Federal Prospects Hockey League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Federal Prospects Hockey League

Federal Prospects Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	2009
Inaugural season	2010–11
Commissioner	Don Kirnan
Divisions	2
No. of teams	14
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	Binghamton Black Bears (2024)
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. It was first called the Federal Hockey League. Don Kirnan is the league's commissioner. The league changed its name to Federal Prospects Hockey League in 2019.

History of the FPHL

First Season: 2010–11

In its first season, the league had rules about how much money teams could spend on player salaries. They could spend up to $5,050 per week. Teams could have 20 players for the first six games, then 17 players after that.

Some players who had played in the National Hockey League (NHL) joined the FPHL. These included Pierre Dagenais and Billy Tibbetts. Dagenais played for the Akwesasne Warriors. He scored many goals and helped Akwesasne win the first Commissioner's Cup. Tibbetts played for the Cape Cod Bluefins.

During this season, the Broome County Barons moved to Cape Cod. The Rome Frenzy team stopped playing halfway through the season. Akwesasne won the first Commissioner's Cup by beating the New York Aviators.

Second Season: 2011–12

In 2011, the FHL announced new teams in Morrisville, Vermont, and Danville, Illinois. These teams became the Green Mountain Rock Crushers and the Danville Dashers. Another team, the New Jersey Outlaws, was added in Wayne, New Jersey.

The Vermont team later changed its name to the Vermont Wild. In December 2011, the Vermont Wild team stopped playing. A new team, the Delaware Federals, took their place. The Federals only played away games. The New Jersey Outlaws won the FHL championship this season. They beat the Danbury Whalers.

Third Season: 2012–13

In May 2012, the Brooklyn Aviators stopped playing. A new team, the Dayton Demonz, was added in Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton team played at the Hara Arena.

The defending champion New Jersey Outlaws moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They tried playing outside at Bowman Field. This did not work well, and the team stopped playing in January 2013. The league then made them a travel-only team called the Pennsylvania Blues.

The Cape Cod Bluefins team was taken over by the league. It was renamed the New York Bluefins. This team also became a travel-only team. On January 27, 2013, a game between the New York Bluefins and the Danville Dashers had no penalties. This was the first time that happened in FHL history.

The Danbury Whalers won the Commissioner's Cup this season. They beat the Dayton Demonz. The final game had 3,116 fans, which was a record for the league.

Fourth Season: 2013–14

The FHL played with four teams this season. They also played some games in new cities to see if they could add more teams there. Dayton Demonz player Ahmed Mahfouz was the league's best scorer and Most Valuable Player.

The Danville Dashers had a big moment when a fight broke out during a game against the Watertown Privateers. The situation was controlled by officials and local police. The next game between these two teams was sold out.

The Dayton Demonz won the Commissioner's Cup. They beat the Danbury Whalers in a five-game series.

Unusual Incident

In the last game of the regular season, two friends and former teammates, Jesse Felten and Matt Puntureri, decided to do something unexpected. Instead of fighting, they hugged and shared a can of beer on the ice. The league suspended Felten for the rest of the season and playoffs. Puntureri was banned from the league.

Fifth Season: 2014–15

The FHL added a new team in Southwest Pennsylvania, called the Southwest Pennsylvania Magic. This brought the league to five teams. However, the Magic had money problems and stopped playing after one game. They were replaced by the Steel City Warriors.

Another new team, the Berlin River Drivers, was planned for Berlin, New Hampshire. But the league decided to expand into North Adams, Massachusetts, instead, with the Berkshire Battalion.

The Watertown Privateers were bought by a local group. They started a new team called the Watertown Wolves. The league also held a game in Port Huron, Michigan, to explore adding a team there later. The Watertown Wolves won the FHL championship this season. They beat the Danville Dashers.

Sixth Season: 2015–16

In April 2015, the FHL announced a new team, the Port Huron Prowlers. The Danbury Whalers lost their home arena and became homeless. The Steel City Warriors also stopped playing.

The league faced a legal challenge where they were ordered to pay money to a former player who was injured. This led to worries about the league's future. The Berlin River Drivers team was brought back. A new team, the Stateline Whalers, was announced for Brewster, New York. The Watertown Wolves took a season off because their arena was being renovated.

The Berkshire Battalion moved to Dayton, Ohio, and became the Dayton Demolition. A new team, the Danbury Titans, was formed in Danbury, Connecticut. The Dayton Demolition had some issues with their arena. The Port Huron Prowlers won the Commissioner's Cup this season.

