June 10, 2015
I'm still waiting for FiveThirtyEight to throw Delaware County out as a suggestion for NHL expansion, but hey, you've got to start somewhere. From Philadelphia Business Journal:
The North American Hockey League’s board of governors has approved the relocation of the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees to Aston, Pa.
The team will be known as the Aston Rebels starting with the 2015-16 season. The Rebels, which will be part of the NAHL’s new eastern division, will play their home games at the Ice Works in Delaware County. The team had competed at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.
The North American Hockey League is junior hockey that is considered a tier below the Canadian Hockey League that includes top Flyers prospects like Travis Sanheim, Samuel Morin and projected top overall pick Connor McDavid. Still, it's a major feeder league for NCAA Division 1 hockey, and Broad Street Hockey compiled an impressive list of Flyers the league counts among its alumni: Justin Williams, James van Riemsdyk, R.J. Umberger, Cal Heeter, Adam Hall, Pat Maroon and Matt Carle.
Reading, Lehigh Valley, and Hershey were previously the closest options from the Philadelphia area if you're looking to get a puck fix away from the Wells Fargo Center. Those are all professional teams, but moving a quality amateur franchise to a city that is very passionate about its hockey seems like a good idea.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
