CHL Training Camps Underway

Central Hockey League training camps are underway today, as the CHL’s 17 member clubs begin official on-ice sessions in preparation for the 12th season of CHL play. Storylines abound for the coming season, including seven franchises under the direction of new head coaches. 2003-2004 expansion club the Colorado Eagles take to the ice for their inaugural season under former CHL Coach of the Year Chris Stewart, while their expansion counterparts, the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, see Tracy Egeland behind the bench.

Both teams that participated in each of the last two CHL President’s Cup Finals also have new coaches for the coming season. In Memphis, NHL veteran Jim Wiley replaces Doug Shedden, departed to lead the RiverKings’ AHL affiliate in St. John’s, and faces the daunting task of providing a third consecutive championship. The Austin Ice Bats, Southern Conference champions the last two seasons, see former NHL player Jeff Greenlaw take over for Brent Hughes. Also joining the CHL coaching ranks this season are Kirk Tomlinson with Lubbock, Ray Edwards with San Angelo, and Bruce Garber with the Tulsa Oilers.

In the CHL front office, 24 year NHL veteran Wayne Bonney begins his first season as Supervisor of Officials, replacing Leon Stickle, who joins the National Hockey League in a similar supervisory capacity after five years of service with the CHL/WPHL. Joining Stickle in signing an NHL contract this season was CHL referee Gord Dwyer, who gained promotion after two seasons with the CHL. Over 40 CHL players attended NHL or AHL training camps this season, with CHL season opening rosters available October 15th at the conclusion of training camps.

A full Central Hockey League season preview will be issued next week, detailing franchise expectations for the coming season. The CHL will again utilize the services of Pointstreak as the official Statistics and Live Scoring provider for the League this year, providing unmatched true real-time scoring to fans and media. In addition, the CHL will also be announcing its CHLTV schedule for the season shortly, with fans able to view nearly 50 percent of all CHL games through live high-speed internet audio and video via pay-per-view.

The Central Hockey League begins its 12th season of play October 16th with 17 teams (including the expansion Colorado Eagles and Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees) in eight states, and is the only minor pro hockey league in North America to show consecutive attendance increases the past two seasons, finishing with an average per-game attendance of 4,401 in 2002-2003.

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