The Central Illinois Flying Aces were a Tier I junior hockey team that played as a member of the United States Hockey League. Based in Bloomington, Illinois, the Flying Aces played their home games at the Grossinger Motors Arena, located in downtown Bloomington.
| Central Illinois Flying Aces | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Bloomington, Illinois |
| League | United States Hockey League |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Folded | 2019 |
| Home arena | Grossinger Motors Arena |
| Colors | Red, navy, light blue, white |
| Owner(s) | CSH International Inc. |
| General manager | Mike Watt |
| Head coach | Mike Watt |
| Media | WJBC-FM (93.7 FM) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2014–2017 | Bloomington Thunder |
| 2017–2019 | Central Illinois Flying Aces |
History edit
From 2006 to 2014, Bloomington was home to various minor league professional hockey teams in the International Hockey League (IHL), Central Hockey League (CHL) and then the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL). The SPHL's Bloomington Thunder folded in April 2014 when new owners obtained the expansion rights to a Tier I junior team in the United States Hockey League.[1] The new Bloomington USHL team obtained the rights to the name from the previous teams and became the Bloomington Thunder.[2] Initially they kept the SPHL team's logo but rolled out a new logo and color scheme at the USHL Draft.
In 2017, the team rebranded and became the Central Illinois Flying Aces.[3] On February 28, 2019, the Flying Aces announced they will suspend operations for at least the 2019–20 season.[4]
Logo history edit
-
Bloomington Thunder primary logo -
Bloomington Thunder alternate logo
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "USHL Approves Expansion to Bloomington, Illinois". USHL. April 4, 2014. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ "USHL conditionally accepts Bloomington team". The Pantagraph. April 1, 2014.
- ^ "It's Official: Thunder Hockey Team Becomes Flying Aces". WGLT. August 24, 2017.
- ^ "Statement on Central Illinois Flying Aces". USHL. February 28, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2019.