The Peoria Rivermen were a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

. They played in Peoria, Illinois, at the Carver Arena. After the

2012–13 AHL season The 2012–13 AHL season was the 77th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 12, 2012 and ended on April 21, 2013. The 2013 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season. The Calder Cup was ...

, the team relocated to

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the ...

, and became the Utica Comets.

History

In 2011, Dave Checketts announced that the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

, Scottrade Center, and the Peoria Rivermen were all for sale. On May 10, 2012, Tom Stillman purchased the Peoria Rivermen franchise. On August 30, the Rivermen signed a one-year affiliation agreement with the

Evansville IceMen The Evansville IceMen were a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL in Evansville, Indiana. The franchise was originally a member of the United Hockey League before it merged into the Central Hockey League in 2010. The franchise has won four po ...

, an expansion team in the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

, cutting ties with the Alaska Aces, who they were affiliated with since the Rivermen joined the AHL. On March 29, 2013, the Rivermen were purchased by the Vancouver Canucks. On April 18, 2013, the AHL approved the sale of the Peoria Rivermen to the Vancouver Canucks. On May 13, 2013, the Vancouver Canucks confirmed with Peoria Civic Center officials that they would not bring back the Rivermen franchise and the AHL's Peoria Rivermen would no longer play in Peoria. The AHL announced on June 14, 2013, that the franchise was being relocated to

, as the Utica Comets for the 2013–14 AHL season. A Southern Professional Hockey League franchise replaced the AHL incarnation of the Rivermen in 2013 and took the team's name.

Season-by-season results

Players

Team captains

* Brendan Buckley, 2005–2006 * Aaron MacKenzie, 2006–2008 * Trent Whitfield, 2008–2009 * Yan Stastny, 2009–2010 * Dean Arsene, 2010–2011 * Adam Cracknell, 2011–2012 * Scott Ford, 2012–2013

Coaches

*2005–2006: Steve Pleau *2006–2008: Dave Baseggio *2008 – Jan 2, 2010: Davis Payne *January 2, 2010 – April 2010: Rick Wamsley *2010–2012: Jared Bednar *2012–2013:

Dave Allison David Bryan Allison (born April 14, 1959) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman and coach. He played three games with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 1983–84 season and was head coach of ...

References

{{Defunct AHL St. Louis Blues Ice hockey teams in Illinois Defunct ice hockey teams in Illinois St. Louis Blues minor league affiliates Ice hockey clubs established in 2005 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2013