# CHL to expand (max) 2 teams for 14-15



## LadyStanley

http://centralhockeyleague.com/news/?article_id=10227

Sounds like they're ramping up the hype and PR.


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## No Fun Shogun

Max of two? Wording makes me think they've definitely got one lined up and are maybe on a second.


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## jayme2017

Would not shock me to see Cornwall/Ont in the league with in the next couple years.


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## CrazyEddie20

As I said in another thread:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=75565101&postcount=119


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## CHRDANHUTCH

CrazyEddie20 said:


> As I said in another thread:




St. Charles is also being operated by Missouri's ownership, fwiu, as is Wichita and Tulsa.


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## ForsbergForever

I guess these will replace Rapid City and Allen once they pry themselves loose from this declining league.


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## uncleben

I know these cities will want to get into a bigger league, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see the new Houston arena being put to use here, or now that St. John's lost their AHL team, they might jump down a couple rungs on the ladder.


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## lennysundahl

uncleben85 said:


> I know these cities will want to get into a bigger league, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see the new Houston arena being put to use here, or now that St. John's lost their AHL team, they might jump down a couple rungs on the ladder.



St. John's in the CHL makes exponentially less sense than Brampton in the CHL. But then this is the CHL, so who knows


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## ripham23232

I'm on the road now so I can't provide the proof, but the CHL has an advertisement touting expansion possibilities in the latest issue of the SportsBusiness Journal. Turns out a header on the website too. It seems to me like a viable professional league would not need to "advertise" expansion opportunities.


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## spitshockey81

I read somewhere the CHL wants to go to Louisville KY, though nobody in Louisville has yet been approached. I'll see if I can find it and link it


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## JungleJON

spitshockey81 said:


> I read somewhere the CHL wants to go to Louisville KY, though nobody in Louisville has yet been approached. I'll see if I can find it and link it




Here it is:
http://www.courier-journal.com/arti...ockey-League-eyes-Louisville-expansion-market


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## mfrerkes

ripham23232 said:


> I'm on the road now so I can't provide the proof, but the CHL has an advertisement touting expansion possibilities in the latest issue of the SportsBusiness Journal. Turns out a header on the website too. It seems to me like a viable professional league would not need to "advertise" expansion opportunities.




This isn't an expansion opportunity as much as it's a fallback position. Does anyone really think every team that is currently playing in the CHL will be back again in 2014-15? There's likely to be one or two teams that throw in the towel this summer.

Casper is a 95% likelihood for this fall, but if two teams bolt then the CHL is back to single-digit membership. Louisville is their insurance policy. If two teams from this season fold, expect Treliving & Company to hastily rush a Louisville product to the ice, just like Saint Charles was last summer.

This league is becoming so predictable, it isn't even entertaining during Silly Season.


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## intangible

mfrerkes said:


> This isn't an expansion opportunity as much as it's a fallback position. Does anyone really think every team that is currently playing in the CHL will be back again in 2014-15?




Exactly what I was thinking. If they don't "expand" they might very well not have a league at all next season. Just expanding to ensure they have a base number of teams should any fold or leave.


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## spitshockey81

> Here it is:




That's it! Thank you SenorChifles


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## Gearhead82

I'm kind of surprised this league is still going.


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## JungleJON

Well here it is almost March and no announcement of a new team or teams joining the CHL for next year.
I would think they would want a jump on marketing/advertising/selling season tickets etc. plus building up their front office staff.
So if and when they are announced - will they have enough time? (I know this is the CHL we are talking about)

It just feels like the Silly Season should have broke loose by now.


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## mfrerkes

SenorChifles said:


> So if and when they are announced - will they have enough time? (I know this is the CHL we are talking about)




The CHL isn't really concerned with doing things right...or staging a coherent plan to stabilize the league. Instead, they're just playing Whack-A-Mole every summer by hastily substituting franchises that have folded with new ones that will themselves fold in a couple years.

February is way too early for expecting the CHL to announce which revolving door will be spinning in July.


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## cup4blues

This league just needs to hurry up and die.


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## Gearhead82

cup4blues said:


> This league just needs to hurry up and die.




Agree 100%. I have a strong feeling St. Charles will be gone after the season. Any other guesses who will fold or move.?


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## Off da post and in

Gearhead82 said:


> Agree 100%. I have a strong feeling St. Charles will be gone after the season. Any other guesses who will fold or move.?




I respectfully disagree with your opinion on St. Charles' fortunes. 
Looking at the CHL's standings one can notice the positive impact of the Chill. As of this date 8 of 10 members are above the .500 pct benchmark, and 7 of those squads are safely above that standard. That is great for the marketing and ticket sales of the majority of the CHL franchises. If anything the league should secure the existence of the Chill until they either fold as a league, or merge with the ECHL.


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## Gearhead82

I'm just going by the putrid attendance numbers. Unless, that has improved since I was at a game


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## offkilter

Off da post and in said:


> I respectfully disagree with your opinion on St. Charles' fortunes.
> Looking at the CHL's standings one can notice the positive impact of the Chill. As of this date 8 of 10 members are above the .500 pct benchmark, and 7 of those squads are safely above that standard. That is great for the marketing and ticket sales of the majority of the CHL franchises. If anything the league should secure the existence of the Chill until they either fold as a league, or merge with the ECHL.




So let me see if I got this straight, you are justifying keeping around a horrible team that's owned by another team for the sole purpose of it being a doormat to make the other teams look good? A Washington Generals analog if you will?


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## mfrerkes

Gearhead82 said:


> Agree 100%. I have a strong feeling St. Charles will be gone after the season. Any other guesses who will fold or move.?




