Amarillo Bulls | |
---|---|
City | Amarillo, Texas |
League | NAHL |
Division | South |
Founded | 2008 |
Home arena | Amarillo Civic Center |
Colors | Scarlet Red, Navy Blue, and Gold |
Owner(s) | Consolidated Sports Holdings USA, Inc. (Bill Yuill, CEO; Gary Gelinas, President) |
General manager | Rick Matchett (2013–14) |
Head coach | Matt Nicholson (2015–16) |
Media | Denis Puska |
Franchise history | |
2008–2010 | Albert Lea Thunder |
2010–present | Amarillo Bulls |
Championships | |
Playoff championships |
Robertson Cup 1 (2012–13) |
The Amarillo Bulls are a Tier II junior ice hockey team based out of Amarillo, Texas. A member of the North American Hockey League's South Division, the team plays their home games in the Amarillo Civic Center.
The franchise joined the NAHL as the Albert Lea Thunder, located in Albert Lea, Minnesota in 2008. During the second season, issues with ownership forced the league to step in to keep the team playing. On May 11, 2010, it was reported that the team had found new owners and would relocate to Texas for the 2010–11 season. Their franchise and roster was officially sold to the Amarillo, TX ownership on May 26, 2010. On June 18, 2010 the team announced the new name, logo and colors of the team after a name-the-team contest.
The team announced the new coach as Denis Williams, former NCAA Division I coach at Bowling Green. On May 13, 2013, the Bulls captured their first Robertson Cup Championship defeating the Wenatchee Wild 5-0 in the championship game. Following the 2013–14 season Coach Williams was named as the head coach of the expansion Bloomington Thunder of the United States Hockey League, a Tier I team and a recent addition to the Consolidated Sports Holdings portfolio.