Rauzulu's Street
Home
Baseball
Hockey
Football
Racing
Basketball
Events
PrivacyProfessional Hockey Leagues - The Minors
When you think of professional hockey, the first thought is the NHL. However hockey also exists at another level for the professional players. These are the leagues we cover here, including women's hockey leagues. Sometimes it is a confusing mix of leagues especially in the southern states markets with teams and leagues moving around.
There is no official rating system of professional hockey leagues such as is the case in baseball. Although there has been some merging and movement of teams over the years, a large base of teams and leagues still exist. Many of these teams are associated with a team in the NHL and are often referred to as the "farm" system. Professional hockey in North America is organized into three different skill levels.
The top level is the National Hockey League, whose teams play in the top media markets in the United States and Canada.At the next level is the American Hockey League(AHL). The AHL is based the northeastern U.S.and eastern Canada and serves as the primary developmental league for the NHL. The IHL, which ceased operations in June 2001 was often considered as the second league at this level..
At the next level are now: the ECHL, the Central Hockey League (CHL) and the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). Joining the above group is the All American Hockey League (2008).
The American Hockey League (AHL)
 |
American Hockey League Information American Hockey League Awards American Hockey League by Season American Hockey League Champions - Calder Cup |
ECHL (Formerly East Coast Hockey League)
 |
ECHL Information ECHL Awards ECHL by Season ECHL Champions - Kelly Cup |
The ECHL (previously the East Coast Hockey League) has positioned itself as one of the premier AA leagues with most of its teams having affiliations with either NHL or AAA leagues.
The Southern Professional Hockey League - SPHL
 |
Southern Professional Hockey League Southern Professional League Awards Southern Professional Hockey League by Season Playoff Champions - President's Cup |
A new league formed for the 2004-05 season.
The Premier Hockey Federation - PHF
 |
Premier Hockey Federation Premier Hockey Federation Awards Premier Hockey Federation League by Season Playoff Champions - Isobel Cup |
The National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) 
was a women's professional ice hockey league located in the United States and Canada. The league was established in 2015. In September 2021, the league officially rebranded itself as the Premier Hockey Federation.
Previous Professional Minor Hockey Leagues
Like teams, leagues come and go. Below we have summarized many of these professional leagues that have disbanded, merged or have changed names over the years. If we had pages representing the league when it ceased operations we will normally leave the last group of teams as a post for reference.
The Central Hockey League (CHL)
 |
Central Hockey League Information
|
The Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL), merged with the CHL for the 2001-02 season, and the IHL (2007) merged for the 2010 season. After two teams suspended operations during the 2014 offseason, the remaining seven were accepted as members of the ECHL in October 2014, resulting in the demise of the CHL after 22 seasons.
International Hockey League (2007)
 |
International Hockey League History
|
The International Hockey League (2007) was a different organization from the International Hockey League (IHL) that existed between 1945 and 2001. The United Hockey League was renamed to the International Hockey League for the 2007 season. June 2010 - (from IHL website) In a joint announcement that marks a historic day for minor professional hockey, two of pro hockey’s most storied leagues, the Central Hockey League (CHL) and International Hockey League (IHL), have entered into a letter of intent to form a “AA” level super league beginning in the 2010-11 season.
United Hockey League (1997-2007)
|
United l Hockey League Seasons |
The Colonial Hockey League (1991-1997). changed its name in 1997 to the United Hockey League. The United Hockey League was renamed to the International Hockey League for the 2007 season.
Colonial Hockey League (1991-1997)
|
Colonial Hockey League Seasons |
Started in 1991, the Colonial Hockey League (1991-1997)l plan was to place teams in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada. While a few franchises were placed in Canada, the core of the league eventually developed in Michigan, comprising markets abandoned by the IHL during the 1980's.
The All American Hockey League (AAHL)
 |
All American Hockey League History |
The All American Hockey Association was formed on September 25th 2008 when two other leagues, the Midwest Hockey League and the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League, could not field teams for the 2008-09 season.
