SPHL

The SPHL's history traces back to three other short-lived leagues. The Atlantic Coast Hockey League started play in the 2002–03 season. After its only season, the ACHL dissolved with member teams forming the nucleus for two rival leagues, the South East Hockey League and the World Hockey Association 2. After one season, the SEHL and WHA2 disbanded, with their surviving teams rejoining with two expansion teams to form the SPHL, commencing with the 2004–05 season.

In 2009, the SPHL saw a large expansion with three new franchises, in Biloxi, Mississippi,{{cite web |last=Giardina |first=A.J. |title=Local investors may bring another hockey team to the coast |publisher=WLOX-TV |date=April 9, 2009 |url=http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=10161681 |access-date=April 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412132203/http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=10161681 |archive-date=2009-04-12 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|last=Press release |title=Biloxi to join SPHL |publisher=SPHL.com |date=April 30, 2009 |url=http://www.thesphl.com/fanzone/news/index.html?article_id=1163 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802201238/http://www.thesphl.com/fanzone/news/index.html?article_id=1163 |archive-date=August 2, 2009 }}{{cite web |title=Coast Hockey announces new team name |work=The Sun Herald |date=June 17, 2009 |url=http://www.sunherald.com/newsupdates/story/1419476.html |access-date=June 17, 2009}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Lafayette, Louisiana{{cite web|last=Foote |first=Kevin |title=IceGators to skate again; join the discussion |work=Lafayette Daily Advertiser |date=May 15, 2009 |url=http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326 |access-date=May 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519181330/http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326 |archive-date=May 19, 2009 }} and Pensacola, Florida.{{cite web |last=Blakeney |first=Jason |title=Hockey's Back! |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=April 30, 2009 |url=http://pnj.com/article/20090430/NEWS01/904300321 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503090421/http://www.pnj.com/article/20090430/NEWS01/904300321 |archive-date=May 3, 2009 }}{{cite web |last=Blakeney |first=Jason |title=Commentary: New team, new name, new opportunity |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=May 9, 2009 |url=http://www.pnj.com/article/20090509/SPORTS/905090325/Commentary++New+team++new+name++new+opportunity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514050557/http://www.pnj.com/article/20090509/SPORTS/905090325/Commentary++New+team++new+name++new+opportunity |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 14, 2009 |access-date=May 10, 2009 }} In 2010, the league added an expansion team in Augusta, Georgia, another former long time ECHL market.{{cite web| title = Hockey Returning To Augusta, GA In 2010 | publisher = TheSPHL.com | date = February 3, 2010 | url = http://thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_10131 | access-date = February 3, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100206205445/http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_10131| archive-date= 6 February 2010 | url-status= live}} For the 2011–12 season, the league added two-time Central Hockey League champions, the Mississippi RiverKings.{{cite press release |title=Mississippi RiverKings Join SPHL For 2011–2012 Season |website=Oursports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |date=June 13, 2011 |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4223794 |access-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009193038/http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4223794 |archive-date=9 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|last=Van Tuyl|first=Chris|title=Mississippi RiverKings announce change to Southern Professional Hockey League|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/13/mississippi-riverkings-announce-change-southern-pr/?partner=RSS&cid=dlvr.it|access-date=13 June 2011|newspaper=The Commercial Appeal|date=13 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017213232/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/jun/13/mississippi-riverkings-announce-change-southern-pr/?partner=RSS&cid=dlvr.it|archive-date=17 October 2012|url-status=dead}} For the 2013–14 season, the league lost the Augusta RiverHawks but also expanded northward with two franchises in Illinois: the Bloomington Thunder, a team also moving from the CHL, where they were known as the Bloomington Blaze, and the Peoria Rivermen, who were replacing an American Hockey League team of the same name in their market.{{cite news |last=Pope |first=Thomas |title=Two Illinois teams join SPHL; Augusta out next season |url=http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/05/15/1257129?sac=fo.sports |access-date=May 19, 2013 |newspaper=The Fayetteville Observer |date=May 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728012600/http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/05/15/1257129?sac=fo.sports |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |url-status=live }} In 2015, the Augusta franchise returned and relocated to Macon, Georgia as the Macon Mayhem.

