Since the success of Da Beauty League in Minnesota, a summer league featuring plenty of NHL talent during their offseason, other summer professional leagues have started to pop up. Today saw the launch of the Chicago Pro Hockey League (CPHL) which will take place in Chicago this summer and include more than 80 players from professional leagues across North America.
In their press release, the league states that Vinnie Hinostroza, Nick Schmaltz, Jordan Oesterle, Connor Carrick, Ryan Hartman, Tommy Wingels, Christian Fischer, Ryan Dzingel, T.J. Tynan, Robbie Russo, Alex Broadhurst, Garret Sparks, Christian Dvorak, Anders Bjork, Tommy Di Pauli and Louis Belpedio will all be a part of the inaugural season.
Leagues like this are often a good proving ground for junior or NCAA prospects, as well as a chance for fans to see their favorite players for a lower price. The season begins on July 11th, and tickets will cost just five dollars. Games will be held at the Chicago Blackhawks’ practice facility, and a portion of the proceeds are given to charity each week.
You have to love things like this! No huge names but some solid NHL contributors like Wingels, Carrick, Hartman.
Chicago doesn’t have quite the pool of talent that Minnesota and the DBL does (Boeser, Byfuglien, McDonagh, Mittelstadt, Lee, Okposo, Oshie, Parise, Schmidt, Van Riemsdyk and on and on played last season) but it should still be able to ice some incredible hockey players.