The Central Hockey Leagues Denver Cut Throats officially folded yesterday although team staff were notified on Tuesday. Players are scrambling to find new homes on CHL and SPHL teams.
The Arizona Sundogs are also rumored to be folding this season or next.
With ECHL merger rumors heating up this summer, and those rumors being pretty specific that not all CHL teams would be invited to merge with the CHL, there is no sense in prolonging the financial losses.
If Arizona does indeed fall this season or next, the Colorado and Arizona would be new NAHL expansion targets. The NAHL could certainly fill the entertainment void left, and attendance numbers would support NAHL franchises in those cities.
Geographically this would make sense for the NAHL as well in providing travel partners for Wenatchee and the Alaska teams.
A rumored Tier II start up for 2015 may also eye these markets. The startup has been talked about behind closed doors all summer, and if under AAU could lend to further legitimize AAU’s growth in North America.
How this impacts junior hockey is yet to be seen, but the impact on minor pro hockey opportunities is immediate.
TJHN will update this story as more information becomes available.
