Abracadabra: Magicians Land In Richfield

Hey, did you hear there's a new junior hockey team in Richfield? And did you know the NAHL's Minnesota Magicians aren't half bad, especially considering they're a first-year expansion team? 

Never heard of them you say? What's junior hockey? What's the NAHL? Who are the Magicians? Let me tell you. 

What's junior hockey?
Junior hockey is an extra level between high school and college hockey that doesn't really exist in other sports, where athletes go straight from high school to college. Junior hockey players are between the ages of 16 and 20 and their dream is to one day play Division I college hockey.

What's the NAHL? 
Within junior hockey, there are three tiers of play in the U.S.: The only Tier I league is the United States Hockey League (USHL); the North American Hockey League (NAHL) is the lone Tier II league in the U.S. There are dozens of other junior hockey leagues in the U.S., and all of them are Tier III. 

The NAHL started as a regional league in the Midwest in 1975. Today the league has 24 teams spread across 11 states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, Alaska, Kansas and Texas.

What about the Magicians?
The Minnesota Magicians are one of two new Minnesota teams in the NAHL this season. Sort of. The Magicians are a true expansion team, while their northern neighbors -- the Minnesota Wilderness, which are based in Cloquet -- are technically a relocated team that was formerly known as the St. Louis Bandits. 

The addition of the Magicians and Wilderness gives Minnesota three teams in the NAHL. The third is the Austin Bruins, which joined the league in 2010.

Are they any good? 
So far the Magicians (6-4-1) have 13 points, which is 17th-best in the 24-team league. But they have played the fewest games of any team in the league (11), and if they can stay on their current pace of a little more than one point per game, they should be in the hunt for a playoff spot all season long. 

But don't take my word for it. Go check the team out yourself. It's great entertainment for about the same price as a ticket to the movies. The Magicians are back in action this Saturday night, Oct. 26, when they host the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at Richfield Ice Arena.