The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) has announced that is has approved the transfer, purchase and relocation of Coulee Region Chill membership to the Oklahoma City Hockey Club, LLC.
The team will be relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for the 2020-21 season and for now, will be known as the Oklahoma City Hockey Club. The team will play out of the Arctic Edge Ice Arena in Edmond, Oklahoma (a suburb of Oklahoma City).
“This is an exciting day for the NA3HL as we add a new team to the South Division. The team in Oklahoma City has strong leadership and a qualified staff, which are trademarks of any successful NA3HL team. Because of their previous operating experience, we expect their transition into the NA3HL to be a smooth one and expect the team to be very competitive. I know every team in the South is looking forward to adding another team into the mix and traveling to another passionate hockey community,” said NA3HL Commissioner Blake MacNicol.
Oklahoma City has a rich hockey history. The Oklahoma City Blazers were originally a professional team that played in the Central Professional Hockey League from 1965-1977, followed by another pro hockey stint in the Central Hockey League from 1992-2009. More recently, a team has played in the junior ranks since 2014. The NA3HL team is owned by Jake Runey and Josh Berge will be the team’s new head coach and general manager for the 2020-21 season.
“The Oklahoma City Hockey Club is thrilled to join the NA3HL. As owner it was my goal to align with Arctic Edge Ice Arena in USA Hockey. The NA3HL made sense because of their solid regional footprint and Ladder of Development process. We are looking forward to jumping into the action of the South Division and building those Red River rivalries,” said Blazers owner Jake Runey.
“I am very excited with the move to the NA3HL. I feel that this will be a better fit for our organization as well as our fans,” stated President of Operations, Rick Gowin. “While we had success in the WSHL, with almost half of the teams in the league changing, the business model of staying in the league didn’t work with the increased travel costs we would have to incur. The NA3HL will allow us to get our players tryouts at a higher level and also get them in front of even more scouts, while also be playing teams located closer which for our fans will allow them the opportunity to travel and support us on the road.”
Stay tuned for more updates as we head into the 2020-21 season!
