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Established in 1993, the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) is an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)-sanctioned, junior ice hockey league. The WSHL was previously sanctioned by USA Hockey from 1994–2011. The 2015–16 regular season features 29 teams (up from 28 the previous season after adding the Vancouver Rangers) competing across four divisions, all playing a 52-game regular season schedule, which mimics what players would experience at the collegiate level. This is the first season operating as a UHU-sanctioned Tier II league. ==History== Year one consisted of six teams, spanning Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, with all member clubs playing a 30-game schedule operating as Tier III Junior B teams. The Anaheim Jr. Ducks won the first-ever Thorne Cup Championship that year and is the only franchise from the inaugural season still in existence, now operating as the Long Beach Bombers. Current Commissioner Ron White took over operation of the WSHL in 1995 and continued to expand it over time eventually growing to the current 28 teams stretching across 14 states, making it the second largest junior hockey league in North America. In 2007 the WSHL upgraded their league status from the Tier III Junior B level to Junior A to attract higher quality prospects. In 2011 the league would join the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and dropped its USA Hockey sanctioning〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=WSHL, AAU Official Release )〕 leading to the loss of its most successful franchise, the Phoenix Polar Bears, while adding many new teams. After the WSHL's success without USA Hockey, the United Hockey Union was formed under the AAU sanctioning along with the Northern States Hockey League (NSHL) and the Midwest Junior Hockey League (MWJHL). The UHU leagues continued to operate with Tier III Junior A player requirements. In 2015, the WSHL Board of Governors announced the approval of the league to start competing as a Tier II-level player league for a higher caliber of play beginning in the 2015–16 season. Prior to the announcement the only Tier II-level league in the United States was the North American Hockey League. However, unlike the USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II NAHL, the UHU-sanctioned WSHL will operate similar to the Canadian Junior Hockey League's Junior "A" status and continue to charge player tuition to help pay for team travel expenses.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=WSHL to Become Tier II Hockey League )〕 As part of the approval to Tier II status, the Board of Governors also announced the formation of the Western Prospects League (WPL), a UHU approved Tier III development league for the WSHL.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=WSHL to Become Tier II Hockey League Share )〕 In its first season (2015–16), the WPL played with four Tier III prospect teams under Tier II organizations with occasional games against non-WSHL affiliated teams. The WSHL has had numerous teams attend and win the USA Hockey National Championship over the years and most recently, the El Paso Rhinos were crowned the United Hockey Union National Champions in 2014. The WSHL has had great success in moving players on to the college hockey ranks through the “Western States Shootout”, an annual all-league showcase held every December in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event averages in excess of 80 scouts in attendance, all of whom are looking to bolster their roster for the following season. 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「Western States Hockey League」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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