The Defending North American Hockey League South Division Playoff Champion NM Ice Wolves Prepare for Upcoming Season at Outpost Ice Arenas in Albuquerque, NM
Home Opener is on Friday and Saturday, September 23-24, 2022 at 6:30pm MT Against South Division Rival Odessa Jackalopes
(Albuquerque, NM) Tuesday, August 30, 2022 – The New Mexico Ice Wolves® today announced that the team has arrived for training camp as it prepares to kick off the 2022-2023 season, the team’s fourth in the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Following a record-breaking season that saw the team earn its first ever NAHL South Division Playoff Championship with two thrilling five game playoff series victories to earn a trip to the Robertson Cup National Championship in Blaine, MN where the team lost to the New Jersey Titans in a three-game series with two of three games going into overtime.
As part of training camp, the team will travel to North Richland Hills, Texas for pre-season games against the Shreveport Mudbugs and the Lone Star Brahmas on Sunday through Tuesday, September 4-6 prior to the initial roster being set. The NM Ice Wolves will begin their regular season at the 19th annual NAHL Showcase September 14-17, 2022 at the Super Rink in Blaine, MN. The NM Ice Wolves will play their first four games at the Showcase starting on Wednesday, September 14, 2022 in a game that features the defending South and Central Division Playoff Champions NM Ice Wolves and the St. Cloud Norsemen. While at the Showcase, the team will also play the Fairbanks Ice Dogs, New Jersey Titans and Maryland Black Bears.
To kick off their home season, the NM Ice Wolves return to Albuquerque to host South Division rival Odessa Jackalopes on Friday, September 23, 2022 at 6:30pm MT and Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 6:30pm MT with both games at Outpost Ice Arenas.
Full season, Flex Plan partial season and single game tickets are available for purchase at tickets.nmicewolves.com. Season ticket holders receive a guaranteed seat for 27 NM Ice Wolves home games in the regular season, priority access to playoff tickets and priority renewal. Season tickets start at $337.50 for reserved front row bleacher seats, $405 for all other bleacher seats and $742.50 for stadium chairback seats. A payment plan that is available for season ticket purchases when finalizing purchase. For accessible and companion seating please contact tickets@nmicewolves.com.
The team has two hospitality suites that are available with catering on a single game basis. Anyone interested in reserving a suite for a group or special event can contact tickets@nmicewolves.com for more information.
The NM Ice Wolves will look to build on their record setting 2021-2022 season that saw the team earn its first ever NAHL South Division Playoff Championship title along with NAHL season honors in which NM Ice Wolves Head Coach Phil Fox was named 2021-2022 NAHL Coach of the Year and Team Owner Stan Hubbard was named 2021-2022 NAHL Executive of the Year. The NM Ice Wolves finished the regular season with a franchise record 38 wins followed by two thrilling playoff series wins and a berth in the Robertson Cup National Championships. In addition, ten NM Ice Wolves players have made NCAA D1 and NCAA D3 commitments during the 2021-2022 season. Fox was also the head coach of the South Division team at the 2022 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. The coaching and executive honors followed the team being named the NAHL South Division Organization of the Year with Forward Dillan Bentley named to the All-South Division Team. This was the second time in team history the NM Ice Wolves were named the South Division Organization of the Year honor after being given the honor in the team’s inaugural season in 2019-2020.
Going into the 2022-23 season the NM Ice Wolves have a great lineup of returning players and will look to defend their South Division title and make a return trip to the Robertson Cup. Some of the key names among the returning players include forwards Sully Scholle, JD Metz, Tony Leahy and Grant Ellings. Scholle was a breakout star during the Robertson Cup Playoffs putting up 13 points in 13 playoff games and also posting 16 points in 22 regular season games. Metz (17 points), Leahy (20 points) and Ellings (19 points) all had strong playoff performances. Jeff Hutchinson is the top returning defenseman having put up 13 points last season. With standout goalie Beni Halasz playing NCAA Division I hockey at Northern Michigan this season the net will be protected by new goalies that will include Carsen Stokes who had a 7-1-1 record in 10 appearances last season and highly touted first round draft pick Will Craig who brings good size and experience playing junior hockey the past two seasons in Canada.
