The Omaha Lancers are a Tier I junior

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team and are members of the Western Conference of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

(USHL). Founded in 1986, the Lancers play at the

Liberty First Credit Union Arena The Liberty First Credit Union Arena, formerly known as Ralston Arena and sometimes as Ralston Sports and Event Center, is an arena located in Ralston, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha. It serves as the home of the Omaha Lancers of th ...

Ralston, Nebraska Ralston is a city in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,494 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Omaha, Ralston is surrounded on three sides by the city of Omaha by 84th, 72nd, and L Streets, and by Sarpy County (Harrison ...

. Previous arenas of use include the

Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Civic Auditorium was a multi-purpose convention center located in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CHI Health Center ...

Mid-America Center The Mid-America Center is an arena and convention center located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just five minutes from downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The arena's maximum capacity is about 9,000 for concerts and 6,700 for ice hockey and arena football. The ...

, Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum, and Motto McLean Ice Arena. The Lancers have claimed a league-record seven

Clark Cup The United States Hockey League began in 1961 as a semi-professional ice hockey league. Starting with the 1979–80 season, the league became a strictly Amateur league, and began awarding its champion the Clark Cup Trophy. All champions of the USHL ...

championships as playoff champions, five

Anderson Cup The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

titles as regular season champions, and two

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the Sport governing body, governing body for organized ice ...

national championships. In addition, the Lancers have aided in the development of hundreds of

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

hockey players,

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) draft picks, and dozens of NHL players.

History

In 2014, the majority ownership of the Lancers was bought by Crossbar Down, LLC, led by Anthony DiCesare, from the American Hockey Group, Inc, who had owned the franchise since 2004. On July 10, 2021,

Chadd Cassidy Chadd Cassidy (born August 3, 1973) is an Americans, American professional ice hockey coach and current head coach of the Cape Breton Eagles in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Cassidy played varsity hockey at the State University of New ...

was hired as head coach and general manager. During the 2021–22 season, the players boycotted the team and the coaching staff resigned on November 18 citing operational budget cuts causing inadequate player treatment and coaching the resources. The league then postponed the three scheduled weekend games and placed team president Dave DeLuca on administrative leave. Former

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

' head coach Gary Graham was then brought in as interim head coach and the league designated Josh Mervis to oversee operations of the team while an investigation into the operations of the team was underway. In January 2022, the majority ownership of the Lancers was transferred from Anthony DiCesare to Mike Picozzi.

Roster

As of September 21, 2022.

Lancers NHL alumni

Keith Ballard Keith Galen Ballard (born November 26, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who previously played in the National Hockey League with the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild. He played ...

: Phoenix Coyotes (2004–2008), Florida Panthers (2008–2010), Vancouver Canucks (2010–2013), Minnesota Wild (2013–2015) * Jacob Bryson: Buffalo Sabres *

Thatcher Demko Thatcher Douglas Demko (born December 8, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Demko was selected by the Canucks in the second round (36th overall) of the 2014 NHL E ...

: Vancouver Canucks *

Ryan Donato Ryan Donato (born April 9, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round, 56th overall, in the 20 ...

: Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks *

Dan Ellis Daniel Ellis (born June 19, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a goaltending scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. He played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Tampa B ...

: Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers * Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson: Boston Bruins *

Erik Haula Erik Haula (born 23 March 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey center for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panther ...

: Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins *

Louis Leblanc Louis Jean Joseph Leblanc (born January 26, 1991) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Leblanc played minor hockey in the Montreal region before he moved to the United States in 2008, playing one season with the Omaha Lancers of ...

: Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks * Alex Lyon: Philadelphia Flyers *

Ryan Malone Ryan Gregory Malone (born December 1, 1979) nicknamed "Bugsy", is an American former professional ice hockey forward. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. In 2003, ...

: Pittsburgh Penguins (2003–2008), Tampa Bay Lightning (2008–2014), New York Rangers (2014–2015) * Will O'Neill: Philadelphia Flyers *

Jed Ortmeyer Jed Ortmeyer (born September 3, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild. After his retirement he ...

: New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers *

Tucker Poolman Tucker Poolman (born June 8, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career Early career Born in Iowa, Poolman grew up in East Grand Forks ...

: Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks * Trevor Smith: Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins *

Paul Stastny Paul Stastny (born December 27, 1985) is a Canadian-born American professional ice hockey center for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets ...

: Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets

References

External links

Omaha Lancers
Sports in Omaha, Nebraska United States Hockey League teams Ice hockey teams in Nebraska 1986 establishments in Nebraska Ice hockey clubs established in 1986 {{Nebraska-sport-team-stub