CHL Welcomes St. Charles County for 2013-14 Season
St. Charles Chill to Play in The Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri


GLENDALE, AZ (August 1, 2012) – The CHL announced on Tuesday that the Laredo Bucks franchise rights have been transferred to the market of St. Charles County in Missouri and that the new franchise will compete in the CHL beginning with the 2013-14 season and will be called the Chill.  The announcement was made on Wednesday at a press conference at the Arena Club Restaurant in The Family Arena.

The St. Charles Chill ownership group consists of Gustavo Hernandez, Alfonso Arguindegui and Glenn Hart and the team will play its home games at The Family Arena.  To learn more about The Family Arena CLICK HERE!

“It is with great excitement that we announce that St. Charles and The Family Arena are now a part of the Central Hockey League family,” said Duane Lewis, CHL Commissioner.  “We know the Chill is in great hands with the very accomplished and highly decorated people that are heading up this effort.  We are also very happy with the relationship that we have built with Mark (Reifsteck) and his staff and are looking forward to strengthening that bond.  This strong market and outstanding facility make this a welcome addition to our current group of member teams”.

“We are excited to be given the opportunity to join such an amazing community and the Family Arena,” said Gustavo Hernandez, Chill Co-Owner.  “We look forward to providing a quality, family friendly product on the ice and becoming a fabric of this great community.”

“The Family Arena is very excited to see hockey returning to our market in addition to bringing back the ice to our venue,” said Mark Reifsteck, Family Arena General Manager.  “We have plans to utilize the ice in other revenue producing capacities such as league play, public skates, and special events.  We are especially pleased to welcome the reputable Central Hockey League into our building.  Old rivalries will return, such as the Quad City Mallards in Moline, Illinois, and new ones will be formed with the Bloomington Blaze in Bloomington, Illinois and the Missouri Mavericks in Independence, Missouri.  During these economic times, we are excited to be able to offer the community a high quality sporting event at such a reasonable price for families who like hockey.  We have inherited one of the top teams that played in the CHL with an ownership group that is strong and committed to their team.  Our staff looks forward to that same commitment in bringing future championships to our venue.  We would also like to thank the CHL League Office for their continued support during this process, especially Duane Lewis, Commissioner of the CHL.  We look forward to working with him and the team over the next five years and beyond.”

“The Family Arena was built to host sporting events, and we’re very pleased to see hockey returning,” said County Executive Steve Ehlmann.  “Our goal has been to offer a wide variety of events, and the St. Charles Chill certainly will add to that.  We’re pleased to welcome the team and the league to St. Charles County.”

The Chill fits neatly into the CHL’s footprint as three clubs sit within 275 miles (Bloomington Blaze, Missouri Mavericks and Quad City Mallards) and the Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder are roughly 400 miles from the new team.

More information about season ticket deposits, the team logo and colors and the announcement of a head coach will be made in the near future. 

For more information, visit the team’s website at www.stcharleschill.com and be sure to LIKE the team on Facebook and FOLLOW the team on Twitter (@StCharlesChill).
 

ABOUT THE CHL
The CHL recently completed its 20th Anniversary season welcoming more than 2 million fans through the gates while averaging 4,042 during the regular season and 4,427 during the post-season (both accounting for the highest attendance averages in the past five years in the CHL).  Over the past two years, the CHL has celebrated 122 sellouts (the most during any two-year period in the 20-year history of the league) led by the 2011 and 2012 CHL Franchise of the Year winner, the Missouri Mavericks, who have 36 combined regular season sellouts in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.  The CHL has had 69 call-ups to the American Hockey League over the past two seasons and just last year, former CHL players Brian Foster (Florida Panthers), Jordie Benn (Dallas Stars) and Ryan Garbutt (Dallas Stars) made their National Hockey League debuts joining the likes of David Schlemko (Phoenix Coyotes), Keith Aucoin (Washington Capitals), Andrew Desjardins (San Jose Sharks) and many others as former CHL players in the NHL.  For more information about the CHL, visit the league’s website at www.centralhockeyleague.com.       

ABOUT THE FAMILY ARENA
Since its opening in October of 1999, The Family Arena has been the stage for a number of entertainment and sporting events.  A state-of-the-art performance center, the 10,467-seat facility has played host to collegiate and high school basketball events, professional football, hockey, basketball and soccer, a wide variety of concerts, family shows, and trade shows and conventions.  Located just fifteen miles from Lambert International Airport, The Family Arena is owned and operated by St. Charles County (MO).