Well hopefully this could be a northeastern A league that is finally handled the right way. The SPHL is a good model to look at for A level pro hockey.
If someone took thier model and was able to apply it to the northeast, we may finally see some A level hockey worth paying attention too. One thing the SPHL is good at doing is moving into markets that have failed in the AA market many former ECHL and CHL markets (Louisiana, both Mississippi teams, Pensacola, Columbus, Augusta) didn't pan out in AA but have seemed to work well in A level hockey.
Many such markets exsist in the Northeast: Dayton is a good example, they seem to be doing well in the FHL. Unfortunately the problem is not with the team itself, but rather the league is the problem.
Sorry, I can't agree with you. The SPHL model works primarily because of its geographic location. Because of it's location, there is little hockey entertainment to compete with. However, in the northeast, they are blessed with hockey entertainment: NHL, AHL, NCAA D1/D3, and Juniors.
Not too mention the facilities required for the SPHL model are already being used by pro and NCAA D1/D3 teams. Of course only Huntsville has to compete with a D1 team in their facility, but that D1 team has been struggling for years to put together a competitive D1 program (I believe they just lost to a D3 team from Michigan). However, if Huntsville gets accepted into a conference, that could change and fans might start going to watch some future NHL players.
"A" level hockey in Northeast will not work. The past leagues mentioned above are prime examples.
One facility in the northeast, Lewiston, was a great location for minor pro, but the operators wanted nothing to do with single 'A' hockey and instead are seeking a junior team.