PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — A new hockey team is coming to Pueblo!
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced that the Chippewa Steel will be relocating to the Steel City, playing games at the Pueblo Ice Arena, which is located near on North Grand Avenue.
The NAHL is forming a new mountain division that will feature five teams from Colorado, Montana, Utah and Idaho that have been moved up from the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC).
Other teams in the new division include the following:
- Grand Junction Riverhawks
- Billings Cattle Punchers
- Idaho Falls Spud Kings
- Ogden Mustangs
The newly created Mountain Division is one of five divisions across the league, and the recently added teams will join a roster of 33 other teams across the nation.
The Chippewa Steel will be replacing the Pubelo Bulls, who competed as part of the NCDC.
Multiple tiers ahead of the NCDC, the NAHL is a Tier II junior hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consistently ranks as the second strongest junior league in the United States.
News5's Dante Williams spoke with Chippewa Steel General Manager Vinny Bohn, and he says he and the Pueblo Bulls Head Coach Chris Wilhite were in direct communication about relocating to Pueblo.
“Kind of happened organically between Chris and I," said Bohn. "I picked up the phone and instead of tracking hockey, it turned into a business call, which I think was the first time in our friendship. It was like 'hey, if this is a possibility, what do you guys think?'"
Bohn says the Steel and the Bulls organizations will now operate under one umbrella. He says both coaching staffs will be kept, and they'll all work together to produce the best product and help players move on to the next level.
“We're in this together. Our goal is, I think everybody's goal, when it comes to the rink, is to win a championship and bring it to the City of Pueblo,” said Bohn.
As for the players, everyone will have a chance to make the team. The Steel will host tryouts in Michigan from June 25 through the 28.
“From there, we will bring the best players to Pueblo, and once the preseason and the season starts going, that's when we will make the determination of who makes the final cut,” said Bohn.
The team is set to arrive in Pueblo in late August to start practicing. The season will begin in September.
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