Anchorage is getting a North American Hockey League team that will play in the same division as the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and Kenai River Brown Bears.
The league said in a statement Monday that it has approved the membership application for a team that will be called the Anchorage Wolverines. The Wolverines will begin play in the 2021-22 season, according to the NAHL.
The NAHL is a Tier II junior hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey, with more than two dozen teams in 17 states. Players are typically 16 to 20 years old and do not receive a salary. Players from out of town typically board with families who volunteer to host them.
The ownership group for the Wolverines includes Aaron Schutt, Ryan Binkley, Kai Binkley Sims, John Ellsworth Jr. and Jay Frawner. Binkley and Sims are part of the Binkley Co., which also owns the Anchorage Daily News.