In November 2014, Shannon Szabados became the first female goaltender to win an SPHL game, when the Columbus Cottonmouths defeated the Fayetteville FireAntz 5–4 in overtime.{{cite web|url=http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=740449|title=Shannon Szabados becomes first female goalie to win in Southern Professional Hockey League|work=NHL.com|access-date=23 November 2014}} In that same game Erin Blair and Katie Guay became the first female officials to referee an SPHL game.

At the end of the 2015–16 season, the Louisiana IceGators announced a one-year leave of absence for renovations to their arena but never returned. The IceGators' franchise was sold and reactivated as the Quad City Storm in 2018. Then in 2016, the dormant Mississippi Surge franchise was relocated to Southwest Virginia to become the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. One of the inaugural SPHL teams, the Columbus Cottonmouths, suspended operations in 2017 after failing to find a buyer while an expansion team called the Birmingham Bulls were accepted into the league as the tenth team. Following the 2017–18 season, the Mississippi RiverKings suspended operations while the league searched for new owners.{{cite news |first=Mark |last=Giannotto |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/2018/05/24/mississippi-riverkings-suspend-operations-southern-professional-hockey-league-sphl/641844002/ |title=Mississippi Riverkings suspend operations for 2018-19 season, will seek new ownership |date=May 24, 2018 |newspaper=The Commercial Appeal}} With the acceptance of the Quad City Storm, the league was able to remain at ten teams for the 2018–19 season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019–20 season was curtailed and no champion was named. The following season, the league announced it would only play with five of the ten member teams due to pandemic-related capacity restrictions barring fans from attending games.{{Cite web |url=https://www.thesphl.com/sphl-announces-changes-for-2020-2021-season |title=SPHL announces changes for 2020-2021 season |website=SPHL |date=October 6, 2020}} During the season, the league approved of the Vermilion County Bobcats as a 2021–22 expansion team based in Danville, Illinois.{{Cite press release |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/sphl-expanding-to-danville-il-for-2021-2022-season/n-5673131 |title=SPHL Expanding to Danville, IL for 2021-2022 Season |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |date=March 10, 2021}} The Bobcats folded after only a year and a half.

In 2023, the league rebranded to the orphaned initialism "SPHL" to reflect the fact that the league's footprint had expanded beyond the southern United States.{{Cite press release |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/sphl-announces-rebrand-20th-anniversary-logo/n-5996617 |title=SPHL Announces Rebrand, 20th-Anniversary Logo |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |date=August 1, 2023}}

{{Location map+|USA|width=500|float=left

|alt=SPHL map

|caption=Teams currently in the SPHL

|places=

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 33.329 |long= -86.789 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = left |label=Bulls}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 37.972189 |long= -87.567844 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = left |label=Thunderbolts}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 35.015124 |long= -78.891714 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = right |label=Marksmen}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 34.72699 |long= -86.590887 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = left |label=Havoc}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 35.965316 |long= -83.911653 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = left |label=Ice Bears}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 32.841944 |long= -83.619722 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = right |label=Mayhem}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 30.416485 |long= -87.209372 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = right |label=Ice Flyers}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 40.691944 |long= -89.596389 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = left |label=Rivermen}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 41.507837 |long= -90.520437 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = top |label=Storm}}

{{Location map~|USA|lat= 37.280171 |long= -79.935669 |label_size=80 |mark = Blue pog.svg |position = right |label=Rail Yard Dawgs}}

}}

{{-}}

Notes

{{notelist}}

DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy

ImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:20

Period = from:01/01/2004 till:12/31/2023

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal

PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5

Colors =

id:former value:rgb(0.95,0.5,0.4)

id:hiatus value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.8)

id:line value:black

id:bg value:white

PlotData=

width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s

bar:1 color:former from:07/01/2004 till:05/01/2005 text:Asheville Aces (2004–2005)

bar:2 color:former from:07/01/2004 till:05/03/2017 text:Columbus Cottonmouths (2004–2017)

bar:3 color:red from:07/01/2004 till:05/01/2017 text:Fayetteville FireAntz (2004–2017)

