April 11, 2024
Minnesota Wilderness acquires Minnesota Loons for relocation
The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) announced that it has approved the addition of the Minnesota Wilderness.
The Board of Governors approved Wilderness owner Barry Bowman's request to purchase the NA3HL's Minnesota Loons for relocation. The Loons, currently based in Breezy Point, Minn., will relocate to northeastern Minnesota and rebrand as the Minnesota Wilderness.
NAHL Commissioner: “We are excited about this new opportunity to continue to showcase players at the NA3HL level in Minnesota.” mark frankenfeld Said. “The Wilderness is a great franchise in his NAHL, and having an NA3HL team under the same umbrella will provide great advancement opportunities for our players.”
The NA3HL Wilderness will wear the same colors, logos, and uniforms as the Minnesota Wilderness team of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The Wilderness will begin play in the NA3HL's West Division, which includes four other Minnesota-based teams.
“We are excited to bring the NA3HL to northern Minnesota,” said Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL) General Manager dave boitz Said. “We believe that having another team in the region will give more players the opportunity to continue developing their games and prepare for the next level. Many of the talented players in the arena are not NAHL ready, so this will give those players an extra year or so where they may need to make the jump.”
The NA3HL Wilderness is expected to play in Evereth, Minnesota.
The Wilderness will begin building their roster immediately with the help of the NA3HL Draft scheduled for April 24th.
The NA3HL will enter its 14th season of operation during the 2024-25 season. It is the only Tier III junior hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey.
