EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
As many expected, the Evansville Icemen organization announced Thursday the team will be joining the ECHL.
Evansville will begin play in October when the Premier ‘AA' Hockey League celebrates its 25th season.
The press conference was held at the Ford Center and promised to change "the future direction and development of the pro hockey franchise".
The 2012-13 League membership is comprised of 23-teams, aligned in two conferences (Eastern & Western) and five divisions; (North, Atlantic & South in the Eastern Conference; Mountain & Pacific in the Western Conference).
The IceMen will become a member club of the Eastern Conference/North Division which will be comprised of the Cincinnati Cyclones, Kalamazoo Wings and Toledo Walleye.
Under a special two-year agreement, the Evansville IceMen, as an IHL entity, operated their franchise in the Central Hockey League in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 CHL seasons.
Team owner Ron Geary acknowledged the opportunity to be a part of the CHL, expressing the club's appreciation and gratitude to the league. "The Evansville IceMen organization would like to thank the Central Hockey League for the opportunity to be a part of their league for the past two years. As a pro hockey organization, it was not only a most enjoyable experience for us but also it has brought us to this day, today. We are most appreciative."
The ECHL was born in the 1988-89 season with five teams in four states, having since grown to become a coast-to-coast league with 23-teams in 16-states for the upcoming 2012-13 season.
Evolving into a primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL, the ECHL has sent over 490-players to the NHL including 23 in the 2011-12 season. The ECHL had a record 81-players on NHL opening day rosters this season, surpassing the 79 from 2010-11 and marking the ninth consecutive year that there have been over 50 former ECHL players on opening day rosters.
The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2011-12 while 29-coaches with an ECHL background are working behind the benches of teams in the NHL.
ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna welcomed the Evansville franchise to the League fold. "The ECHL is pleased to welcome the Evansville IceMen to the League. Under the leadership of Ron Geary, the team has developed a strong base of fans. This loyal following, combined with a terrific new arena in the Ford Center, make Evansville a strong addition to the ECHL as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary Season. The IceMen are a welcome addition to our Midwest footprint."
For the 2011-12 campaign, the ECHL averaged 4,281 fans per game. It was the eighth straight season and the 20th time in the last 22-years that the ECHL has averaged over 4,000 fans.
The Icemen will play 36 home games next season, up three from last season.
We'll have more on what this means for the team and the fans, on our newscasts tonight.
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