Midwest teams reunite in USPHL Premier

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The 2017-18 United States Premier Hockey League season will feature a bit of a reunion for teams in the Midwest.

With the start of the NCDC League, which brings free hockey to the USPHL with most of last season’s Premier Division teams involved, the Elite Division teams have graduated to the Premier Division for the upcoming season.

Last season, eight teams from the Midwest moved up to the Elite ranks while the other seven remained in the USP3HL grouping. This season, all the Midwest teams are back together playing in Midwest East and West Divisions. The only cross over in scheduling though will occur during Showcase tournaments or perhaps in the post season.

Geography dictates a few moves as both the Detroit Fighting Irish and Chicago Cougars move to the East Division while the Ironwood Yoopers move to the West. A couple of moves will see the former Hudson Crusaders/St. Croix Valley Magicians/River Falls Renegades moving back to Hudson as the Hudson Havoc while the former Edina/Forest Lake Lakers are going through a name change to the Minnesota Mullets. It appears Isanti Minnesota, always a popular spot with the former Minnesota Owls, returning as the Isanti Wranglers and Spooner, WI, once a home to a team in the Superior International Junior Hockey League, a Canadian junior loop, will enter as the Wisconsin Muskies with Dennis Canfield, former Head Coach in Edina and Forest Lake, taking the ownership reins.

There could be more changes in the works before the summer is out with rumors of a different Minnesota team in the wind as well.

As of today (June 2, 2017), the West Division will be an eight-team group again with four Wisconsin entries – the Dells Ducks, Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, Hudson Havoc and Wisconsin Muskies, three from Minnesota – the Steele County Blades, Minnesota Mullets and Isanti Wranglers along with the Ironwood Yoopers from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

The East Division is scheduled to have seven teams once again as well with five Michigan entries – the Traverse City North Stars, Tri-City IceHawks, Detroit Fighting Irish, Motor City Hawks and Kalkaska Rhinos along with the Chicago Cougars and Decatur Blaze from Illinois.

Regular season is tentatively scheduled to start Sept. 8 for the Midwest group and final games are scheduled for Feb. 19, 2018.