bar:3 color:red from:06/01/2017 till:10/06/2020 shift:0 text:Fayetteville Marksmen (2017–present)

bar:3 color:hiatus from:10/06/2020 till:06/30/2021

bar:3 color:red from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:4 color:red from:07/01/2004 till:end text:Huntsville Havoc (2004–present)

bar:5 color:former from:07/01/2004 till:05/01/2008 text:Jacksonville Barracudas (2004–2008)

bar:6 color:red from:07/01/2004 till:end text:Knoxville Ice Bears (2004–present)

bar:7 color:former from:07/01/2004 till:05/01/2005 text:Macon Trax (2004–2005)

bar:8 color:former from:07/01/2004 till:05/01/2005 text:Winston-Salem Polar Twins (2004–2005)

bar:9 color:former from:07/01/2005 till:01/04/2007 text:Florida Seals (2005–2007)

bar:10 color:former from:07/01/2005 till:03/31/2007 shift:-40 text:Pee Dee Cyclones (2005–2007)

bar:10 color:former from:04/24/2007 till:03/31/2009 shift:(40) text:Twin City Cyclones (2007–2009)

bar:11 color:former from:07/01/2006 till:05/01/2009 text:Richmond Renegades (2006–2009)

bar:12 color:former from:07/01/2009 till:06/30/2016 text:Louisiana IceGators (2009–2016)

bar:12 color:red from:07/01/2018 till:10/06/2020 shift:0 text:Quad City Storm (2018–present)

bar:12 color:hiatus from:10/06/2020 till:06/30/2021

bar:12 color:red from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:13 color:former from:07/01/2009 till:05/02/2014 text:Mississippi Surge (2009–2014)

bar:13 color:red from:07/01/2016 till:10/06/2020 shift:0 text:Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (2016–present)

bar:13 color:hiatus from:10/06/2020 till:06/30/2021

bar:13 color:red from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:14 color:red from:07/01/2009 till:end text:Pensacola Ice Flyers (2009–present)

bar:15 color:former from:07/01/2010 till:05/14/2013 text:Augusta RiverHawks (2010–2013)

bar:15 color:red from:07/10/2015 till:end text:Macon Mayhem (2015–present)

bar:16 color:former from:07/01/2011 till:06/30/2018 text:Mississippi RiverKings (2011–2018)

bar:17 color:former from:07/01/2013 till:05/01/2014 text:Bloomington Thunder (2013–2014)

bar:18 color:red from:07/01/2013 till:10/06/2020 text:Peoria Rivermen (2013–present)

bar:18 color:hiatus from:10/06/2020 till:06/30/2021

bar:18 color:red from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:19 color:red from:07/01/2016 till:10/06/2020 shift:0 text:Evansville Thunderbolts (2016–present)

bar:19 color:hiatus from:10/06/2020 till:06/30/2021

bar:19 color:red from:07/01/2021 till:end

bar:20 color:red from:07/01/2017 till:end shift:0 text:Birmingham Bulls (2017–present)

bar:21 color:former from:07/01/2021 till:02/09/2023 shift:-100 text:Vermilion County Bobcats (2021–2023)

ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/2004

• Asheville Aces (2004–05)
• Augusta RiverHawks (2010–13) Moved to Macon, Georgia, as the Mayhem for the 2015–16 season.{{cite news|last=Lee |first=David |title=Augusta RiverHawks won't play next season |url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/sports/hockey/riverhawks/2013-05-14/augusta-riverhawks-wont-play-next-season?v=1368558504 |access-date=May 19, 2013 |newspaper=The Augusta Chronicle |date=May 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108083404/http://chronicle.augusta.com/sports/hockey/riverhawks/2013-05-14/augusta-riverhawks-wont-play-next-season?v=1368558504 |archive-date=January 8, 2016 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|title=SPHL Approves RiverHawks' Move To Macon, GA For 2015–2016 Season|url=http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_158472|publisher=The SPHL|access-date=25 June 2014|archive-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714113759/http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_158472|url-status=dead}}
• Bloomington Thunder (2013–14) Membership terminated to make way for a team in the United States Hockey League.
• Columbus Cottonmouths (2004–17) Inaugural member of the SPHL, suspended operations when ownership could no longer fund the team.{{cite news |url=http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/sports/other-sports/columbus-cottonmouths/article148268789.html |title=Cottonmouths to suspend operations for next season |newspaper=Columbus Ledger-Enquirer |date=May 3, 2017}}
• Florida Seals (2005–07) Membership terminated in the middle of the 2006–07 SPHL season.{{cite press release |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3412289 |title=Florida Seals cease operations |date=January 5, 2007 |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |access-date=16 March 2010}}
• Jacksonville Barracudas (2004–08) Suspended for the 2008–09 season and dissolved.{{cite web|url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jun/21/murray-liking-sphl-expansion/|title=Murray liking SPHL expansion|last=Gates|first=Nick|date=June 21, 2009|work=Knoxville News Sentinel|access-date=16 March 2010}}
• Louisiana IceGators (2009–16) Suspended operations for the 2016–17 season claiming the arena needed the year for renovations but later dissolved. In 2018, the franchise was sold and became the Quad City Storm.{{cite web |url=http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_503721 |title=SPHL adding Quad City for 2018-2019 season |work=SPHL |date=May 23, 2018 |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=July 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701003240/http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/news/news_503721 |url-status=dead }}
• Macon Trax (2004–05)
• Mississippi RiverKings (2011–18) Joined from the Central Hockey League in 2011, ownership suspended operations in 2018.
• Mississippi Surge (2009–14) Moved to Roanoke, Virginia, as the Rail Yard Dawgs for the 2016–17 season.{{cite press release |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4781279 |title=Surge Hockey Operations to Suspend Indefinitely |date=May 2, 2014 |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |access-date=4 May 2014}}
• Pee Dee Cyclones (2005–07) Moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
• Richmond Renegades (2006–09){{cite press release |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3815536 |title=Renegades Officially Done |date=May 2, 2014 |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |access-date=16 March 2010}}
• Twin City Cyclones (2007–09){{cite press release |url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3794436 |title=Cyclones To Cease Operations |date=March 24, 2009 |website=OurSports Central |publisher=Southern Professional Hockey League |access-date=16 March 2010}}
• Vermilion County Bobcats (2021-23) Ceased operations on February 9, 2023 after 88 games played.{{Cite tweet |author=Vermilion County Bobcats |user=VCBobcats |number=1623691267153530887 |date=February 9, 2023 |title=The Vermillion County Bobcats of the SPHL announced today that they have ceased operations, effective immediately. |language=en |access-date=February 9, 2023 |link=https://twitter.com/VCBobcats/status/1623691267153530887}}
• Winston-Salem Polar Twins (2004–05)

As per minor leagues, there are some rule differences between the SPHL and the NHL (and even the ECHL and the AHL, the two official developmental leagues regulated by the Professional Hockey Players' Association).

• A team may dress eighteen regular players to a game. Two players dressed for the game will be goaltenders.
• A mouthpiece is required for all players except the goaltender.
• No curvature of stick limitations as in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
• Shootouts are five players. After five different players have made an attempt, teams may reuse anyone including those who have previously attempted in later rounds, even using the same player in consecutive rounds if desired.

Awarded to the league playoff champion.

Originally known as the Commissioner's Cup, the regular season championship trophy was renamed in honor of league co-founder Bill Coffey during the 2007–08 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.thesphl.com/view/thesphl/history-of-the-sphl|title=History of the SPHL|publisher=SPHL.com|access-date=16 March 2010|archive-date=4 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104193545/http://thesphl.com/view/thesphl/history-of-the-sphl|url-status=dead}}

• List of developmental and minor sports leagues
• List of ice hockey leagues
• Minor league

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{Commons category-inline}}
• [http://www.thesphl.com Official website]

{{SPHL}}

{{NAProHockey}}

Category:Professional ice hockey leagues in the United States

Category:Minor league ice hockey

Category:Sports in the Southern United States

Category:Companies based in Charlotte, North Carolina

Category:2004 establishments in North Carolina

Category:Sports leagues established in 2004