Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Watertown Wolves
The Watertown Wolves are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Watertown, New York, and play home games at the Watertown Municipal Arena. The team was on hiatus during the 2015–16 season while renovations at the Watertown Municipal Arena were completed and then returned for the 2016–17 season. With a history dating to 2010, the Wolves are the last original franchise in the FPHL.
The organization was one of the founding teams in the Federal Hockey League (FHL) and majority owned by Nicole Kirnan, the daughter of league commissioner Don Kirnan. The team was originally known as the 1000 Islands Privateers and played at the Bonnie Castle Recreation Center in Alexandria Bay, New York, for two seasons before moving to Watertown for the 2012–13 season. On March 1, 2013, Privateers' owner and president Nicole Kirnan served as the team's coach for the last five games of the season, making her the first woman to head coach a professional hockey team in the United States, when coach Paul Kelly returned to playing for the team.
Before the 2013–14 season, the Privateers revamped their identity by changing their name to the Watertown Privateers and redesigning their jerseys and logo. Brad Zangs was brought in as new head coach.
Watertown's FHL team returned for the 2014–15 with new ownership after the previous owners decided not to continue. The team rechristened itself as the Watertown Wolves during this season. In their first season, the Wolves won both the regular season and the playoffs championship. First-year head coach Brent Clarke was named FHL Coach of the Year, but resigned after the season.
The Wolves suspended operations for the 2015–16 season to allow for the Watertown Municipal Arena to be renovated; the team attempted to find another arena in northern New York, but were unable to find an available venue. The renovations were completed on schedule and the Wolves signed a new one-year lease agreement with the city of Watertown in order to return after one season off.
The Wolves returned for the 2016–17 season and hired Phil Esposito as head coach.
Prior to the 2017–18 season, the franchise was purchased by IDHL, LLC., a subsidiary of the FHL and an organization that had announced to be operating a developmental league as a feeder system for the FHL called the International Developmental Hockey League. The IDHL put off launching the new league to instead focus solely on operating the Wolves. The shareholders in Top Shelf Hockey eventually left the Wolves organization outright later in the offseason stating they had grown exhausted over the major financial and emotional investments they were making in the franchise.
The new owners did not retain Esposito as coach and instead hired Trevor Karasiewicz for the 2017–18 season, where he led the team to a league championship in his first season. After his second season, he left for the head coaching position with the Fresno Monsters, a junior team in the Western States Hockey League. Former Danville Dashers coach Paul MacLean was brought in as his replacement for the 2019–20 season. Also during the 2019 offseason, the league officially rebranded as the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2019–20 season, the regular season was curtailed and the playoffs were cancelled.
Hub AI
Watertown Wolves AI simulator
(@Watertown Wolves_simulator)
Watertown Wolves
The Watertown Wolves are a minor professional hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) based in Watertown, New York, and play home games at the Watertown Municipal Arena. The team was on hiatus during the 2015–16 season while renovations at the Watertown Municipal Arena were completed and then returned for the 2016–17 season. With a history dating to 2010, the Wolves are the last original franchise in the FPHL.
The organization was one of the founding teams in the Federal Hockey League (FHL) and majority owned by Nicole Kirnan, the daughter of league commissioner Don Kirnan. The team was originally known as the 1000 Islands Privateers and played at the Bonnie Castle Recreation Center in Alexandria Bay, New York, for two seasons before moving to Watertown for the 2012–13 season. On March 1, 2013, Privateers' owner and president Nicole Kirnan served as the team's coach for the last five games of the season, making her the first woman to head coach a professional hockey team in the United States, when coach Paul Kelly returned to playing for the team.
Before the 2013–14 season, the Privateers revamped their identity by changing their name to the Watertown Privateers and redesigning their jerseys and logo. Brad Zangs was brought in as new head coach.
Watertown's FHL team returned for the 2014–15 with new ownership after the previous owners decided not to continue. The team rechristened itself as the Watertown Wolves during this season. In their first season, the Wolves won both the regular season and the playoffs championship. First-year head coach Brent Clarke was named FHL Coach of the Year, but resigned after the season.
The Wolves suspended operations for the 2015–16 season to allow for the Watertown Municipal Arena to be renovated; the team attempted to find another arena in northern New York, but were unable to find an available venue. The renovations were completed on schedule and the Wolves signed a new one-year lease agreement with the city of Watertown in order to return after one season off.
The Wolves returned for the 2016–17 season and hired Phil Esposito as head coach.
Prior to the 2017–18 season, the franchise was purchased by IDHL, LLC., a subsidiary of the FHL and an organization that had announced to be operating a developmental league as a feeder system for the FHL called the International Developmental Hockey League. The IDHL put off launching the new league to instead focus solely on operating the Wolves. The shareholders in Top Shelf Hockey eventually left the Wolves organization outright later in the offseason stating they had grown exhausted over the major financial and emotional investments they were making in the franchise.
The new owners did not retain Esposito as coach and instead hired Trevor Karasiewicz for the 2017–18 season, where he led the team to a league championship in his first season. After his second season, he left for the head coaching position with the Fresno Monsters, a junior team in the Western States Hockey League. Former Danville Dashers coach Paul MacLean was brought in as his replacement for the 2019–20 season. Also during the 2019 offseason, the league officially rebranded as the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL). Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2019–20 season, the regular season was curtailed and the playoffs were cancelled.