Springfield Jr. Blues

The Springfield Jr. Blues are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's Midwest Division.[1] The team plays their home games at the Nelson Center in Springfield, Illinois.[2]

Springfield Jr. Blues
City	Springfield, Illinois
League	NAHL
Division	Midwest
Founded	1993
Home arena	Nelson Center
Colors	Navy, Gold
Owner(s)	Dan Ferguson
General manager	Tyler Rennette
Head coach	Tyler Rennette
Media	Hockey TV
Franchise history
1993–present	Springfield Jr. Blues

History

Founded by John D. O'Laughlin and Al Jennings, the franchise joined the North American Hockey League for the 1993–94 season.[3] Springfield had previously been home to multiple semi-pro teams the Springfield Kings and Springfield Capitols. The team has made numerous appearances in the NAHL playoffs and were back-to-back Robertson Cup National Championships in 1996 and 1997.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that curtailed the 2019–20 season, the Jr. Blues suspended operations for at least the 2020–21 season.[4][5]

Season-by-season records

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA	PIM	Finish
2004–05	56	30	25	1	61	207	200	1,509	5th, South Div.
2005–06	58	28	26	4	60	181	208	1,721	3rd, South Div.
2006–07	62	26	31	5	57	188	203	1,588	6th, Central Div.
2007–08	58	27	25	5	59	190	190	1,253	4th, Central Div.
2008–09	58	25	28	5	55	183	185	1,182	4th, South Div.
2009–10	56	21	29	8	50	163	193	921	4th, South Div.
2010–11	58	31	24	3	65	191	170	976	5th, North Div.
2011–12	60	31	27	2	64	202	190	1216	3rd, Midwest Div.
2012–13	60	26	30	4	56	159	181	907	6th, North Div.
2013–14	60	26	26	8	60	141	160	875	5th, North Div.
2014–15	60	23	31	6	52	126	184	815	6th, North Div.
2015–16	60	29	25	6	64	155	164	770	5th of 6, Midwest Div. 13th of 22, NAHL
2016–17	60	27	28	5	59	174	189	717	5th of 6, Midwest Div. 18th of 24, NAHL
2017–18	60	33	21	6	72	169	166	670	3rd of 6, Midwest Div. 9th of 23, NAHL
2018–19	60	33	22	5	71	192	177	901	3rd of 6, Midwest Div. 9th of 23, NAHL
2019–20	54	16	34	4	36	133	206	968	6th of 6, Midwest Div. 23rd of 26, NAHL Season cancelled

Playoff records

Season	GP	W	L	OTL	PTS	GF	GA	Round Results
2005	Did not qualify
2006	4	1	3	0	9	13	83	Lost 1st Round, 1–3 vs. Texarkana Bandits
2007	Did not qualify
2008	8	5	3	0	31	18	119	Won 1st Round, 3–0 vs. North Iowa Outlaws Lost 2nd Round, 2–3 vs. Alexandria Blizzard
2009	4	1	3	0	5	9	93	Lost 1st Round, 1–3 vs. St. Louis Bandits
2010	4	1	3	0	10	20	76	Lost 1st Round, 1–3 vs. Topeka RoadRunners
2011	Did not qualify
2012	9	4	5	0	18	26	155	Won Div. Semifinals, 3–2 vs. Janesville Jets Lost Div. Finals, 1–3 vs. St. Louis Bandits
2013	2	0	2	—	1	13	32	Lost Div. Play-in Round, 0–2 vs. Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings
2014	Did not qualify
2015	Did not qualify
2016	Did not qualify
2017	Did not qualify
2018	3	0	3	0	0	2	7	Lost Div. Semifinals, 0–3 vs. Janesville Jets
2019	4	1	3	0	2	10	18	Lost Div. Semifinals, 1–3 vs. Minnesota Magicians
2020	Season cancelled

References

1. "Jr. Blues skate on as Springfield's longest-operating sports franchise". sj-r.com. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
2. "The History of Hockey in Springfield". dexknows.com. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
3. "Junior Blues' finances 'better every year'". sj-r.com. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
4. "Springfield Jr. Blues suspend operations for 2020-21 season". NAHL. September 16, 2020.
5. Mahan, Ryan. "Springfield Jr. Blues cancel 20-21 season". The State Journal-Register. Retrieved 2020-12-21.

External links

• Official site