The Arizona Sundogs Professional Hockey Club, an expansion Central Hockey League franchise that will begin play in the new, state-of-the-art Prescott Valley Convention & Events Center, today unveiled the on-ice look of the team, which will begin play this fall. The Sundogs uniforms were unveiled with the assistance of models Nick Kasten and Jon Kellerman, both members of the Prescott Storm high school hockey team. The announcement came at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott in Prescott, the Official Host Hotel of the Arizona Sundogs.
"This represents another exciting milestone in the development of our franchise," said Sundogs Owner & Governor Eric Lacroix. "We put a great deal of time and effort into creating a uniform that our fans throughout Northern Arizona as well as our players who will wear them will be proud of." The Arizona Sundogs sought to follow a path of tradition and class when working on design concepts for the look and feel of the team uniforms. The white sweater consists of the primary "S" logo on the front of the sweater, with the alternate Sundogs logo featured on both shoulders. A solid red band runs up both sides of the jersey and into back of the sleeves, where it is further accented with narrow black piping before joining with a solid silver band on the cuffs. The collar is primarily solid red with a smaller black ring adjoining a silver band around the neck.
The numbers on the white sweater are three-color, with black glacier twill being the primary color with a gold and red outline. The nameplate will be comprised of black lettering, also made from glacier twill. The home sweater will be complimented with black pants, black gloves, and a white helmet, with the socks being white with a solid silver band flanked by a narrower red band with black piping above and below.
Said Arizona Sundogs Head Coach/GM Marco Pietroniro: "These are two of the best jerseys that I have ever seen in professional hockey at any level and they will represent a first-class organization in a first-class manner. They will be worn with integrity, respect, and discipline, and our fans can rest assured that before a player dons one of our sweaters on the ice, he will have earned the right to do so."
The Sundogs will wear a black sweater on the road (the CHL changes from white to dark sweaters at home midway through the season), also consisting of the primary "S" logo on the front and the alternate Sundogs logo worn on both shoulders. In a twist from the white jersey yet keeping within the primary Club colors, a solid gold band runs up both sides of the sweater and into the back of the sleeves, where it is complemented by a narrow black stripe before joining a solid silver band on the cuffs. The collar design mimics that of the white jersey: primarily red with a smaller black band adjoining a silver one around the neck.
The numbers on the black sweater are white with black and red outlines. The lettering on the nameplate is silver, and both the numbers and letters are made from glacier twill. The black sweater will be worn with black pants, black gloves, and a black helmet, with the socks being black with a solid silver band flanked by narrower gold bands above and below with black piping.
"The Arizona Sundogs couldn’t be happier with the tremendous support we have received from the communities in the area, our corporate partners, and our valued season ticket holders," added team President and Managing Director Hayne Ellis. "We are equally pleased by the outcome of our uniform design process, and convinced that our fans will like what they see."
The Arizona Sundogs will have a limited supply of authentic jerseys for purchase in early June, with a full range of adult and youth sized replica jerseys available by mid-August. Advance orders are being taken at www.arizonasundogs.com or by calling 928-772-5555.
The Central Hockey League will mark its 15th anniversary in 2006-07 with 18 teams competing for the Ray Miron President's Cup. The Central Hockey League recently claimed its fifth straight AA average attendance crown, finishing the 2005-2006 season averaging 4,663 fans per game, the league’s highest mark since the 1995-1996 campaign, and has now recorded the highest average attendance among all AA leagues for the past five consecutive seasons of play.
