Division Northwest Division | League WSHL Date founded 2009 | |
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Home arena Manchester Ice & Event CentreIdaho Ice WorldCenturyLink Arena Colors Blue, black, white, silver Owner(s) Idaho Hockey Foundation Inc. Color Blue, black, white, silver Arenas/Stadiums CenturyLink Arena, Manchester Ice & Event Centre, Idaho Ice World | ||
The Idaho Junior Steelheads, or Idaho Jr. Steelheads, are a junior ice hockey team based in McCall, Idaho. The Junior Steelheads currently play in the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League (WSHL). Home games take place at Manchester Ice & Event Centre in McCall. The team has also played games at Idaho Ice World and CenturyLink Arena in Boise, the latter being the home of the ECHL Idaho Steelheads. In recent years the team has been one of the most successful in the WSHL, winning four of the league's last five Thorne Cup championships.
Contents
- History
- 200910 season
- 2009 strip hockey incident
- 2013 championship
- United Hockey Union National Championship Tournament
- References
The team is coached by former NHL Colorado Rockies draft pick and former Idaho Steelheads head coach John Olver.
History
The team was founded by Idaho Hockey Foundation Inc. in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity. The Junior Steelheads, like their ECHL parent club the Idaho Steelheads, are named for a species of seagoing rainbow trout native to Idaho streams and rivers and popular with local anglers.
2009–10 season
In the team's first season, the 2009–10 WSHL season, the Junior Steelheads finished 2nd in the Western Division and clinched their first Thorne Cup playoff spot against the experienced Phoenix Polar Bears. The Junior Steelheads won the first game of the three game series 5-3, but Phoenix rallied winning the second game 3-2 in OT and the third game 2-1.
2009 strip hockey incident
The team received a four-day ban from the city of Boise after an incident at a practice when players missed a shot, they had to take off an article of equipment. An assistant coach told the AP the team was emulating a similar stunt done by the Tampa Bay Lightning
2013 championship
On April 9, 2013, the Junior Steelheads defeated the Bay Area Seals 5-1 to win the first ever United Hockey Union Junior ice hockey championship in a six-team tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada.
United Hockey Union National Championship Tournament
AAU Sanctioned Junior A National Championship
In 2013 and 2014, the Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL), Northern States Hockey League (NSHL), and the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) advanced two teams each to the tournament.
There was no UHU tournament held after the 2015 season.