Southern Professional Hockey League The Southern Professional Hockey League ( SPHL ) is a low - level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte , North Carolina , with teams located in the southeastern United States . History . The SPHL ' s history traces back to three other short - lived leagues . The Atlantic Coast Hockey League started play in the 2002 – 03 season . After its only season , the ACHL dissolved with member teams forming the nucleus for two rival leagues , the South East Hockey League and the World Hockey Association 2 . After one season the SEHL and WHA2 disbanded , with their surviving teams rejoining with two expansion teams to form the SPHL , commencing with the 2004 – 05 season . The league ' s initial season consisted of eight teams , the Asheville Aces , Columbus Cottonmouths , Fayetteville FireAntz , Huntsville Havoc , Jacksonville Barracudas , Knoxville Ice Bears , Macon Trax , and the Winston - Salem Polar Twins . The Asheville , Macon , and Winston - Salem franchises folded after the 2004 - 05 season . The league added the Pee Dee Cyclones based out of Florence , South Carolina and the Florida Seals for the 2005 - 06 season . The Seals were originally based out of Orlando and then moved to Kissimmee before playing . The 2006 - 07 season saw the addition of the Richmond Renegades . The Florida Seals were folded by the league on January 5 , 2007 . The 2007 - 08 season had the Pee Dee Cyclones relocating to Winston - Salem and were renamed the Twin City Cyclones . Prior to the 2008 - 09 season the Jacksonville Barracudas suspended operations . The franchise would be formally disolved in 2010 . In 2009 , the SPHL saw a large expansion as three new franchises in Biloxi , Mississippi , Lafayette , Louisiana and Pensacola , Florida , all three of which were former ECHL markets within the past five years that produced competitive teams , each of which either won the league ' s championship or regular season title . The league also lost the Richmond Renegades and the Twin City Cyclones both of which folded . The Augusta RiverHawks joined the league for the 2010 - 11 season . For the 2011 – 12 season , the league added 2 - time Central Hockey League champions , the Mississippi RiverKings . The league was also supposed to add the Bossier - Shreveport Mudbugs from the Central Hockey League , but they folded prior to playing in the SPHL . For the 2013 - 14 season the league added the Peoria Rivermen to the league , replacing the city ' s departed American Hockey League franchise . The league also added the Bloomington Blaze from the Central Hockey League , however the franchise was renamed the Bloomington Thunder after legal action by the CHL over the use of the Blaze nickname . The Augusta RiverHawks were forced to it out the 2013 - 14 season due to a malfunction of the ice system at the James Brown Arena in late February that forced the RiverHawks to play the remainder of their home games at their practice facility . After 2013 - 14 season the Mississippi Surge announced that they would be suspending operations indefinitely . The Bloomington Thunder terminated their membership in the league to make way for a team in the USHL , with the same name which was awarded April 15 , 2014 . Published reports in June indicated that a new ownership group was trying to put together a new franchise to take the place of the Surge in the Mississippi Coast Coliseum , possibly in time for the 2014 - 15 season . The new ownership came together in mid - July of 2014 , but they have deferred to start play until the 2015 - 16 season After sitting out the 2013 - 14 season , and negotiations with arena management at an impasse the ownership off the Augusta Riverhawks found a new home in Macon , Georgia signing a 5 year lease on June 25 , 2014 to play at the Macon Coliseum and being renamed the Macon Mahyhem starting with the 2015 - 16 season . On Ocotober 20 , 2015 the league announced that the franchise rights for the former Mississippi Surge had been sold to Breakaway Sports and Entertainment , LLC and would be relocated to the Berglund Center in Roanoke , Virginia . The team will take to the ice for the 2016 - 17 season . The team announced it would be called the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs . The Evansville IceMen of the ECHL announced they would relocate to Owensboro , Kentucky for the 2016 - 17 season . The team needed to put in extensive repairs to the arena that they will be playing in the Owensboro Sports Center . The team later decided to take the 2016 - 17 season off in order to complete the renovations . The ownership of the arena in Evansville immediately began working on obtaining an expansion franchise in the Southern Professional Hockey League which came to fruition on March 16th . On May 16 , 2016 the Louisiana IceGators organization announced that the team would be suspending operations due to renovations at the Cajundome . The renovations are scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2016 ; and limited dates were available during the month of December . The team looked at several options including playing the first two plus months on the road or using an other venue in Louisiana for their home games . The team ' s management concluded " at this time suspending operations for this season would be the best route to take . " Key rule differences . As per minor leagues , there are some rule differences between the SPHL and the NHL ( and even the ECHL and AHL , the two official developmental leagues regulated by the Professional Hockey Players Association ) . Champions . Regular season . William B . Coffey Trophy . Originally known as the Commissioner ' s Cup , the regular season trophy was renamed in honor of league co - founder William B . Coffey during the 2007 – 08 season .