USHL considering additional expansion to Buffalo, Pittsburgh, & Philadelphia?

[No Fun Shogun]

In a THN article on the USHL's new commish, the subject of expansion came up...

A former Reebok-CCM Hockey exec whose son played in the USHL, Fallen has been involved on the boards of several grassroots initiatives, particularly in Minnesota. Now he’s in charge of the whole Midwest, with other markets interested in joining up. Prince estimated there are five or six cities interested in acquiring franchises within the league’s footprint and 10 to 15 outside the current borders.

According to some of my sources, the heavy hitters would be Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, with the three teams being linked to the NHL franchises in those cities. All three would lie outside the USHL’s current eastern border, however. And though a division including those three cities, Youngstown (Ohio) and Team USA or Muskegon (both Michigan) would make sense geographically, travel is not the only consideration.

...

Buffalo and Pittsburgh seem like particularly attractive destinations, since both cities have hosted the All-American Prospects Game, a relatively new concern dominated by USHL players. The Sabres are just about finished work on the HarborCenter, a two-rink facility right next door to First Niagara Center that will house the Canisius College NCAA team. One of those new arenas seats 1,800 people and though that’s on the low-end for the USHL, it wouldn’t necessarily mean the worst attendance in the league. In fact, capacity crowds would deliver higher numbers than what Youngstown, Chicago and Team USA saw in 2013-14.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/new-ushl-commissioner-faces-questions-on-expansion-and-team-usa/

The three mentioned cities would be an intriguing option for the USHL, though it'd have to have some precaution as large, seemingly hockey-mad markets might just be NHL-mad.

Leaves you wondering what the non-named markets are, especially the ones supposedly outside the league's current footprint.

Click to read more...

 

[JB51Hockey]

Well there was always talk about Lewiston joining the USHL since the MAINEiacs left. But next season, the USPHL Pirates will fill that void. Maybe if the USHL adds a few Atlantic teams it could be possible but I don't think the USHL will ever become a league that has teams from Nebraska to Maine.

I have a hard time believing that the Philadelphia is interested in the USHL. Maybe eastern Pennsylvania but it's just illogical for a team to be in Philadelphia. The Flyers just teamed up with the USPHL Flyers and they play their games in a rec rink in New Jersey. Hockey is big in Philadelphia but I don't think enough people would be interested in seeing 17-20 year old prospects. They want the best of the best. Just my opinion. Trying to think of possible rinks where this team could play and the only one I can think of is the Wells Fargo Center. Unlikely they would build a new rink solely for a USHL team.

We pretty much assume that unnamed Atlantic USHL expansion targets are Lewiston, Danbury and I'd even go as far as saying Utica when the Comets leave the AHL. The USHL will probably consider any market that formerly hosted a minor-league team.

I like the addition of the Madison Capitals and Bloomington Thunder. That is good. I don't like where this is heading. With 18 teams it's far below the level of play in the OHL, WHL or QMJHL. So how will expanding and maybe even reaching 25 member teams increase the level of play? Roughly, 25 teams equals 650 players. Currently, there's about 400 players. Where do these extra 150 players come from? If you're expanding to the east coast most likely the USPHL which is trying to match the USHL. The USHL realizes that eastern schools are not going out west as much as the USHL would like and staying on the east to watch a USPHL game. The USHL wants this to end.

There's going to be a mess in junior hockey within 5 years. The USHL wants to be involved with the east and that's what this is all about.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Yeah, the East certainly looks like it's getting crowded, if it's not already there. Maybe moving a bit West is in their interest?

Always have a personal wish for my hometown of Champaign-Urbana, but they lack a suitable arena and, for better or worse, hockey interest is NCAA or bust in that city.

As for players, there has been an increase in the number of American players, especially in Illinois, but the fruits of that are probably a good decade from now from a junior-perspective.

 

[JB51Hockey]

They definitely need to target Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee and maybe even St. Louis as those cities are the midwest hockey hotbeds. Plymouth, MI would fill the Detroit void. Tough with Milwaukee with the Admirals being there but they have Madison and Green Bay so that should be okay. The St. Charles Chill recently folded so there is a possible opening. The USHL needs more Illinois teams. Peoria looks to be SPHL for 14-15 but hard to believe they'll be in the SPHL much longer than that.

 

[sbkbghockey]

I think Pittsburgh could be the best option between those three options.

Philadelphia and Buffalo are saturated with hockey, particularly the HarbourCenter, I believe there's already plans to host NCAA DI, NCAA DIII, and junior hockey.

