The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor 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 ...

league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

, primarily

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

. The league started with six teams in the 1996–97 season and grew to 18 teams in 1999–00. After the 2000–01 season, the WPHL merged with the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which oper ...

. Former WPHL teams continued to play in the CHL until the 2012–13 season.

Teams in alphabetical order

* Abilene Aviators (

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan st ...

) 1998–2000; folded during the 1999–2000 season *

Alexandria Warthogs The Alexandria Warthogs were a professional ice hockey team based in Alexandria, Louisiana. They played from 1998 to 2000 as a member of the Western Professional Hockey League in the Rapides Parish Coliseum. The team folded in 2000, while the leag ...

(

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...

) 1998–2000 *

Amarillo Rattlers The Amarillo Gorillas were a minor league hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. The team was most recently affiliated with the now defunct Central Hockey League (CHL) from 2001–10. The Gorillas began play in 1996 as the Amarillo Rattlers in th ...

(

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...

) 1996–2001; continued in CHL until 2010 as

Amarillo Gorillas The Amarillo Gorillas were a minor league hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. The team was most recently affiliated with the now defunct Central Hockey League (CHL) from 2001–10. The Gorillas began play in 1996 as the Amarillo Rattlers in th ...

Arkansas GlacierCats The Arkansas GlacierCats were a short-lived minor-league hockey team located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Arkansas GlacierCats were a Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) franchise in Little Rock, Arkansas. The team was owned by Ed Novess an ...

(

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

) 1998–2000 * Austin Ice Bats (

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

) 1996–2001; continued in CHL until 2008 *

Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were a professional ice hockey team which played in the Bossier City- Shreveport metropolitan area of Louisiana. From 1997 to 2001, the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs were members of the Western Professional Hockey Le ...

(

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

) 2000–01; continued in CHL until 2011 *

Central Texas Stampede The Central Texas Stampede are a defunct minor league professional ice hockey team which was located in Belton, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League for five seasons, from 1996 to 2001. The team folded during the fifth se ...

(

Belton, Texas Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and Waco. Belton is the county seat of Bell County and is the fifth largest city in the Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the population of Belton ...

) 1996–2001; folded during the 2000–01 season * Corpus Christi IceRays (

Corpus Christi, Texas Corpus Christi (; Ecclesiastical Latin: "''Body of Christ"'') is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat and largest city of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio ...

) 1998–2001; continued in CHL until 2010 when the owners added a junior team in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 48th season of operation in 2022–23. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alterna ...

* El Paso Buzzards (

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

) 1996–2001; continued in CHL until 2003 * Fort Worth Brahmas (

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

) 1997–2001; continued in CHL until 2013 when the owners added a junior team in the

Lake Charles Ice Pirates The Lake Charles Ice Pirates were an American ice hockey team in Lake Charles, Louisiana. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997-2001. Season-by-season record {, class="wikitable" , - style="font-weight:bold; background- ...

(

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcas ...

) 1997–2001; folded during the 2001 CHL merger * Lubbock Cotton Kings (

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

) 1999–2001; continued in CHL until 2007 *

Monroe Moccasins The Monroe Moccasins were a professional ice hockey team that played in the Western Professional Hockey League. Based in Monroe, Louisiana from 1997 until the end of the 2001 season, the team played its home games at the Monroe Civic Center. Hi ...

(

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the list of municipalities in Louisiana#List of Municipalities, eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 Unit ...

) 1997–2001; folded during the 2001 CHL merger *

New Mexico Scorpions The New Mexico Scorpions were a Central Hockey League (CHL) team located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The team was established in 1996 as a part of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL). In 2001, the WPHL merged with the CHL. On July 2, 20 ...

(

Rio Rancho, New Mexico Rio Rancho ( es, Río Rancho) is the most populous and only city in Sandoval County, part of the expansive Albuquerque metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of New Mexico. A small portion of the city extends into northern Bernalillo County. It ...

) 1996–2001; continued in CHL until 2009 *

Odessa Jackalopes The Odessa Jackalopes are a Tier II junior ice hockey team playing in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The team is based in Odessa, Texas and plays their home games at Ector County Coliseum. History The franchise first played as the ...

(

Odessa, Texas Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small section of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, ma ...

) 1997–2001; continued in CHL until 2011 when the owners added a junior team in the

San Angelo Outlaws The San Angelo Outlaws are a defunct American minor professional ice hockey team that played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1997 to 2001 and the Central Hockey League in the 2001–02 season. They were based in San Angelo, Texas ...

(

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert to the southwest, Osage ...

) 1996–2001; continued in CHL until 2005 as

San Angelo Saints The San Angelo Saints are a defunct professional ice hockey team that was based in San Angelo, Texas. Originally named the San Angelo Outlaws before being renamed "Saints" prior to the 2002–03 season, the team played three seasons in the Centra ...

Shreveport Mudbugs The Shreveport Mudbugs are a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Shreveport, Louisiana, as a member of the North American Hockey League. The new Mudbugs replaced a former professional team that played in the area from 1997 to 2011 known as th ...

