The Johnstown Tomahawks are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's East Division. The team plays its home games at the 1st Summit Bank Arena at Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest extant franchise in the NAHL.
| Johnstown Tomahawks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Johnstown, Pennsylvania |
| League | North American Hockey League |
| Division | East |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Home arena | 1st Summit Bank Arena |
| Colors | Navy, red, and white |
| Owner(s) | Tomahawks Hockey Partners LLC. (John Koufis - majority owner)[1] |
| Head coach | Mike Letizia (2014–present) |
| Media | The Tribune-Democrat, HockeyTV |
| Franchise history | |
| 1990–1991 | Dearborn Magic |
| 1991–1994 | Michigan Nationals |
| 1994–1996 | Dearborn Heights Nationals |
| 1996–2001 | St. Louis Sting |
| 2001–2005 | Springfield Spirit |
| 2005–2006 | Wasilla Spirit |
| 2006–2012 | Alaska Avalanche |
| 2012–present | Johnstown Tomahawks |
History
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The franchise was originally called the Dearborn Magic, Michigan Nationals, and the Dearborn Heights Nationals when the team played in Dearborn, Michigan.[2] before moving and becoming St. Louis Sting in 1996. In 2001, the Sting moved to Springfield, Missouri, as the Springfield Spirit. In 2005, they moved to Wasilla, Alaska, as the Wasilla Spirit, only to re-brand themselves as the Alaska Avalanche the next season. The Avalanche played out of the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla until the end of the 2009–10 season. The Avalanche moved to Palmer, Alaska, beginning in the 2010–11 season and played at the Palmer Ice Arena.[3][4]
The team relocated to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 2012, taking the place of the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs, who moved to Greenville, South Carolina, in 2011. They became known as the Johnstown Tomahawks [5][6]
The Tomahawks played their first game on September 8, 2012, against the Port Huron Fighting Falcons and lost 4–3 in overtime. They won their first game in a 6–5 shootout on September 13, 2012, over the Kenai River Brown Bears. Their first home game at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena was played on September 29, 2012, losing 3–2 in a shootout to the Michigan Warriors.
The 2018–19 season was the most successful for the Tomahawks so far, as they were regular season champions of the North American Hockey League, along with East Division regular season and playoff champions. The Tomahawks advanced to the Robertson Cup Semifinals, where they lost to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs two games to one. The 2018–19 team set franchise records for wins, points, and points scored.
Season-by-season records
editNote: as of conclusion of 2022–23 season[7][8]
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Sting | ||||||||||
| 1996–97 | 46 | 8 | 38 | 0 | 16 | 123 | 248 | — | 8th, NAHL | |
| 1997–98 | 56 | 23 | 32 | 1 | 47 | 188 | 237 | 1,718 | 7th, NAHL | |
| 1998–99 | 56 | 34 | 16 | 6 | 74 | 211 | 180 | 1,611 | 3rd, NAHL | |
| 1999–00 | 56 | 18 | 35 | 3 | 39 | 164 | 230 | 1,605 | 5th, NAHL | |
| 2000–01 | 56 | 15 | 36 | 5 | 35 | 170 | 263 | 2,034 | 5th, NAHL | |
| Springfield Spirit | ||||||||||
| 2001–02 | 56 | 23 | 29 | 4 | 50 | 182 | 222 | 1,533 | 3rd, West | |
| 2002–03 | 56 | 15 | 36 | 5 | 35 | 129 | 240 | 1,689 | 5th, West | |
| 2003–04 | 56 | 13 | 39 | 4 | 30 | 153 | 259 | 1,803 | 7th, South | |
| 2004–05 | 56 | 20 | 29 | 7 | 47 | 144 | 188 | 1,027 | 6th, South | Did not qualify |
