The Youngstown SteelHounds was a professional

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 h ...

team which participated in the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL) from the 2005–2006 season through the 2007–2008 season. The team was affiliated with the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

of the

NHL 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 ...

and the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The team played its home games at the

Covelli Centre The Covelli Centre is a multi-purpose arena in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It opened in 2005, thanks in a large part to a $26 million HUD redevelopment grant secured in 2000 by Congressman James A. Traficant Jr. It is home to the Youngstown ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

. The SteelHounds franchise was owned by

Herb Washington In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

. The last to hold the posts of General Manager and Head Coach were Joe Gregory and

Kevin Kaminski Kevin Kaminski (born March 13, 1969) is a former Canadian ice hockey player, notable for being one of the most prominent minor-league "goons" of the 1990s. He is currently the head coach of the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hock ...

. After being expelled from the CHL following the 2007–2008 season, the team did not participate as a member of any league in 2008–2009. Per a ''Youngstown Vindicator'' report, discussions were held with the ECHL about a potential return for professional hockey in Youngstown, however, in 2009 the

Mahoning Valley Phantoms The Youngstown Phantoms are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the 5,200-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The team was co-owned by ...

, a Junior A hockey team, moved from the

NAHL Nahl or NAHL may refer to: * Nahl (surname) * National Accident Helpline, a British personal injury lawyer service * North American Hockey League, an American junior hockey league * North American Hockey League (1973–1977), an American professio ...

to the

USHL 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 ...

, the premier junior league in the United States, and are playing their entire home slate at the Covelli Centre under a new name, the

Youngstown Phantoms The Youngstown Phantoms are a Tier I junior ice hockey team that plays in the Eastern Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team plays home games at the 5,200-seat Covelli Centre in Youngstown, Ohio. The team was co-owned by ...

Franchise history

The SteelHounds took their name from the U.S. steel industry. The franchise joined the CHL in 2005 as an expansion team for the 2005–06 season, playing in the Northeast Division of the CHL, with the closest team to Youngstown being the

Mississippi RiverKings The Mississippi RiverKings were a professional minor league ice hockey team. The RiverKings were a member of the Southern Professional Hockey League from 2011 to 2018 after playing their first nineteen seasons (1992–2011) in the Central Hock ...

. The SteelHounds won their first home game at the Chevrolet Centre on November 4, 2005, when they defeated the Oklahoma City Blazers 4–3. They went on to finish second in the four-team Northeast Division with a 24–35 record. The SteelHounds failed to make the playoffs in their first season. The 2006–07 season was a better one for the SteelHounds, as the team finished with 34 wins, 20 losses and 10 overtime losses. The SteelHounds made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history but lost in the first round to the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...

. The SteelHounds' best record in their short franchise history came in the 2007–08 season with 39 wins, 20 losses and 5 overtime losses. The team finished second in the Northeast Division and qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year, but lost again to the

. After being kicked out of the CHL following the 2007–08 season, management considered joining the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

or the IHL.

Youngstown out of the CHL

As of June 2, 2008, the CHL announced that the SteelHounds franchise would not be playing in the league. The CHL cited the reason for termination being non-payment of league dues. The SteelHounds and the league have had a dispute related to travel expenses since the franchise began in 2006. The SteelHounds explored joining the IHL or

for the 2008–09 or 2009–10 season, as both leagues had teams located in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

and Mid-Atlantic regions, making them a better fit for the SteelHounds than the CHL (most of whose teams are in the

Southern Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and ...

and

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

regions of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

). The team's ownership engaged in talks with the IHL, and in previous seasons the SteelHounds have had exhibition games against ECHL teams. After being kicked out of the league, and failing to quickly find a new league to play in for the upcoming 2008–2009 season, there was a mass exodus of top officials in the SteelHounds organization. On June 23, 2008 General Manager Joe Gregory resigned his position, and announced that he was hired as an Executive Vice President for the

Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals has been the name of two professional ice hockey franchises: * Norfolk Admirals (AHL), a team which played in the American Hockey League from 2000 to 2015 *Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hock ...

of the AHL. Then,

resigned his position as head coach on July 1, 2008, after which, on July 2, 2008, the rival

announced him as their new head coach, signed to an unheard of three-year contract.

Team record

Head coaching records

Season Standings

Playoff record

Players

Team captains

Franchise scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history (*Includes post-season totals). ''Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game''

References

External links

SteelHounds' official website

Central Hockey League's official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Youngstown Steelhounds Columbus Blue Jackets minor league affiliates Ice hockey teams in Ohio Sports in Youngstown, Ohio Ice hockey clubs established in 2005 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2008 2005 establishments in Ohio 2008 disestablishments in Ohio