And the winner is….the Norskies.
That’s the name management selected for the Thief River Falls team that will begin play this fall as a Superior International Junior Hockey League expansion franchise.
After almost a year’s worth of preparation, final plans for the new Junior A team have been falling in place. Coming up with a name completes another piece of the puzzle.
“The ownership group of the Thief River Falls Junior A Hockey Club is extremely excited to announce our team has been named,” said general manager Kevin McCallum. “We are proud to have chosen a name that is different and exciting. We have a strong Norwegian presence in our community that we like to celebrate.”
Thief River Falls Norskies will join the existing SIJHL clubs that include the Minnesota Iron Rangers from Hoyt Lakes, and four Canadian teams located in Ontario: the Fort Frances Lakers, Thunder Bay North Stars, English River Miners and Dryden GM Ice Dogs.
The SIJHL plays under the supervision of Hockey Canada and the Canadian Junior Hockey League – a national organization comprised of all ten Junior A leagues in Canada covering 131 teams and nearly 3,000 players.
McCallum expects close to 100 players to be on hand when the Norskies’ try-out camp is held June 24-26 at the Huck Olson Memorial Civic Center. The roster size is set at 25.
The team will play its games at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
While the Norskies was not one of the suggestions submitted in a name-the-team contest that McCallum promoted among Thief River Falls elementary school students this spring, a prize promised to the winner will still be awarded. “Although the team did not select the name, it was our top choice from all of the school submissions and was strongly considered by the ownership group,” he noted. “In appreciation, this young student will be contacted and presented a team jersey at the home opener.”