February 17, 2010
Is expansion on the horizon for the WSHL?
The Western States Hockey League, the longtime junior hockey home of the Phoenix Polar Bears, may be expanding in the near future, according to Polar Bears’ GM Harry Mahood.
Last week, Mahood told Arizona Rubber that the league discussed expansion – “four or five teams coming,” he said – on a conference call.
The league currently has 13 members, split into a Western Division and a Mid-West Division.
The expansion would be a continuation of a recent trend. This season, the Arizona Redhawks joined the fold.
“What that tells me is obviously the game is growing, and how valuable the junior hockey is for the development of players for college hockey and beyond,” Mahood said.
The Polar Bears are now in their eleventh year in the WSHL. When the franchise joined in 1999, it was a five-team league.
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