The Dayton Gems were a
minor professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
team based in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, 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 ...
. The team was originally a member of the
International Hockey League before it merged into the CHL in 2010. The team played their home games at the
Hara Arena in nearby
Trotwood.
History
The team was established in 2009 and joined the
International Hockey League (IHL) for the 2009–10 season. The team was named after
the original Dayton Gems of the
former International Hockey League. Their acceptance into the IHL was officially announced on June 9, 2009. On June 15, 2009, the Gems named
John Marks as head coach.
On December 2, 2009, the IHL Board of Governors announced that it had terminated the ownership group of the Dayton Gems and had taken ownership of the team while new local ownership group is pursued. The Dayton Gems were taken over by a local ownership group GDHP, LLC, led by Rob Garfield, in January 2010. The other two owners were Kathy Rupp and Dr. Paul Nitz. On April 23, the Gems owners announced that John Marks was fired as head coach after one season.
On June 1, 2010, the International Hockey League announced that they were joining 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). On July 7, the Gems announced that Brian Gratz would be the new head coach and general manager. On July 19, the 2010–11 Dayton Gems jerseys were revealed after they were voted on by the fans, as well as the first ten players signed for the season.
On May 17, 2012, the Dayton Gems ceased operations. The Gems were replaced by the
Dayton Demonz of the
Federal Hockey League for the 2012–13 season.
Season records
Playoff record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dayton Gems (2009-2012)
2009 establishments in Ohio
2012 disestablishments in Ohio
Defunct Central Hockey League teams
Defunct United Hockey League teams
Defunct ice hockey teams in Ohio
Ice hockey teams in Dayton, Ohio
Ice hockey clubs established in 2009
International Hockey League (2007–2010) teams
Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2012