Federal Prospects Hockey League facts for kids
Federal Prospects Hockey League
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Inaugural season | 2010–11 |
| Commissioner | Don Kirnan |
| Divisions | 2 |
| No. of teams | 15 (1 on hiatus) |
| Country | United States |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Binghamton Black Bears (2025) |
| Most titles | Watertown Wolves (3) |
| Official website | federalhockey.com |
The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey league in the United States. It has teams in the Midwest, South, and Northeast parts of the country. The FPHL started in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. Don Kirnan is the league's commissioner. The league changed its name to Federal Prospects Hockey League in 2019.
Contents
History of the FPHL
Early Years: 2010-2012
The FPHL began its first season in 2010. Teams had a limit on how many players they could have. Some players who had played in the National Hockey League (NHL) joined the FPHL, like Pierre Dagenais and Billy Tibbetts. Dagenais helped the Akwesasne Warriors win the first championship, called the Commissioner's Cup.
During these early years, some teams moved or stopped playing. For example, the Broome County Barons moved to Cape Cod, and the Rome Frenzy stopped playing during the season. New teams also joined, like the Danville Dashers and the New Jersey Outlaws. The New Jersey Outlaws won the league title in 2012.
Growth and Challenges: 2012-2015
In 2012, the league added the Dayton Demonz in Ohio. The defending champion New Jersey Outlaws moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, but that team later stopped playing. The league also tried to have a team in Syracuse, New York, called the New York Bluefins, but they mostly played games on the road.
A unique moment happened in 2013 when the New York Bluefins and Danville Dashers played a game with no penalties, which was a first for the league. The Danbury Whalers won the Commissioner's Cup in 2013, playing in front of a record crowd of over 3,000 fans.
The league had four teams in the 2013-14 season. The Dayton Demonz won the Commissioner's Cup that year. There was also a strange event where two players, who were friends, pretended to fight and then shared a beer on the ice. The league suspended one player for the rest of the season.
In 2014, the league tried to add new teams in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Some of these teams had financial problems and were replaced or moved. The Watertown Wolves joined the league and won the championship in 2015.
Changes and New Teams: 2015-2018
The league continued to grow and change. In 2015, the Port Huron Prowlers joined. The Danbury Whalers had to leave their arena, but a new team, the Danbury Titans, started in the same city. The Watertown Wolves took a season off for arena renovations but returned in 2016.
New teams like the St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints and the Cornwall Nationals (in Canada) joined in 2016. However, some teams, like the Dayton Demolition and Brewster Bulldogs, stopped playing.
The Carolina Thunderbirds joined in 2017. More teams faced challenges, with the Berlin River Drivers and Danbury Titans stopping operations. The St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints moved and became the North Shore Knights, but they also stopped playing during the season. The Cornwall Nationals also folded due to money problems.
Recent Seasons: 2018-Present
In 2018, the league added the Elmira Enforcers and Mentor Ice Breakers. The league officially changed its name to the Federal Prospects Hockey League. There was a controversial incident in 2019 when an owner had a problem with a referee, leading to officials leaving the league for a short time. The Carolina Thunderbirds won the championship that year.
The 2019-20 season saw four new teams: the Battle Creek Rumble Bees, Columbus River Dragons, Danbury Hat Tricks, and Delaware Thunder. The season was cut short in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020-21 season was also affected by the pandemic, with fewer teams playing. The league played a shorter season and awarded the Ignite Cup instead of the Commissioner's Cup. The Columbus River Dragons won the Ignite Cup.
For the 2021-22 season, many teams returned, and the Binghamton Black Bears joined. The Watertown Wolves won their third Commissioner's Cup in a very long overtime game. After this season, the Elmira Mammoth, Mississippi Sea Wolves, and Motor City Rockers joined or returned.
In the 2022-23 season, the league continued to expand. The Delaware Thunder faced uncertainty about their arena. The Danbury Hat Tricks won their first championship in a close series against the Carolina Thunderbirds.
