The Bloomington Bison are an American minor league

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

team based in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

. Founded in 2024, the team made its debut in the

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

in 2024–25. They are the ECHL affiliate of the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

and the

Hartford Wolf Pack The Hartford Wolf Pack are a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. A member of the American Hockey League (AHL), they play their home games at the PeoplesBank Arena. The team was established in 1926 as the Providence Reds. ...

History

On January 16, 2024, the ECHL awarded an expansion team to

. The ownership group consists of Jim Hallett of Hallett Sports and Entertainment, owners of the

Indy Fuel The Indy Fuel are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2014–15 season. Based in Fishers, Indiana, the Fuel play their home games at the Fishers Event Center, after having started play at the Indiana Farmers ...

. The club will play in

Grossinger Motors Arena Grossinger Motors Arena (formerly known as U.S. Cellular Coliseum and simply the Coliseum) is an arena in downtown Bloomington, Illinois. It is on the southwest corner of Madison Street ( US-51) and Front Street. The arena opened to the public ...

, which is located in Bloomington, Illinois. On May 30, it was announced that a five-year affiliation with the

had been signed. In addition, Phillip Barski was named as the team's first head coach and general manager.

Season-by-season records

Notes

References

External links

* ECHL teams 2024 establishments in Illinois Ice hockey clubs established in 2024 Professional ice hockey teams in Illinois Sports clubs and teams in Bloomington–Normal New York Rangers minor league affiliates {{US-icehockey-team-stub