Connecticut Oilers | |
---|---|
City | Norwalk, Connecticut |
League | Eastern Hockey League |
Division | Premier - South Division |
Founded | 1996 |
Home arena | SoNo Icehouse |
Colors | Green, Black, Gray, and White |
Owner(s) | Ryan Hughes Jacques de Saint Phalle |
General manager | Eric Lind |
Head coach | Eric Lind |
Franchise history | |
1996–2012 | Capital District Selects |
2012–present | Connecticut Oilers |
Championships | |
Playoff championships | 2014–15 |
The Connecticut Oilers are a Junior Tier III ice hockey team from Norwalk, Connecticut playing in the Eastern Hockey League (EHL).
The Oilers organization also have youth teams, ranging from age groups of 6 to 16-years-old, and compete in the Atlantic Youth Hockey League (AYHL).
The franchise was initially founded as the Capital District Selects playing out of Troy, New York. After several seasons as an independent midget team, the CD Selects joined the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL) in 1998 as a part-time member, joining full-time in 1999. The team was owned and coached by former RPI coach Jim Salfi. Since the 2002–03 season, the Selects played in the Eastern Junior Hockey League's "South" Division, until the Boston Junior Shamrocks were sold and moved to Philadelphia which moved the Selects to the "North" Division.
In 2012 the team was sold and relocated to Norwalk, Connecticut and renamed the Connecticut Oilers. During the summer of 2013 there was a strong effort to re-organize Tier III junior hockey in north eastern United States resulting in the Oilers moving to the Atlantic Junior Hockey League. On June 6, 2013 the AJHL became the EHL.
The Oilers would have their best season in 2014–15 and won the EHL playoffs and league championship. Winning the league championship would normally qualify the team for the 2015 USA Hockey Tier III National Championships, however due to a clerical error with a pair of the Oilers' import player's paperwork, the runner-up Northern Cyclones represented the EHL. Due to these circumstances, the EHL would later void their playoff championship and claim a "vacant" playoff champion for that season.