USHL 2000-2001 Overview - Change in Store for the USHL
For the second consecutive season, changes are in store for the USHL. For a look at how this will affect on-ice and off-ice activities, this article, as well as the division previews, will tell you what you need to know about the league.
For the second consecutive season, the buzzword in the United States Hockey League is "change."
Last season, the league added a successful expansion team in Sioux Falls in addition to watching the former North Iowa franchise relocate to Cedar Rapids, where attendance increased nearly tenfold.
This season, the USHL hopes to continue that success with a pair of franchise relocations. The Twin Cities Vulcans, who have struggled at the box office throughout the team's history, have relocated to Kearney, Neb., where they will be known as the Tri-City Storm. The Fargo-Moorhead area lost its second franchise in the past five years, as the Ice Sharks headed east to Bensenville, Ill., where they will assume the name Chicago Steel.
Meanwhile, the Thunder Bay Flyers have suspended operations for one season and will move to a new arena in Aurora, Ill. for the 2001-02 season.
What do all of the changes mean for the league? Off the ice, the USHL should post the highest average attendance in league history. On the ice, things should be just as competitive as ever.
The following list breaks down the USHL teams into five categories: championship material, solid playoff team, on the playoff bubble, playoff longshot, and in for a long season.
Championship material: Lincoln, Sioux Falls
Solid playoff teams: Green Bay, Sioux City, Des Moines, Tri-City
On the playoff bubble: Waterloo, Omaha, Cedar Rapids
In for a long season: Rochester
Once the playoffs arrive, what should fans look for? Well, September is a little early to make playoff predictions, but if all goes as planned, the Lincoln Stars should take home the second Clark Cup in the franchise's five-year history. There are several other teams that should not be counted out, however, including Sioux Falls, who boasts an offense as potent as any in USHL history, and defending champion Green Bay, who returns key players at every position. Sioux City, Des Moines, and Tri-City could make things interesting, as all three teams possess the talent to be contenders.
The following two articles preview the USHL's two divisions, the West and the East. Once again, the balance of power appears to be in the West Division, but there are no pushovers in either division this season.
By Trevor Grimm
Published 9-1-2000