The Port Huron Icehawks were a minor professional

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

Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the west by Port Huron Township, but the two are administered autonomously. Po ...

. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at McMorran Arena from 2007 to 2010.

History

The franchise was announced on June 20, 2007, as part of the new International Hockey League (IHL), a rebrand of the United Hockey League. The Icehawks were owned by Larry Kinney, owner and CEO of Datapak Services Corporation of

Howell, Michigan Howell is the largest city in and county seat of Livingston County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2025 census, the city had a population of 9,914. The city is mostly surrounded by Howell Township, Michigan, Howell Township, but the two are ad ...

. The Icehawks were coached by

Stan Drulia Stanley W. Drulia (born January 5, 1968) is an American former professional right winger and currently the Head Professional Scout for the Nashville Predators of the NHL. One of the most prolific minor league scorers of his day, Drulia scored ...

, a right winger whose professional career spanned 13 years from 1989 to 2001, and included three seasons with the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

. After one year directing the hockey operations and head coaching duties with the defunct

Port Huron Flags The Port Huron Flags were a minor league professional ice hockey team located in Port Huron, Michigan Port Huron is a city in and seat of government of St. Clair County, Michigan, United States. The population was 28,983 at the 2020 census. ...

, Drulia returned to the area as both the head coach and general manager of the Icehawks. He remained with the Icehawks for all three of their seasons. During their inaugural season, Drulia led the Icehawks to the Turner Cup Finals and a triple overtime loss to the

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team, which currently plays in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In all of North American professional hockey, only the Orig ...

in game seven. The Icehawks went 41–29–2–4 for the 2007–08 regular season and 7–5 in the playoffs, defeating the

Flint Generals The Flint Generals were a minor professional ice hockey team based in Flint, Michigan. They were a member of the International Hockey League and played their home games at the Industrial Mutual Association (IMA) Sports Arena. The Generals won ...

in the first round in five games. In the 2008–09 season, Drulia directed the Icehawks to another second place regular season finish in the IHL with a record of 44–21–6–5 and 99 points. For his efforts, he was named IHL Coach of the Year. Despite their strong season, the Icehawks struggled in the playoffs and were eliminated by the

Muskegon Lumberjacks The Muskegon Lumberjacks are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League. They play in Muskegon, Michigan, at Trinity Health Arena. The Lumberjacks replaced the International Hockey League fr ...

in the first round in six games. The Icehawks were also named IHL Franchise of the Year in the 2008–09 campaign, based on efforts both on and off the ice. Drulia resigned after three seasons on May 5, 2010. On June 16, 2010, the Icehawks ceased operations due to financial losses. The IHL also folded one month later.

Season-by-season results

''Legend'': GP= Games Played, W= Wins, L= Losses, OTL= Overtime losses, SOL= Shootout losses, Pts= Points, GF= Goals For, GA= Goals Against

References

External links

Official websitePort Huron Icehawks Stats from hockeydb.com
{{IHL Defunct United Hockey League teams Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States Defunct ice hockey teams in Michigan Port Huron, Michigan 2007 establishments in Michigan 2010 disestablishments in Michigan Ice hockey clubs established in 2007 International Hockey League (2007–2010) teams Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2010