2023 is going to be a year like few others before it as far as Tier II expansion is concerned. The NCDC is adding six new expansion teams in Colorado and Utah, and the NAHL is adding one confirmed team in Rochester New York.
Information is now coming out that the NAHL is looking to add another team in Watertown South Dakota.
The new Wartertown Prairie Lakes Ice arena is slated to open in September of 2023 after starting construction just a few months ago.
A new 1500 seat arena, located within the two sheet building is likely to be the next NAHL expansion location. Multiple sources have confirmed that talks have been ongoing with the NAHL, and that the NAHL is actively searching for a franchise ownership group in Watertown.
2023 will already see seven new Tier II teams. That is one hundred and seventy five new Tier II roster spots to be filled by junior players. The addition of Watertown could bring that number up to two hundred.
This kind of expansion and player opportunity comes around once a decade or less. It is a tremendous time to be a student athlete pursuing a NCAA path.
TJHN will update this story as more information becomes available.
