Bus League Hockey. Picture from Saturday night’s game:

 

[SemireliableSource]

Further evidence that the Fed is not legitimatizing themselves: this announcement happened and is still on Danbury's website:

Hat Tricks add two home games vs Rumble Bees, Jan. 24 & 25

Those games were/are scheduled to be played in Battle Creek. According to the Rumble Bees they had no input and didn't even know of a change until the announcement. BC claims they have marketed their games this weekend and even have specialty jerseys for Saturday's game. They are moving forward as scheduled and planning for games in BC this weekend.

Shifting gears, the fact that all the other teams celebrated BC's first win was cool but it's hilarious that some of them were more anti-Elmira tweets than "yay! You did it, BC!"

 

[GindyDraws]

I heard BLH said the games were not advertised or marketed at all. If that is the case, then a few hundred is not horrible. Although it is certainly not a good outlook for the future. If the marketing department cannot get something together for a weekend exhibition, then marketing a team for a whole season is unlikely.

So, the only way people knew about these was from social media? Yeah, that's not how you build something. Then again, I'm guessing they didn't feel like trying given the area has failed at the UHL/IHL/CHL/SPHL/USHL level, not to mention the arena is being referred to as a white elephant given its cost and inability to keep a regular tenant, which impacts sponsorship.

But we're already seeing a worst case scenario in Battle Creek this season, and the league has made some big time blunders before, with the SWPA Magic and the St. Clair Fighting Saints/North Shore Knights. They've had several teams fold midseason or relocate and wasn't until last year that they successfully played a whole year with everyone intact. Sure, they're playing the waiting game with Bloomington, but so far, this doesn't particularly help with the confidence level for the future team if they won't market exhibition games.

 

[JMCx4]

This picture was retweeted by Bus League Hockey. Picture from Saturday night’s game:View attachment 303075

Dang it, they cut me off from the upper righthand corner.

ETA: Nope, hadda open the full image. There I am, dozing off.

 

[JMCx4]

I heard BLH said the games were not advertised or marketed at all. If that is the case, then a few hundred is not horrible. Although it is certainly not a good outlook for the future. If the marketing department cannot get something together for a weekend exhibition, then marketing a team for a whole season is unlikely.

If Barry Soskin has actually hired a staff, that is. He was nowhere in (my) public sight either night, and the whole game night production routine was very ragged. Danbury turned the on-ice activities into an old boys reunion on Saturday night by filling out their roster with friends of a couple of regular Hat Tricks players; they had 7 skaters with no names on their jerseys that night, after 5 were missing nameplates at Friday's game. The whole weekend seemed more like a rec league event than professional hockey, a condition that can't possibly reflect well on future local interest in the League when the BLM team finally materializes next winter.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

So, the only way people knew about these was from social media? Yeah, that's not how you build something. Then again, I'm guessing they didn't feel like trying given the area has failed at the UHL/IHL/CHL/SPHL/USHL level, not to mention the arena is being referred to as a white elephant given its cost and inability to keep a regular tenant, which impacts sponsorship.

But we're already seeing a worst case scenario in Battle Creek this season, and the league has made some big time blunders before, with the SWPA Magic and the St. Clair Fighting Saints/North Shore Knights. They've had several teams fold midseason or relocate and wasn't until last year that they successfully played a whole year with everyone intact. Sure, they're playing the waiting game with Bloomington, but so far, this doesn't particularly help with the confidence level for the future team if they won't market exhibition games.

What was said was that there was no marketing and I am not sure what that exactly means. An FPHL Bloomington Twitter account does not even show social media marketing. It would not be surprising if league officials saw the pitiful Central Illinois put up and saw rightly that if those numbers were translated to the FPHL, then the team would be well into the black and there was no need to market the game. However, they might have learned their lesson after expecting similar numbers with no marketing. Especially after that Athens disaster.

The league has made a ton of blunders in the past. That is sort of the point of this thread, that they are screwing up slightly less than they have in the past. In the past, they would have a team moving or folding mid-season. Now, they are failing to market a team in a market that would be an excellent and stable addition to the league if they come anywhere near the numbers they have historically put up. The fact that there even is that opportunity means there is at least a slight improvement.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

If Barry Soskin has actually hired a staff, that is. He was nowhere in (my) public sight either night, and the whole game night production routine was very ragged. Danbury turned the on-ice activities into an old boys reunion on Saturday night by filling out their roster with friends of a couple of regular Hat Tricks players; they had 7 skaters with no names on their jerseys that night, after 5 were missing nameplates at Friday's game. The whole weekend seemed more like a rec league event than professional hockey, a condition that can't possibly reflect well on future local interest in the League when the BLM team finally materializes next winter.

With your public sight, did it look like the core of fans had returned for the event? They will certainly have been turned off by that. You can get away with a few casuals who show up and do not know any better. But for fans who probably already have doubts about the league, it is not a good look. Also, was there any marketing done for the game? BLH mentioned something about there no marketing campaign at all. The FPHL Bloomington twitter account did not even mention the neutral site games.

 

[JMCx4]

With your public sight, did it look like the core of fans had returned for the event? They will certainly have been turned off by that. You can get away with a few casuals who show up and do not know any better. But for fans who probably already have doubts about the league, it is not a good look. Also, was there any marketing done for the game? BLH mentioned something about there no marketing campaign at all. The FPHL Bloomington twitter account did not even mention the neutral site games.