Western Womens Hockey League (2004)
 |
The Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) was a women's hockey league in Canada. The WWHL champion played the Canadian Women's Hockey League champion for the Clarkson Cup at the end of the season. The league was established in 2004, consisting of teams in Canada (some former National Women's Hockey League teams) and one from the United States. The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) announced on April 19, 2011, that it would merge with the Western Women's Hockey League for the 2011–12 season. The merger featured one team based in both Edmonton and Calgary as a combination of the former WWHL franchises. The WWHL denied that there was in fact a merger and that the WWHL would continue for the 2011–12 season with two new teams joining the league. Strathmore and Edmonton were welcome to depart the WWHL but the league would not disband as initially reported by the CWHL The WWHL effectively ceased operations, with only two members (the Whitecaps and Manitoba Maple Leafs) playing a series of exhibition games against various teams. |
Western Professional Hockey League (1996-2001)
 |
The Western Professional Hockey League ( WPHL) was a mid-level professional ice hockey league. The WPHL was founded in 1996 with six teams, merging in May 2001 with the Central Hockey League (CHL). Senior executives from both the Central (CHL) and Western Professional (WPHL) Hockey Leagues ratified a joint operating agreement where the two entities united under the Central Hockey League name. |
West Coast Hockey League (1995-2003)
|
The West Coast Hockey League was a professional minor ice hockey league active in the western United States from 1995 to 2003. The number of teams ranged from six to nine. The teams were located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Washington. The league was formed in part by a conversion of the Pacific Southwest Hockey League from semi-professional to professional status. The surviving remnants of the West Coast Hockey League currently form part of the ECHL. |
International Hockey League (1945-2001)
 |
The International Hockey League (IHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada from 1945 to 2001. The IHL served as the National Hockey League's alternate farm system to the American Hockey League (AHL). After 56 years of operation, financial instability led to the league's demise. Six surviving teams merged into the AHL in 2001. |
Atlantic Coast Hockey League (2002-2003)
|
The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) would last only one season. The league split into two new leagues, the South East Hockey League and World Hockey Association 2. The franchhises would later rejoin each other for the 2004-05 season in a league that eventually became known as the Southern Professional Hockey League. The Orlando Seals won the ACHL's only regular season and playoff championships. |
South East Hockey League (2003-2004)
|
The South East Hockey League was formed in August 2003. It succeeded the short-lived Atlantic Coast Hockey League and had 4 teams for its first and only season. For the 2004-2005 season, the SEHL suspended play when two of its teams folded while the other two joined with teams from the World Hockey Association 2 to form the Southern Professional Hockey League. |
World Hockey Association 2 (2003-2004)
 |
The World Hockey Association 2 was an ice hockey league created at the instigation of the organizers of the proposed recreated World Hockey Association to serve as its development league. The WHA2 teams, some of which had played the 2002-03 season in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League were all in the southeastern United States. The WHA2 operated in the 2003-2004 season only, after which (due to a falling out with the parent organization) it was served a cease-and-desist from the WHA and ceased operations. David Waronker was credited with both the founding and collapse of the league. In addition he owned or co-owned all of the teams in the league. Its surviving teams merged with survivors of the South East Hockey League to form the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2004-2005 season. The Jacksonville Barracudas won the WHA2's first and only President's Cup. Jacksonville also hosted the first and only WHA2 All-Star Game. |
National Womens Hockey League (1998-2007)
 |
The National Women's Hockey League was a women's ice hockey league, established in 1998, as the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League. It later revised the name as it expanded into Quebec. After the 2006-07 season, the league ceased operations. |
Canadian Womens Hockey League
 |
The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) ice hockey league was founded in 2007. The league currently had seven teams: two in Ontario, one in Quebec, one in Alberta, one in Boston, Massachusetts and two in Shenzhen, China. The league folded in 2019. |
Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (2007-2008)
|
The Mid-Atlantic Hockey League (MAHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league in the United States. The league began play in November 2007 , suspending operations on February 12, 2008, declaring the Indiana Ice Miners league champions. In August 2008, the league folded with some of the teams moving to the All American Association. The Midwest Hockey League (MWHL) was a proposed minor pro hockey league that was scheduled to begin play in the 2009-2010 season. On August 10, 2009, the MWHL announced a merger with the All American Hockey League, operating under the AAHL name. |
