The Ralph Gets The Aurora

If you haven't been keeping up with the Federal Prospects Hockey League, that's probably because you live nowhere near one of their member teams. There was a completely moronic signing that happened today by the Baton Rouge Zydeco that involved a player who should never play professional hockey again, but we're going to focus on a better story from the FPHL that doesn't involve convicted criminals. Instead, the image to the left is likely what you'll see on the shoulders of the jerseys for the FPHL's newest expansion team that I noted was playing in the other Ralph Engelstad Arena located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. That team officially now has a name!

This announcement was made last Friday on January 16, so it kind of falls into line with how late I posted the information about the FPHL expanding into Thief River Falls. My tardiness in keeping up with both stories aside, this new team will officially be called the Minnesota Northern Lights! As you can see to the right, the team will wear "vibrant purple and sharp green" while the main logo will be "a scrappy moose in hockey uniform surrounded by the northern lights". According to the release linked above, "[o]ver 1,000 votes came in" when it came to naming the team with votes coming in from "as far as Florida and Indiana"! I can assure everyone I did not vote.

For those that are unaware, the science of the "Northern Lights lies in Earth's magnetosphere, shielding against solar wind's charged particles. Interaction at the poles creates the colorful display, as electrons from the solar wind excite oxygen and nitrogen atoms, releasing vibrant photons. Colors vary with altitude, forming pink, purple, and white lights. Most visible during solar storms, the Northern Lights are overshadowed by sunlight during the day." For the record, Minnesota is one of the best states in the continental US to see the aurora borealis phenomenon throughout the winter!

The team confirmed there will be a moose mascot at home games, but that mascot is unnamed at the time of publishing. I can assure you that Mick E. Moose likely won't be used thanks to the mascot for the AHL's Manitoba Moose, but there are likely all sorts of names that can be used. The team will run a contest for name suggestions, and the mascot will be ready for the inaugural puck drop in October 2026! if the team is going with white and black backgrounds for their jerseys, that purple and green could pop nicely like the northern lights do against the night sky. I'll reserve judgment on the colours until we see the jersey design, but the Minnesota Northern Lights seem like they'll be fairly well-dressed when they take the ice!

In hunting for ticket prices to see the Northern Lights play, their Facebook page indicated that there are four levels of ticketing that they'll offer with season tickets coming in at $406, $464, $522, and $604 for their 56-game scheduled. That means a 28-game hockey schedule would see tickets priced at $14.50 for the $406 package while the best seats will set fans back $21.57 per game for the 28 games. According to the team, single-game tickets will be priced at $14, $16, $18, and $20 which means that season tickets actually cost more per game than single-game tickets do. Somehow, that doesn't seem right unless there's an increase in the total number of games.

Economics aside, it looks like the Minnesota FPHL expansion team has a distinct identity. They have yet to sign a player when it comes to generating excitement on the ice, but Thief River Falls is officially on the FPHL map! Here's hoping the jersey unveiling is just as good!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!