St. Louis Bandits

St. Louis Bandits
City Chesterfield, Missouri
League NAHL
Division Midwest
Founded 2003
Home arena Hardee's Iceplex
Colors Blue, black, and white
Owner(s) Michael J. Brooks, Brett Hull, Scott McCuaig, Ben Bishop, Sr., Jeff Cooper and Kelly Chase.
General manager Kelly Chase
Head coach Jeff Brown
Media B2 Networks
Franchise history
2003–2006 Texarkana Bandits
2006–2012 St. Louis Bandits
2013–present Minnesota Wilderness
Championships
Division Championships 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11

The St. Louis Bandits were a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). The team played their home games at the 2,200-seat Hardee's Iceplex (previously Summit Center) in Chesterfield, Missouri.[1] Owners of the St. Louis Bandits include former St. Louis Blues Kelly Chase as well as Scott McCuaig, Ben Bishop, Jr., Jeff Cooper, Michael J. Brooks, and Jon Cooper.[2]

In the Spring of 2013, their franchise rights were sold to the ownership group of the Minnesota Wilderness.

History

The franchise joined the North American Hockey League for the 2003–04 season as the Texarkana Bandits. The team played in Texarkana from 2003 until the summer of 2006 when the team moved to the Greater St. Louis Metro Area.[3] The team moved to the Summit Center in Chesterfield, Missouri, filling the void left when the St. Louis Heartland Eagles of the USHL ceased operations at the end of the 2005 season. In 2007 & 2008, head coach and general manager Jon Cooper coached the team to back-to-back Robertson Cup National Championships.

The team has made appearances in the NAHL playoff rounds each of their five years in the NAHL. In 2007 they claimed the South Division title and in 2008 claimed the North Division title. The Bandits moved back to the South Division for the 2008–09 season. They once again moved to the Central Division for the 2010–11 season. The team hosted the Robertson Cup Championships at the Hardee's IcePlex in May 2008 where they became back-to-back National Championships. The 2008–09 season the Bandits headed to Mason City, Iowa for the Robertson Cup Championships and yet again took home the most coveted award in the NAHL. The three-peat was clinched with a 3–2 overtime win against the West Division Champion, Wenatchee Wild.[4]

After going dormant in 2012, the Bandits' franchise rights were sold to the ownership of the Minnesota Wilderness of Cloquet, Minnesota in the Spring of 2013.

Season records

Regular season

The Bandits 2011.
The Bandits 2010.
Season GP W L OTL PTS GF GA PIM Finish
Texarkana Bandits
2003–04 56 30 24 0 63 167 181 1,727 4th, South Division
2004–05 56 36 15 0 77 218 153 1,329 2nd, South Division
2005–06 58 42 14 2 86 240 145 1,258 2nd, South Division
St. Louis Bandits
2006–07 62 43 14 5 91 228 153 1,437 1st, South Division
2007–08 58 47 9 2 96 250 149 1,429 1st, North Division
2008–09 58 42 9 7 91 213 119 1,228 1st, South Division
2009–10 58 44 11 3 91 211 125 1,103 2nd, South Division
2010–11 58 41 13 4 86 215 120 764 1st, North Division
2011–12 60 42 15 3 87 239 148 810 1st, Midwest Division

Playoffs

Season GP W L OTL GF GA PIM Finish
Texarkana Bandits
2004 Statistics Not Available Lost in 1st round
2005 9 4 5 0 25 27 226 Lost in 2nd round
2006 8 3 5 0 20 28 196 Lost in 2nd round
St. Louis Bandits
2007 12 9 3 0 53 34 180 League Champions
2008 11 9 1 1 47 25 205 League Champions
2009 13 10 3 0 38 19 182 League Champions
2010 14 7 7 0 38 37 190 5th place/Nationals
2011 10 5 5 0 23 20 92 Lost in 2nd round
2012 13 10 2 1 44 20 91 Lost Robertson Cup Final to Texas Tornado

On-ice successes

The team had seen many successes since the Bandits began in 2003. In their first season in the league the team was the only expansion team to make the playoffs and would continue to make the playoffs every season. In May 2007 the St. Louis Bandits became NAHL champions and Tier II Junior A Hockey National Champions. The Bandits remained strong for the 2007–08 season and won back-to-back Robertson Cup Champions when they hosted it at the Hardee's IcePlex in May 2008.[5] In 2009, the Bandits kept the winning tradition alive by capturing the Robertson Cup for a third consecutive season when St. Louis beat the Wenatchee Wild in the championship game by a score of 3-2 with an overtime goal by Clinton Bourbonais.[6]

NHL Draftees

The Olympic Arena.
Player Seasons Year Drafted NHL Team Current Team
Pat Maroon 05–06, 06–07 2007 Draft Philadelphia FlyersAnaheim Ducks, (AHL).
Trent Vogelhuber06–07 2007 Draft Columbus Blue JacketsMiami University, (CCHA)
Erik Condra 03–04 2006 Draft Ottawa Senators Notre Dame University,(CCHA)
Ryan Turek03–04 2006 Draft St. Louis BluesMichigan State University, (CCHA)
Kyle Lawson03–04 2005 Draft Carolina HurricanesFlorida Everblades,(ECHL)
John Ramage07–08 2010 Draft Calgary FlamesUniversity of Wisconsin,(WCHA)
Bandits Bench.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.hardees.com/company/releases/hardees-buying-naming-rights-to-the-summit-center/
  2. ↑ http://blues.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=tea_fro_chase
  3. ↑ http://thehockeywriters.com/whatever-it-takes-flyers-prospect-patrick-maroon/
  4. ↑ http://www.robertsoncup.com/news/story.cfm?id=1005
  5. ↑ http://www.robertsoncup.com/news/story.cfm?id=484
  6. ↑ http://www.robertsoncup.com/news/story.cfm?id=1005
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