The 2015–16 NAHL season was the 32nd season of the North American Hockey League. The regular season ran from September 2015 to April 2016 with a 60-game schedule for each team. The Fairbanks Ice Dogs won the regular season championship and went on to defeat the Wichita Falls Wildcats 2–0 in the championship game to capture the Robertson Cup.
Member changes After the NAHL assumed control of the Keystone Ice Miners in the middle of the previous season, the franchise was suspended at the conclusion of the year.
In early March, the Michigan Warriors announced that they would be relocating after their lease with the Perani Arena and Event Center would not be renewed for this season. After failing to find a new home venue, the team suspended operations.
In May, The NAHL approved the addition of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights to the league. At the time, the team was an active member of the Eastern Hockey League, however, as part of the agreement, they purchased the franchise rights to the dormant Dawson Creek Rage. Rather than operate teams in both leagues, the Knights moved their Tier III club to the North American 3 Hockey League. Despite the move, the Tier III club suspended play for two years before reappearing in the EHL in 2017.
After the 2014–15 season, the Soo Eagles announced that they would be leaving the NAHL due to the loss of all other regional teams over the past few years (including the Michigan Warriors). The Eagles sold their franchise rights to the New Jersey Junior Titans youth organization which was moved to Middletown, New Jersey.
Lewiston, Maine had been approved for an expansion team for this season, however, the prospective owner withdrew his bid due to a lack of preparation time with the intention of reapplying later.
In early June, the Wenatchee Wild announced that they would be leaving the NAHL for the British Columbia Hockey League. The club cited a reduction in travel expenses as their primary concern.
On the same day, news broke that the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees would soon be moving to Aston, Pennsylvania. In response, the Bees' home city announced that unless the team's president could not keep the club in Hidalgo, Texas, the franchise would cease operations for the next season. Ultimately, however, the NAHL approved the relocation and the franchise became the Aston Rebels.
Regular season
The standings at the end of the regular season were as follows:
Note: x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched regular season title Standings Central Division
Team xy – Bismarck Bobcats 603719478185153 x – Minot Minotauros 603519676185158 x – Austin Bruins 602927462181168 x – Brookings Blizzard 602529656149200 Minnesota Magicians 602428856164198 Aberdeen Wings 6022271155131171
East Division
Team xy – Aston Rebels 603521474196146 x – New Jersey Titans 603422472187156 x – Johnstown Tomahawks 603124567197200 x – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights 6022281054159232
Midwest Division
Team xyz – Fairbanks Ice Dogs 604983101251116 x – Janesville Jets 603518777181150 x – Minnesota Wilderness 603418876183161 x – Coulee Region Chill 603326167177165 Springfield Jr. Blues 602925664155164 Kenai River Brown Bears 60451513109292
South Division
Team xy – Wichita Falls Wildcats 604411593224141 x – Lone Star Brahmas 603912987186136 x – Topeka RoadRunners 603424270190154 x – Odessa Jackalopes 602729458185218 Corpus Christi IceRays 602529656139170 Amarillo Bulls 601343430133218
Statistics Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in regular season points at the completion of all regular season games.
Player Team Todd Burgess Fairbanks Ice Dogs 60 38 57 95 52 Ryner Gorowsky Fairbanks Ice Dogs 59 28 55 83 84 Hampus Sjodahl Odessa Jackalopes 60 35 34 69 34 Logan Coomes Fairbanks Ice Dogs 56 25 40 65 71 Derek Brown Odessa Jackalopes 60 14 50 64 28 Tyler Tomberlin Fairbanks Ice Dogs 59 17 46 63 20 Austin Albrecht Wichita Falls Wildcats 58 26 34 60 94 Gilbert Gabor Austin Bruins 55 21 37 58 149 Andrew Romano Johnstown Tomahawks 60 17 39 56 14 Luke Lynch Johnstown Tomahawks 57 29 27 56 116
Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Mins = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime losses; SOL = Shootout losses; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage
Player Team GP Mins W L OTL SOL GA SV SV% GAA Gavin Nieto Fairbanks Ice Dogs 39 2350:36 33 5 1 0 67 864 .923 1.71 Hunter Shepard Bismarck Bobcats 50 2932:11 34 11 1 2 93 1,239 .925 1.90 Corbin Kaczperski Lone Star Brahmas 39 2210:02 25 6 2 2 73 728 .900 1.98 Justin Kapelmaster Wichita Falls Wildcats 46 2618:30 33 8 2 1 90 1,106 .919 2.06 C. J. Boothe Fairbanks Ice Dogs 18 1084:47 13 3 2 0 39 432 .910 2.16
Robertson Cup playoffs Teams are reseeded prior to the semifinal round based upon regular season records.
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)
Division Semifinals
Central Division
(C1) Bismarck Bobcats vs. (C4) Brookings Blizzard
(C2) Minot Minotauros vs. (C3) Austin Bruins
East Division
(E1) Aston Rebels vs. (E4) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights
(E2) New Jersey Titans vs. (E3) Johnstown Tomahawks
Midwest Division
(MW1) Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. (MW4) Coulee Region Chill
(MW2) Janesville Jets vs. (MW3) Minnesota Wilderness
South Division
(S1) Wichita Falls Wildcats vs. (S4) Odessa Jackalopes
(S2) Lone Star Brahmas vs. (S3) Topeka RoadRunners
Division Finals
Central Division
(C1) Bismarck Bobcats vs. (C2) Austin Bruins
East Division
(E1) Aston Rebels vs. (E3) Johnstown Tomahawks
Midwest Division
(MW1) Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. (MW3) Minnesota Wilderness
South Division
(S1) Wichita Falls Wildcats vs. (S3) Topeka RoadRunners
Semifinals
(MW1) Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. (E1) Aston Rebels
(S1) Wichita Falls Wildcats vs. (C1) Bismarck Bobcats
Robertson Cup Final
(MW1) Fairbanks Ice Dogs vs. (S1) Wichita Falls Wildcats
References
NAHL reference
External links Official website of the North American Hockey League