Sport Ice Hockey Inaugural season 2011-12 No. of teams 7 | Founded 2011 CEO Garry Swain Country United States | |
The American West Hockey League (AWHL) was an American Tier III Junior ice hockey league based in Montana and Wyoming. The league was a member of USA Hockey and was founded in 2011. The AWHL merged into the NA3HL in March 2014.
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History
The AWHL was formed in the summer of 2011 by teams breaking away from the Northern Pacific Hockey League (NORPAC). The league shares a similar area as the America West Hockey League that merged into the North American Hockey League in 2003. Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Helena all originated in the old AWHL and now appear in the current AWHL.
In 2012, the AWHL welcomed the Yellowstone Quake from Cody, Wyoming to the league. The Quake was previously a member of the NORPAC and began play in the AWHL for the 2012-2013 season. In February 2013 it was announced the Glacier Nationals from Whitefish, Montana were accepted in the AWHL for the 2013-2014 season. The Nationals, another former member of the NORPAC, had played a split schedule with the NORPAC and the AWHL for the 2012-2013 season.
In April 2013 the Missoula Maulers announced that they will be leaving the AWHL and joining the Western States Hockey League for the 2013-2014 hockey season.
In March 2014, the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) announced that the AWHL would merge into the league as the new Frontier Division.