I'm not so sure Saint Charles will fold. Missouri seems to be committed to this big mistake right now. Denver is probably the most endangered, followed by Brampton. If there are any big changes during the off-season, look for those two teams to be involved.

One "sleeper" in the CHL's Great Fold/Relocate Lottery is Tulsa. Their attendance numbers have been padded greatly this season, and the franchise was already on the verge of being folded last season before Wichita stepped in to buy it.


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## Gearhead82

I'm glad I didn't buy a Cutthroats jersey when I had the chance. What do you think the chances Tulsa goes to the SPHL like the MS Riverkings did?


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## mk80

Now that I'm between jobs I have been attending a few Chill games with my girlfriend. While attendance is still way below average my girlfriend and I both estimated around 1500 or so for the games we went to, possibly 2000 for Brett Hull night. However I can say that the Chill have definitely improved their game atmosphere since the beginning of the season, while the crowds are still fairly quiet the atmosphere is better. I selfishly hope they stick around as it makes for a fun date night that doesn't break the bank. I just wish they have a better record next year as winning a few games now and then doesn't hurt attendance. Unfortunately I do know they won't be around too long.


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## Gearhead82

Wow, Only 2k for Brett Hull night thought that would bring more people. I know they're called the Chill but, Do they have to have so cold in the arena? About froze to death the game I was at.


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## Off da post and in

Gearhead82 said:


> What do you think the chances Tulsa goes to the SPHL like the MS Riverkings did?




ZERO chance of that happening. Tulsa is a 'Geographically Undesirable Location' for the SPHL. The travel time, distance, and costs don't fit the economical model of the SPHL. 

Tulsa will either relocate or stay put as a bridge to the west when the CHL survivors and ECHL merge.



offkilter said:


> So let me see if I got this straight, you are justifying keeping around a horrible team that's owned by another team for the sole purpose of it being a doormat to make the other teams look good? A Washington Generals analog if you will?




In a tongue-in-cheek sort of way, yes.


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## mfrerkes

Gearhead82 said:


> I'm glad I didn't buy a Cutthroats jersey when I had the chance. What do you think the chances Tulsa goes to the SPHL like the MS Riverkings did?




When the rumors were swirling around Tulsa (before Wichita bought them up) I often heard the NAHL being mentioned as their most likely move. There are a good number of NAHL teams in the region, but I'm not sure it will happen now that the Thunder have control. I don't see an SPHL move for the Oilers either.

The biggest CHL-to-SPHL rumors are linked to Quad City and Saint Charles. With the SPHL moving into Bloomington and Peoria, it's not out of the question. However, I don't believe the transition would happen unless the entire CHL itself folded this summer. That doesn't seem likely right now.


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## Sports Enthusiast

I don't get why people want this league to fold up shop. I get its a mess of sorts as far as how its run but in some ways I like this league and the old UHL more than the ECHL. These guys are playing for the love of the game and some stay committed to cities like in the old UHL. These ECHL kids a lot of them act like the entitled spoiled brat 20 somethings they are


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## mfrerkes

SFTC Addict said:


> I don't get why people want this league to fold up shop. I get its a mess of sorts as far as how its run but in some ways I like this league and the old UHL more than the ECHL.




There aren't very many posting here who explicitly want the league to fold. Maybe one poster here espouses that view, but the rest of us are just looking at the numbers game and being realistic about its future.

Forty percent of the league is owned by two groups right now. That's a business model the IHL 2.0 was able to keep working for about three years. Forty percent of the league can't get 2500 people to buy tickets to a typical game. Look at how many teams in AA hockey with that kind of attendance stick around for any meaningful length of time. Those numbers tell a story, and it isn't a pretty one.

This thread isn't about cheering the imminent death of a league. It's about discussing the ill-advised and desperate measures CHL officials have taken -- and continue taking -- to keep the plug from being pulled.


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## PCSPounder

Sometimes a league that just barely hangs on like this ruins the business for more deserving teams and leagues trying to find a home. The CHL hanging on longer maybe kills Rapid City before it can escape to the ECHL. Someone pulls funny business in (pulling city out of hat) Tulsa and- perhaps- the arena operators never want to deal with hockey again.

I'm not sure the CHL "rises" to that level... but that contract keeping teams stuck there could be an issue not too far down the road.


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## mfrerkes

PCSPounder said:


> Sometimes a league that just barely hangs on like this ruins the business for more deserving teams and leagues trying to find a home. The CHL hanging on longer maybe kills Rapid City before it can escape to the ECHL.




Excellent point, and it's one I've been making since the CHL put the hammer down on Allen and Rapid City last summer. The league would rather keep those two teams legally chained to its sinking ship than give their respective fans a better chance in a more stable league. It's disgusting. But, the CHL views it all purely as a business transaction. Fans be damned.

That's my biggest problem with the CHL right now. Instead of honestly addressing their deficient business model, they're taking hostages in a desperate ploy to remain afloat another season. I don't wish ill on the CHL. I just think they should allow teams with a promising future to follow whatever path those franchises desire.


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## mfrerkes

Casper looks like a no-go for this fall...

http://trib.com/news/local/casper/h...cle_12ade990-16d1-540e-b9e1-2ec80334e35c.html


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## paul-laus

Whatever happened to the CHL touting a maximum expansion of two teams? I guess that they should have clarified that it also meant a _*minimum *_of 0 teams joining. Couple that with the loss of St.Charles and they are below the 10 team threshold again and I'm wondering if they won't get into a tug-of-war with the ECHL to try to snag the Peoria market from the SPHL and attempt to get back to the 10 team mark.


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