The 2023-24 season saw the return of a team to Elmira, now called the Elmira River Sharks, owned by the league. New teams also joined in Wytheville, Virginia (Blue Ridge Bobcats) and Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Baton Rouge Zydeco). The Delaware Thunder took a break for the season. The Binghamton Black Bears won the Commissioner's Cup in 2024.
For the 2024-25 season, new teams like the Athens Rock Lobsters and Monroe Moccasins joined. The Elmira team moved to Newburgh, New York, and became the Hudson Valley Venom, but later moved to Poughkeepsie, New York. The league also announced future teams in Topeka, Kansas and Columbus, Indiana. The Binghamton Black Bears won the Commissioner's Cup again in 2025.
Teams
Current Teams
As of the 2025–26 season, the league has teams in Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Joined | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental Division | |||||
| Athens Rock Lobsters | Athens, Georgia | Akins Ford Arena | 5,500 | 2024 | Garrett Rutledge |
| Baton Rouge Zydeco | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Raising Cane's River Center Arena | 7,750 | 2023 | Sylvain Cloutier |
| Biloxi Breakers | Biloxi, Mississippi | Mississippi Coast Coliseum | 9,150 | 2022 | Charlie Pens Jr. |
| Carolina Thunderbirds | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Arena | 3,150 | 2016 | Steve Harrison |
| Columbus River Dragons | Columbus, Georgia | Columbus Civic Center | 7,459 | 2019 | Jerome Bechard |
| Pee Dee IceCats | Florence, South Carolina | Florence Center | 7,526 | 2025 | Gary Graham |
| Monroe Moccasins | Monroe, Louisiana | Monroe Civic Center | 5,600 | 2024 | Gary Gill |
| Empire Division | |||||
| Binghamton Black Bears | Binghamton, New York | Visions Veterans Memorial Arena | 4,750 | 2021 | Brant Sherwood |
| Blue Ridge Bobcats | Wytheville, Virginia | Hitachi Energy Arena | 3,700 | 2023 | Vojtech Zemlicka |
| Danbury Hat Tricks | Danbury, Connecticut | Danbury Ice Arena | 2,300 | 2019 | Nick Niedert |
| Indiana Sentinels | Columbus, Indiana | Hamilton Community Center & Ice Arena | 1,150 | 2025 | Kurt Walsten |
| Port Huron Prowlers | Port Huron, Michigan | McMorran Place | 3,400 | 2015 | Matt Graham |
| Topeka Scarecrows | Topeka, Kansas | Stormont Vail Events Center | 7,773 | 2025 | Robbie Nichols |
| Watertown Wolves | Watertown, New York | Watertown Municipal Arena | 1,523 | 2010 | Justin Coachman |
Dormant Teams
- Motor City Rockers - This team joined in 2022 but is currently looking for a new home arena in the Metro Detroit Area.
Team Changes Over the Years
The FPHL has seen many teams join, leave, or move since it started. Here's a quick look at how the teams have changed each season:
| Year | Teams | New Teams | Teams that Stopped Playing | Teams that Moved | Teams that Returned | Name Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | 6 | Akwesasne Warriors Broome County Barons Danbury Whalers New York Aviators Rome Frenzy Thousand Islands Privateers |
Rome Frenzy* | Broome County Barons → Cape Cod Barons* | ||
| 2011–12 | 8 | Danville Dashers New Jersey Outlaws Vermont Wild Delaware Federals† |
Niagara Falls Nationals‡ Vermont Wild* |
Cape Cod Barons → Cape Cod Bluefins New York Aviators → Brooklyn Aviators Green Mountain Rock Crushers‡ → Vermont Wild |
||
| 2012–13 | 6 | Dayton Demonz | Akwesasne Warriors Brooklyn Aviators Delaware Federals Pennsylvania Blues* |
New Jersey Outlaws → Williamsport Outlaws Thousand Islands Privateers → Watertown, New York (continued to use 1000 Islands name for this season) Cape Cod Bluefins → New York Bluefins† |