If by "the core of fans" you mean previous supporters of Bloomington hockey teams, there were some small number of people in attendance at each game wearing USHL Flying Aces & USHL Thunder jerseys with one or two old Prairie Thunder supporters represented. There might have been a larger collection of Blackhawks jerseys over the two nights than all BLM hockeywear combined, but that's not a surprise at games in Central Illinois. Based on my acquaintances among hockey fans around B-N, the old "core of fans" by & large are unlikely to return to watch hockey there after having been betrayed by or at least disillusioned with the previous ownership groups in multiple leagues (with lingering angst over previous arena management business practices). IMO, FPHL hockey in Bloomington only has a chance of survival if they can identify & consistently attract a new batch of sports fans from the area.

Being an out-of-town visitor for these two games, I cannot confirm the level of local marketing done for the two neutral site games. But if there was a concerted marketing effort, the results were underwhelming to this observer. Hopefully Soskin & Co. learned something about their future market from this weekend's turnout, and will make some changes to increase attendance noticeably at the Saturday, March 21st Port Huron-Danville game in Bloomington. Having Dashers fans just an hour & 15 minute drive away oughta help some with ticket sales, but this weekend's Saturday night crowd being smaller than Friday night's has gotta be SOME cause for concern.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

OPINION: Why Bloomington will succeed in the FPHL

Optimism at its best

 

[GindyDraws]

OPINION: Why Bloomington will succeed in the FPHL

Optimism at its best

TL;DR: It has to succeed because it should, right?

I mean, they argue the merits of the FPHL (it's cheap operating costs, and low overhead), but the FPHL historically have tried virtually anywhere with an ice rink, and some places, multiple attempts. Bloomington, IL has pretty much proved that professional hockey was a non starter and developmental hockey... you could forget about that. But, I guess if they can get around 1K in there nightly despite it being the most professional looking arena in the system, I guess it's a win, right?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

I hope that the FPHL works here, as it really the last possible option for a pro or junior team other than maybe a third tier junior league here, but I wouldn't extrapolate anything from the low gate at the games that were there recently. Some random teams that locals had never heard of playing in a league that locals probably never heard of doesn't really rise to the occasion of catching interest.

Fingers crossed that it does work out here, but I'm doubting that it will, though. And as a fan with experience watching games here for the prior tenants and the Sears Centre for the sole season of ECHL Express hockey, having a cavernous arena with only hundreds to a thousand or so fans can feel extremely empty. That's a drawback if anything, versus a smaller place with a more confined feel like Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville making a similar number of fans feel like a packed barn.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

And might I add, I went to an ACHA club game there just this past week, and they very smartly had fans only sit on one side of the stands. That fixed the sparse feel of the place in a big way and should absolutely be what they do for a pro team as well. Make it a 3-4K barn instead of a 7K one and the attendance issues will feel like a nothing matter if it only draws hundreds.

 

[JMCx4]

The one-side-fits-all scheme cuts down on arena staffing needs as well. Though I doubt any incarnation of GMA management has ever let short staff get in the way of customer enjoyment & satisfaction with the entertainment products offered.

 

[ek93]

Surprised this wasn’t posted in this thread. Intentional slapshot (from the coach’s son) into the bench at an FHL game:

 

[JMCx4]

Well, the OP did say "slowly legitimizing itself" ...

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Surprised this wasn’t posted in this thread. Intentional slapshot (from the coach’s son) into the bench at an FHL game:

Statement from the Ice Breakers Organization

Mentor, OH -
The Mentor Ice Breakers would like to apologize to our great fans, the Federal Prospects Hockey League, the officiating crew, and the Carolina Thunderbirds as well as their fans for the incident that occurred this past Saturday night at the end of the game. We as an organization do not condone nor tolerate this type of behavior.
Nick Russo
Director of Hockey Operations
Mentor Ice Breakers
8600 Munson Road
Mentor OH 44060
(440) 290-8502

 

[GindyDraws]

Goons are alive and well in the FPHL, but, uh, I don't think people were expecting that kind of behavior.

 

[JMCx4]

Goons are alive and well in the FPHL, but, uh, I don't think people were expecting that kind of behavior.

Mentor's Brody Duncan was simply angling for a call-up to the SPHL.

 

[sabremike]

Goons are alive and well in the FPHL, but, uh, I don't think people were expecting that kind of behavior.

I don't think it's anywhere near as prevalent these days compared to the early years of the league. You'll still see some craziness here and there but nowhere near as much. I remember Whalers games that took well over 3 hours because they were filled with nothing but fights. Hell I remember that crazy game where there a line brawl before the puck was dropped and the opposing team pulled a Red Army in Philly and walked off the ice. And actually I think there was a second line brawl where the Danbury goalie tried to skate across the ice to go after his counterpart but an alert teammate stopped him because if he crossed the center line it would be an automatic ejection and the other goalie had already been tossed.

 

[ForsbergForever]

Brody Duncan SUSPENDED for the Remainder of the Season

So Duncan was suspended for the rest of the regular season (25 games) and playoffs as well as fined an undisclosed amount.

 

[JMCx4]

Brody Duncan SUSPENDED for the Remainder of the Season

So Duncan was suspended for the rest of the regular season (25 games) and playoffs as well as fined an undisclosed amount.

LNAH, here he comes.