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The North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL) is an American Tier III junior ice hockey league that consists of 34 teams from Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Sanctioned by USA Hockey, the winner of the NA3HL playoffs advance to play for the Tier III National Championship. ==History== Originally formed in the early 1970s as a Junior B-level league known as the Central States Hockey League (CSHL), the league evolved into the ''Metro Detroit Junior Hockey League'' in the early 1980s. The CSHL name was used again from 1994 until 2010. The league was reclassified from Tier III Junior B to Tier III Junior A in the summer of 2007 by USA Hockey. During the 2008–09 season, it was announced that the Pittsburgh Jr. Penguins would join the CSHL for the 2009–10 season, bringing the number of teams to 13. The league returned to 12 teams for 2010–11, as the Dubuque Thunderbirds franchise folded to make way for the return of the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the United States Hockey League. On November 1, 2010, it was announced that the North American Hockey League would take control of the CSHL. The NAHL-CSHL affiliation allows for a more structured Junior hockey system to provide athletes with more opportunities to advance to college and pro hockey. At the time of the take over the league was renamed to the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). In May 2011, it was announced that the Granite City Lumberjacks, Minnesota Flying Aces, (North Iowa Bulls ) and the Twin City Steel would join the league beginning with the 2011–12 season bringing the total number of teams in the NA3HL to 16. In March 2013, the NA3HL announced that its Board of Governors has accepted the membership application for the Chicago Jr. Bulldogs, which began play in the NA3HL during the 2013–14 season. Owned by Ken Kestas, the Bulldogs played home games out of Canlan Ice Sports in Romeoville, Illinois. Quad City Jr. Flames (Davenport, Iowa) relocated to Madison, Wisconsin in May 2013 and were renamed the Wisconsin Whalers. In May 2014, the Flint Jr. Generals were purchased and relocated to La Crosse, Wisconsin and renamed the La Crosse Freeze. The NA3HL announced that the Texas Jr. Brahmas would transfer from the Western States Hockey League and join the South Division. The expansion Nashville Jr. Predators and Point Mallard Ducks (Decatur, AL) also joined the South Division bringing its total up to six teams.〔 The American West Hockey League moved to the NA3HL to form new Frontier Division. The Battle Creek Revolution announced it was re-branding as the West Michigan Wolves. The Michigan Mountain Cats were sold and relocated to Jamestown, NY, and called the Southern Tier Xpress. In April 2015, the NA3HL announced an expansion team in Evansville, Indiana, called the Thunderbolts, to play in the South Division beginning in the 2015–16 season. On May 21–22 of 2015, two additional expansion teams were announced: Rochester Ice Hawks, a member of the former Minnesota Junior Hockey League, was added the West Division,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=NA3HL approves expansion membership to Rochester Ice Hawks )〕 and the Louisiana Drillers playing out of Lafayette, Louisiana was added to the South Division.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=NA3HL approves expansion membership to Louisiana Drillers )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「North American 3 Hockey League」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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