The Soo Indians were a Junior A

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 playing in the

North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...

. The team was based in

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

History

In 1995, the Sault Tribe purchased the Lakeland Jets and moved the franchise to

. The team was sponsored by the Kewadin Casinos and used as a both a link between the tribe and the local community as well as an advertisement for the casino. The team hired Joe Shawhan to serve as both head coach and GM and the move paid dividens as the team swiftly became a success. Over the course of 10 years, the Indians never had a losing season and twice won their division. However, the team did routinely lose to a lower-seeded team in the league playoffs. 2010

Vezina Trophy The Vezina Trophy ( ) is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position". At the end of each season, the thirty-two List of NHL general managers, NHL general managers vote to dete ...

winner

Ryan Miller Ryan Dean Miller (born July 17, 1980) is an American former ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) mostly for the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was drafted 138th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL E ...

was the starting goaltender for the Soo Indians for two seasons from 1997-1999, and was a fifth round pick in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

. Miller is the only Indians alum to play in the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

. In January of 2004, the Sault Tribe board of directors held a meeting and voted 6–4 in favor of defunding the team. This occurred despite the team possessing a 28–2–5 record at the time. Coach Shawhan opined that the decision was more a result of internal politics rather than anything to do with the team itself. The team was saved for one additional year but, after the 2005 season, the Indians folded and passed into history.

Season-by-season records

Notes

{{reflist, 50em

External links

Lakeland Jets
Defunct ice hockey teams in Michigan Defunct North American Hockey League teams Ice hockey clubs established in 1995 Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2005 1995 establishments in Michigan 2005 disestablishments in Michigan