A new season also means new opportunities for local families in Albuquerque to become a unique and crucial part of the NM Ice Wolves by becoming a host family for a player. NAHL Junior hockey cannot exist without the backbone of strong host families. Every season, young men between 16 and 20 years old will be moving to Albuquerque from all over the US, Canada and Europe to play for the NM Ice Wolves and continue building on their dream of playing NCAA Division I hockey and beyond. Host families provide a caring, supportive, family environment that becomes the “home away from home” for players. Hosting a player can be an exciting and rewarding experience that often leads to lifelong friendships between the player and his host family. To learn more about how to become a host family and frequently asked questions please visit: https://www.nmicewolves.com/you-can-make-a-difference-become-a-new-mexico-ice-wolves-host-family
Below is the New Mexico Ice Wolves 2022-2023 schedule with home games marked (Home). All times in Mountain Time Zone unless noted otherwise:
2022-23 NM ICE WOLVES REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Wednesday, September 14 vs. St. Cloud Norsemen at 5:30pm CT (NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN)
Thursday, September 15 vs. Fairbanks Ice Dogs at 7:30pm CT (NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN)
Friday, September 16 vs. New Jersey Titans at 4:30pm (NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN)
Saturday, September 17 vs. Maryland Black Bears at 9:00am (NAHL Showcase in Blaine, MN)
Friday, September 23 vs. Odessa Jackalopes at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, September 24 vs. Odessa Jackalopes at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, September 30 @ Corpus Christ Ice Rays at 7:05pm CT
Saturday, October 1 @ Corpus Christ Ice Rays at 7:05pm CT
Friday, October 21 @ Shreveport Mudbugs at 7:11pm CT
Saturday, October 22 @ Shreveport Mudbugs at 7:11pm CT
Friday, October 28 vs. Amarillo Wranglers at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, October 29 vs. Amarillo Wranglers at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, November 4 vs. Shreveport Mudbugs at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, November 5 vs. Shreveport Mudbugs at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, November 11 @ Oklahoma Warriors at 7:15pm CT
Saturday, November 12 @ Oklahoma Warriors at 7:15pm CT
Friday, November 18 vs. Corpus Christi Ice Rays at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, November 19 vs. Corpus Christi Ice Rays at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, November 25 @ Corpus Christ Ice Rays at 7:05pm CT
Saturday, November 26 @ Corpus Christ Ice Rays at 7:05pm CT
Friday, December 2 @ Shreveport Mudbugs at 7:11pm CT
Saturday, December 3 @ Shreveport Mudbugs at 7:11pm CT
Friday, December 8 vs. Oklahoma Warriors at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, December 9 vs. Oklahoma Warriors at 6:30pm (Home)
Sunday, December 11 vs. El Paso Rhinos at 2:00pm (Outdoor Game in Los Alamos)
Friday, December 16 @ Lone Star Brahmas at 7:30pm CT
Saturday, December 17 @. Lone Star Brahmas at 7:30pm CT
Friday, December 30 @ Amarillo Wranglers at 7:15pm CT
Saturday, December 31 @ Amarillo Wranglers at 7:15pm CT
Friday, January 6 vs. Lone Star Brahmas at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, January 9 vs. Lone Star Brahmas at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, January 13 vs. Corpus Christi IceRays at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, January 14 vs. Corpus Christi IceRays at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, January 20 vs. Amarillo Wranglers at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, January 21 vs. Amarillo Wranglers at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, January 27 @ Odessa Jackalopes at 7:15pm CT
Saturday, January 28 @ Odessa Jackalopes at 7:15pm CT
Thursday, February 2 vs. El Paso Rhinos at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, February 3 vs. El Paso Rhinos at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, February 4 vs. El Paso Rhinos at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, February 10 vs. Shreveport Mudbugs at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, February 11 vs. Shreveport Mudbugs at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, February 17 @ Amarillo Wranglers at 7:15pm CT
Saturday, February 18 @ Amarillo Wranglers at 7:15pm CT
Friday, February 24 @ Oklahoma Warriors at 7:15pm CT
Saturday, February 25 @ Oklahoma Warriors at 7:15pm CT
Friday, March 3 @ Odessa Jackalopes at 7:15pm CT
Saturday, March 4 @Odessa Jackalopes at 7:15pm CT
Sunday, March 12 @ El Paso Rhinos at 4:30pm
Friday, March 17 @ Lone Star Brahmas at 7:30pm CT
Saturday, March 18 @ Lone Star Brahmas at 7:30pm CT
Friday, March 24 vs. Lone Star Brahmas at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, March 25 vs. Lone Star Brahmas at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, March 31 @ El Paso Rhinos at 7:00pm
Saturday, April 1 @ El Paso Rhinos at 7:00pm
Friday, April 7 vs. Odessa Jackalopes at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, April 8 vs. Odessa Jackalopes at 6:30pm (Home)
Friday, April 14 vs. Oklahoma Warriors at 6:30pm (Home)
Saturday, April 15 vs. Oklahoma Warriors at 6:30pm (Home)
To learn more about the NM Ice Wolves please visit their NAHL Team Page or on social media on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and the arena at www.outposticearena.com. Pocket schedules can be picked up at Outpost Ice Arenas and many other locations.
All games are live on HockeyTV with a monthly or annual subscription and all home games can be watched on New Mexico Sports on over the air channel 20.5.
For team media inquiries, please contact Aaron Martinez at 505-212-8762 or amartinez@reelz.com
About NAHL
Celebrating its 48th season in 2022-23, the NAHL, the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 29 teams in 17 states from across North America and is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior league boasting 29 teams from across North America, prides itself on the social maturity and skill development of student-athletes ages 16-20 with aspirations of advancing to collegiate and/or professional hockey. During the 2021-22 season, the NAHL recorded 363 NCAA commitments, including 258 NCAA Division I commitments, which marks the sixth straight season the NAHL has had 300+ commitments. In addition, five players with NAHL ties were selected in the 2022 NHL Draft. For more information, visit www.nahl.com.