Seventh Season: 2016–17

The Watertown Wolves returned after their arena renovations were finished. The league also added a new team in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, called the St. Clair Shores Fighting Saints.

The Dayton team stopped playing for the season because their arena, Hara Arena, closed. The Brewster Bulldogs also stopped playing. A new team, the Cornwall Nationals, was approved in Cornwall, Ontario.

Eighth Season: 2017–18

The first new team for this season was the Carolina Thunderbirds in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The FHL also planned to partner with a developmental league, but that league ended up buying the Watertown Wolves instead.

The Berlin River Drivers and Danbury Titans teams stopped playing due to high costs. The Fighting Saints team moved to Kingsville, Ontario, and became the North Shore Knights. However, the Knights had problems and stopped playing home games. The Cornwall Nationals also stopped playing during the season due to lack of money. A travel-only team, the Northern Federals, filled in for some games.

Ninth Season: 2018–19

A new team, the Elmira Enforcers, was added in Elmira, New York. Another new team, the Mentor Ice Breakers, was added in Mentor, Ohio. The league changed its name more officially to Federal Prospects Hockey League.

There was an incident where the owner of the Elmira Enforcers had a problem with a referee. This led to officials leaving the league. The league then found local officials for games. The Carolina Thunderbirds won the championship this season. They beat the Elmira Enforcers in a series that had some heated moments.

Tenth Season: 2019–20

The league fully became the Federal Prospects Hockey League with a new logo. Four new teams joined: the Battle Creek Rumble Bees, the Columbus River Dragons, the Danbury Hat Tricks, and the Delaware Thunder. The rest of the season was canceled in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eleventh Season: 2020–21

Two new teams were announced but later withdrew from the season. The start of the season was delayed many times due to the pandemic. The Delaware Thunder also withdrew, and the Mentor Ice Breakers team stopped playing.

The league planned to start its season in February 2021 with a few teams. However, a game between Elmira and Watertown was canceled due to an argument before the game. The league then started a four-team season with Carolina, Columbus, Elmira, and Port Huron. They held a special tournament called the Ignite Cup. The Columbus River Dragons won the Ignite Cup.

Twelfth Season: 2021–22

For this season, Delaware, Watertown, and Danbury all returned. The Elmira Enforcers could not play in their arena, so they took a break. A new team, the Binghamton Black Bears, started playing in Binghamton, New York.

The top six teams went to the playoffs. The Watertown Wolves won their third Commissioner's Cup. They beat the Columbus River Dragons in a very long game that went into double overtime. After the season, three new teams were announced: the Elmira Mammoth, Mississippi Sea Wolves, and Motor City Rockers.

Thirteenth Season: 2022–23

Two new teams, the Mississippi Sea Wolves and the Elmira Mammoth, joined the league. The Motor City Rockers also returned. The FPHL held some games in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which had many fans. The future of the Delaware Thunder team became uncertain because their arena lease was not renewed.

In the playoffs, the top teams from each division played. The Danbury Hat Tricks won their first championship. They beat the Carolina Thunderbirds in a close five-game series.

Fourteenth Season: 2023–24

The Elmira Mammoth team had problems with their arena payments. The FPHL took over the team and renamed them the River Sharks. New teams were added in Wytheville, Virginia, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Delaware Thunder decided to take a break for the season. It was announced that the Danville Dashers would return for the 2024-25 season. The Binghamton Black Bears won the Commissioner's Cup this season.

Fifteenth Season: 2024–25

New teams were announced for Athens, Georgia (the Athens Rock Lobsters), and Monroe, Louisiana (the Monroe Moccasins). The Elmira River Sharks team was bought and moved to Poughkeepsie, New York. They will be called the Hudson Valley Venom.

Teams

Current Teams

As of the 2023–24 season, the league has teams in Connecticut, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Future Teams

Timeline of Teams

This timeline shows when teams joined, left, or changed names in the FPHL.

* – Happened during the season
‡ – Happened before the team played a game
† – A travel-only team that filled in during the season
# – On break because of the pandemic

Championship Winners

At the end of each season, the league holds playoffs to award the Commissioner's Cup. In 2020, the Cup was not awarded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, they awarded the Ignite Cup instead.

See also

• List of ice hockey leagues