| Wasilla Spirit | ||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 56 | 23 | 33 | 2 | 48 | 133 | 187 | 1,307 | 4th, West | Lost 1st Round, 2–3 vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs |
| Alaska Avalanche | ||||||||||
| 2006–07 | 62 | 16 | 39 | 7 | 39 | 148 | 242 | 1,699 | 6th, South | Did not qualify |
| 2007–08 | 58 | 16 | 38 | 4 | 36 | 158 | 270 | 1,251 | 5th, South | Did not qualify |
| 2008–09 | 58 | 23 | 30 | 5 | 51 | 172 | 224 | 1,505 | 3rd, West | Lost 1st Round, 1–3 vs. Wenatchee Wild |
| 2009–10 | 58 | 32 | 19 | 7 | 71 | 198 | 178 | 1,393 | 2nd, West | Lost 1st Round, 0–3 vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs |
| 2010–11 | 58 | 32 | 22 | 4 | 68 | 193 | 173 | 1,479 | 3rd, West | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–3 vs. Wenatchee Wild |
| 2011–12 | 60 | 35 | 19 | 6 | 76 | 192 | 173 | 1,161 | 3rd, West | Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–3 vs. Wenatchee Wild |
| Johnstown Tomahawks | ||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 60 | 27 | 21 | 12 | 66 | 179 | 171 | 1343 | 5th, North | Lost Play-In Series, 1–2 vs. Port Huron Fighting Falcons |
| 2013–14 | 60 | 28 | 27 | 5 | 61 | 167 | 181 | 1130 | 4th, North | Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–3 vs. Port Huron Fighting Falcons |
| 2014–15 | 60 | 25 | 27 | 8 | 58 | 166 | 191 | 1167 | 5th, North | Did not qualify |
| 2015–16 | 60 | 31 | 24 | 5 | 67 | 197 | 200 | 1502 | 3rd of 4, East 12th of 22, NAHL |
Won Div. Semifinals, 3–0 vs. New Jersey Titans Lost Div. Finals, 0–3 vs. Aston Rebels |
| 2016–17 | 60 | 40 | 16 | 4 | 84 | 209 | 148 | 1502 | 2nd of 5, East 4th of 24, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–3 vs. New Jersey Titans |
| 2017–18 | 60 | 23 | 33 | 4 | 50 | 142 | 195 | 1136 | 5th of 5, East 20th of 23, NAHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2018–19 | 60 | 47 | 9 | 4 | 98 | 245 | 150 | 1029 | 1st of 6, East 1st of 24, NAHL |
Won Div. Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Northeast Generals Won Div. Finals, 3–2 vs. New Jersey Titans Lost Robertson Cup Semifinals, 1–2 vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs |
| 2019–20 | 51 | 34 | 13 | 4 | 72 | 185 | 140 | 755 | 2nd of 7, East 6th of 26, NAHL |
Season cancelled |
| 2020–21 | 54 | 39 | 10 | 5 | 83 | 220 | 144 | 876 | 1st of 6, East 2nd of 23, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–3 vs. Maryland Black Bears |
| 2021–22 | 60 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 74 | 225 | 148 | 797 | 2nd of 6, East 9th of 29, NAHL |
Lost Div. Semifinals, 2–3 vs. Jamestown Rebels |
| 2022–23 | 60 | 29 | 26 | 5 | 63 | 189 | 211 | 1312 | 5th of 7, East 21st of 29, NAHL |
Did not qualify |
| 2023-24 | 60 | 36 | 21 | 3 | 75 | 208 | 178 | 792 | 4th of 9th Eastern Division, 11th of 32 NAHL | Lost Div. Play-In, 0-2 vs. New Jersey Titans |
References
edit- ^ "OWNERSHIP GROUP". johnstowntomahawks.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "Dearborn Heights Nationals Statistics and History". HockeyDB. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ BartzFrontiersman, Jeremiah (27 August 2010). "BACK ON THE ICE". Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.
- ^ "Palmer Council approves ice arena upgrade: Mat-Su | adn.com". Archived from the original on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
- ^ "Alaska hockey team relocating to Johnstown". 24 April 2012.
- ^ "Cambria County War Memorial". Archived from the original on 2005-08-28. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ "North American Hockey League [1975-2022] history and statistics at hockeydb.com".
- ^ "North American Hockey League - standings | Pointstreak Sports Technologies".
External links
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