(

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

) 1997–2000 *

Tupelo T-Rex The Tupelo T-Rex was a professional ice hockey team in the Western Professional Hockey League and played their home games at BancorpSouth Center from 1998 to 2001. The owners of the T-Rex also fielded a junior team in the America West Hockey Lea ...

(

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. With an estimated population of 38,300, Tupelo is the sixth-largest city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of North ...

) 1998–2001; chose not to join the CHL during the 2001 merger and launched a junior team instead in the America West Hockey League *

Waco Wizards The Waco Wizards were an American ice hockey team in Waco, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1996 to 2000. They played their home games in the Heart of Texas Coliseum. Season-by-season record {, class="wikitable" ...

(

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

) 1996–2000; folded during the 1999–2000 season

Champions

President's Cup winners

Playoff champions: *1997 – El Paso Buzzards *1998 – El Paso Buzzards *1999 – Shreveport Mudbugs *2000 – Shreveport Mudbugs *2001 – Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

Governor's Cup

Regular season champions: * 1996–97 – New Mexico Scorpions * 1997–98 – Fort Worth Brahmas * 1998–99 – Shreveport Mudbugs * 1999–00 – Central Texas Stampede * 2000–01 – Tupelo T-Rex

Individual league awards

1996–97

*Coach of the year - Todd Brost, El Paso *Most valuable player - Chris Brooks, Amarillo *Scoring champion - Chris Brooks, Amarillo *Most outstanding goaltender -

Daniel Berthiaume Daniel J. Berthiaume (born January 26, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, an ...

, Central Texas *Most outstanding defenseman - Jody Praznik, New Mexico *Playoff most valuable player - Chris MacKenzie, El Paso *All-star game most valuable player - Doug Smith, Central Texas

1997–98

*Coach of the year - Bill McDonald, Fort Worth Brahmas *Most valuable player -

Jamie Thompson Jamie Thompson (stage name: J'aime Tambeur) is a Canadian musician who has been the drummer for several Canadian bands, including Islands and Th' Corn Gangg. Jamie was a founding member of the Unicorns. The band's first major album, ''Who W ...

, El Paso *Man of the year - Jamie Thompson, El Paso *Scoring champion -

Carl Boudreau Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

, San Angelo *Rookie of the year - Sami Laine, Odessa *Most outstanding goaltender - Kevin St. Pierre, Shreveport *Most outstanding defenseman - Eric Ricard, New Mexico *Playoff most valuable player -

Billy Trew Billy Trew (1 July 1878 – 20 August 1926) was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age ...

, El Paso *All-star game most valuable player - Sylvain Naud, New Mexico

1998–99

*Coach of the year -

Todd Lalonde Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

, Waco *Most valuable player - Chris Robertson, Corpus Christi *Man of the year -

Graeme Townshend Graeme Scott Townshend (born October 23, 1965) is a Jamaican-born Canadian retired ice hockey right winger. He was the first Jamaican-born player to play in the National Hockey League (NHL), and played 45 games in the NHL between 1990 and 1993. T ...

, Lake Charles *Scoring champion - Carl Boudreau, San Angelo *Rookie of the year - Kory Cooper, Waco *Most outstanding goaltender - Kory Cooper, Waco *Most outstanding defenseman -

Eric Brule The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* a ...

, Abilene *Playoff most valuable player - John Vecchiarelli, Shreveport *All-star game most valuable player - Billy Trew, El Paso

1999–00

*Coach of the year - Brian Curran, Monroe *Most valuable player - Ron Newhook, Central Texas *Man of the year - Brad Haelzle, Amarillo and Scott Muscutt, Shreveport *Scoring champion - Geoff Bumstead, Corpus Christi *Rookie of the year -

Dan Price Daniel Joseph Price (born May 13, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and social media personality. He is the co-founder and the former chief executive officer of credit card processing company Gravity Payments. He is the sole shareholder and board ...

, Austin *Most outstanding goaltender -

Matt Barnes Matt Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Barnes was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He ...

, Central Texas *Most outstanding defenseman - Arturs Kupaks, Lubbock *Playoff most valuable player - Hugo Hamelin, Shreveport *All-star game most valuable player - Dorian Anneck, Monroe

2000–01

*Coach of the year - Don McKee, Odessa *Most valuable player -

Jason Firth Jason Firth (born March 29, 1971) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player. He is the leader in career assists and points for the United Hockey League. Junior career Firth played Tier II junior hockey for the Ottawa Jr. Senators o ...

, Tupelo *Man of the year - Travis Van Tighem, New Mexico *Scoring champion - Jason Firth, Tupelo *Rookie of the year - Ken Carroll, Bossier-Shreveport *Most outstanding goaltender - Ken Carroll, Bossier-Shreveport *Most outstanding defenseman - Mark DeSantis, New Mexico *Playoff most valuable player -

Jason Campbell Jason S. Campbell (born December 31, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college footbal ...

, Bossier-Shreveport *All-star game most valuable player -

Kyle Reeves Kyle Reeves (born May 12, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. Reeves played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League for the Swift Current Broncos and the Tri-City Americans between 1988 and 1991. He was drafted ...

, Lubbock *Rick Kozuback Award - Trent Eigner, El Paso

References

{{reflist Defunct ice hockey leagues in the United States