There's not much room to expand in Philly either, the market has a lot of AHL, ECHL, NHL, and junior presence along with some NCAA DIII hockey. One open professional style arena is Trenton , NJ after the ECHL left town.

The best option for the USHL is to strengthen and expand in the Midwest. The USHL needs to take a more aggressive expansion plan moving into markets previously controlled by minor league teams

Dayton, OH
Peoria, IL
Quad Cities IA/IL
St. Charles, MO
Minne/St. Paul metro, MN

The USHL could also try to force the OHL out of the USA:
Saginaw, MI
Plymouth, MI
Erie, PA

A couple intriguing markets on the East Coast:
Jamestown, NY
Johnstown, PA
Lewiston, Maine
Danbury, CT

 

[JungleJON]

I had always been hoping that Johnstown would jump up to the USHL after a few years in the NAHL. Also, I like what another poster said about Dayton and Erie. You might want to consider Wheeling and Elmira - then you would have a good number of former NAHL/ECHL rivals in the mix.

 

[Blue Liner]

I have reservations about the USHL further expanding. There's something to be said about the watering down of the overall product and I think that's what you're doing at this point. Maybe it's more of an option down the road but right now I think you'd be stretching the talent depth too thin.

If you are going to expand, heading into an already hockey-crowded Northeast probably isn't the answer. There's already so many other junior and college hockey programs in those areas. If anything, maybe look west as opposed to east, but again, I come back to the quality and depth of the on-ice product more than I do locations.

 

[JB51Hockey]

I have reservations about the USHL further expanding. There's something to be said about the watering down of the overall product and I think that's what you're doing at this point. Maybe it's more of an option down the road but right now I think you'd be stretching the talent depth too thin.

If you are going to expand, heading into an already hockey-crowded Northeast probably isn't the answer. There's already so many other junior and college hockey programs in those areas. If anything, maybe look west as opposed to east, but again, I come back to the quality and depth of the on-ice product more than I do locations.

Well there's no question that there are upwards of 100 players playing on the east coast that could be playing in the USHL. I think with eastern USHL expansion, the USHL is trying to take these eastern kids from leagues like the USPHL and EHL and move them to USHL.

 

[Blue Liner]

Well there's no question that there are upwards of 100 players playing on the east coast that could be playing in the USHL. I think with eastern USHL expansion, the USHL is trying to take these eastern kids from leagues like the USPHL and EHL and move them to USHL.

Good point.

 

[change on the fly]

Are there really 100 USPHL players who could be playing USHL? Im not sure about that. Who would stay on the East Coast and pay thousands if a USHL team wanted them? Free hockey, free billet, free equipment including sticks, every DI school and NHL team watching. I do see some good players that could be there and of course some of the players stay near or at home, but not 100. EHL, barely any its so watered down now.

 

[JB51Hockey]

Are there really 100 USPHL players who could be playing USHL? Im not sure about that. Who would stay on the East Coast and pay thousands if a USHL team wanted them? Free hockey, free billet, free equipment including sticks, every DI school and NHL team watching. I do see some good players that could be there and of course some of the players stay near or at home, but not 100. EHL, barely any its so watered down now.

Well by saying the EHL is watered down really doesn't matter when you're talking about individual players. Believe it or not, there are a ton of players on the east coast who are willing to pay a couple thousand and stay in the east to play. There are easily 100 USHL-caliber eastern players.

 

[doncherrysgrill]

Between the top USPHL and EHL teams there are definitely around 100 players who could play at the USHL level. Colleges in the Northeast are paying closer attention to the kids out here, because it's nearby. It makes a lot of sense for a kid to stay on the East Coast if he wants to go to a college on the East Coast, especially if he's planning on getting a scholarship.

I've been hearing rumors of USHL expansion to the East Coast for years now. In fact a guy I'm close with was part of a group that discussed it on Long Island. The problem I see is that I don't exactly see a lot of these East Coast markets as being the best places to market junior hockey. I'm sure if the USHL was 100% sure of it financially we'd already have the expansion East.

 

[tornadowarning]

There has been persistent discussion of the past few years of the NAHL South joining the USHL. Average attendance in the South would be well within the USHL averages and the South is and has been absolutely the strongest division in the NAHL.

Corpus Christi: 3,235 would slot in between Omaha and Sioux City
Amarillo: 2,355 would slot between Des Moines and Muskegon
Topeka: 1,830 would slot between Muskegon and Chicago as would all the rest of the NAHL South
Rio Grande: 1,696
Odessa: 1,648
Wichita Falls: 1,506
Lone Star 1,445