Dayton Devils‡ → Dayton Demonz Williamsport Outlaws → Pennsylvania Outlaws* Pennsylvania Outlaws → Pennsylvania Blues† |
|
| 2013–14 | 4 | New York Bluefins | Thousand Islands Privateers → Watertown Privateers | |||
| 2014–15 | 6 | Berkshire Battalion SWPA Magic |
Berlin River Drivers‡ | SWPA Magic → Steel City Warriors* Watertown Privateers → Watertown Wolves |
||
| 2015–16 | 6 | Berlin River Drivers Brewster Bulldogs Danbury Titans Port Huron Prowlers |
Dayton Demonz Stateline Whalers‡ Steel City Warriors Watertown Wolves |
Berkshire Battalion → Dayton Demolition Danbury Whalers → Stateline Whalers (Brewster, NY) |
||
| 2016–17 | 7 | Cornwall Nationals St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints |
Brewster Bulldogs Dayton Demolition |
Watertown Wolves | ||
| 2017–18 | 6 | Carolina Thunderbirds Northern Federals† |
Berlin River Drivers Cornwall Nationals* Danbury Titans |
St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints → North Shore Knights | ||
| 2018–19 | 6 | Elmira Enforcers Mentor Ice Breakers |
North Shore Knights Northern Federals |
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| 2019–20 | 10 | Battle Creek Rumble Bees Columbus River Dragons Danbury Hat Tricks Delaware Thunder |
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| 2020–21 | 4 | Bloomington Motor City Rockers |
Battle Creek Rumble Bees Bloomington‡ Danbury Hat Tricks# Danville Dashers# Delaware Thunder# Mentor Ice Breakers Motor City Rockers#‡ Watertown Wolves# |
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| 2021–22 | 7 | Binghamton Black Bears | Danville Dashers Elmira Enforcers Motor City Rockers‡# |
Danbury Hat Tricks Delaware Thunder Watertown Wolves |
||
| 2022–23 | 10 | Mississippi Sea Wolves Elmira Mammoth |
Motor City Rockers | |||
| 2023-24 | 11 | Baton Rouge Zydeco Blue Ridge Bobcats Elmira River Sharks |
Delaware Thunder Elmira Mammoth |
|||
| 2024–25 | 14 | Athens Rock Lobsters Monroe Moccasins |
Elmira River Sharks → Hudson Valley Venom | Danville Dashers | Hudson Valley Venom → HC Venom* | |
| 2025–26 | 15 | Topeka Scarecrows Indiana Sentinels |
Danville Dashers Motor City Rockers |
HC Venom → Pee Dee IceCats | Mississippi Sea Wolves → Biloxi Breakers |
* – Happened during the season
‡ – Happened before the team played a game
† – A team that only played road games to fill the schedule
# – Took a break because of the pandemic
Timeline of Teams
Championship Winners
At the end of each season, teams play in a playoff to win the Commissioner's Cup. In 2020, the cup was not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, a different trophy, the Ignite Cup, was awarded because of the limited season.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Akwesasne Warriors | New York Aviators | 3–1 |
| 2012 | New Jersey Outlaws | Danbury Whalers | 3–0 |
| 2013 | Danbury Whalers | Dayton Demonz | 3–0 |
| 2014 | Dayton Demonz | Danbury Whalers | 3–2 |
| 2015 | Watertown Wolves | Danville Dashers | 3–2 |
| 2016 | Port Huron Prowlers | Danbury Titans | 3–0 |
| 2017 | Danville Dashers | Berlin River Drivers | 3–2 |
| 2018 | Watertown Wolves | Port Huron Prowlers | 3–1 |
| 2019 | Carolina Thunderbirds | Elmira Enforcers | 3–1 |
| 2020 | Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Columbus River Dragons | Elmira Enforcers | 3–0 |
| 2022 | Watertown Wolves | Columbus River Dragons | 2–1 |
| 2023 | Danbury Hat Tricks | Carolina Thunderbirds | 3-2 |
| 2024 | Binghamton Black Bears | Carolina Thunderbirds | 3-0 |
| 2025 | Binghamton Black Bears | Carolina Thunderbirds | 3-0 |
See also
