PUEBLO – Are you ready for some hockey in Pueblo? City council heard a proposal Tuesday night from a group wanting to start a WSHL Tier II Junior hockey team – the Pueblo Bulls – in the 2019 season.
Team owner Jerry Wilhite was joined by coaches Chris Wilhite, Tyler Tuneberg and David Nelson while making their pitch to city council.
According to Pueblo City Council President Chris Nicoll, the group isn’t asking for any monetary incentives as they plan to make improvements to the Pueblo Plaza Ice Arena.
The group will begin a recruitment tour in Minnesota. The team is expected to start play in 2019.
READ MORE: News5’s Sam Kraemer talks with Bulls owner and coach
Pueblo City Council President Chris Nicoll was excited to announce the news overnight.
A big announcement in Pueblo tonight. WSHL Tier II Junior hockey is coming to Pueblo! The Pueblo Bulls Hockey Team presented their plans to locate to our city at tonight’s city council meeting! A great opportunity for Pueblo. pic.twitter.com/7iAoRMC2Pu
— Chris Nicoll (@Chris_Nicoll) September 18, 2018
The WSHL, or Western States Hockey League, boasts teams in 5 Divisions with 23 teams from Dallas to Seattle and down to San Diego.
There are already two teams in Colorado, but in different divisions – the Northern Colorado Eagles of Greeley and Steamboat Wranglers of Steamboat Springs.
The league features players ages 17 to 20 who are looking to play organized hockey while developing their skills and hopefully earn a college scholarship to play.
Games for the 2018-2019 season get underway at the end of this month with play ending in mid-March.
Teams in the Mountain Division for 2018-2019:
Wilhite owns FCSI (Find Security in Compliance), a Colorado Springs-based business that works within the restaurant industry to assist in their operations.
