Multiple sources are now confirming that the United States Hockey League is on its way to Bloomington Illinois for the 2014-2015 season.
Those same sources are confirming that this will be the end of the Southern Professional Hockey Leagues Bloomington Thunder. Though Bloomington has been in last place in the SPHL standings, they are averaging nearly 2,400 per night in attendance. A complete USHL staff should be able to improve on those numbers in short order.
While rumors are swirling that the Indiana Ice will be folding next season, no one has been able to confirm those rumors. Though if the Ice stay as ownership has claimed they would, the USHL would be an 18 team league for the first time.
TJHN has learned that this is not a relocation of the Ice franchise, that it is a re-activation of the Thunder Bay franchise. Rumors had surfaced in February that a suburb of Chicago was the destination for this franchise, though none of those rumors could be confirmed to any reasonable extent.
Multiple sources are also reporting that the ownership group of this new Bloomington franchise will be lead by a well financed group with multiple junior hockey team franchises within their holdings group.
Sources stated that an official announcement is expected within the next two or three weeks.
TJHN will update this story as more information becomes available.
