The Western States Hockey League has announced the name and logo for their new team in Southern Oregon, officially announcing the Rogue Valley Royals. The Royals will be playing in Medford, Oregon, taking the place of the Southern Oregon Spartans.
The Spartans had previously played in the WSHL up until the 2019-20 season, and joined a group of other teams that transitioned to the United States Premier Hockey League for the 2020-21 season. Due to COVID restrictions in place, the Spartans were forced to play at an outdoor rink to begin their season, and ultimately lasted only six games before going dormant for the remainder of the season. The Spartans would later announce that they would remain dormant for the 2021-22 season as well.
Shortly after that announcement, the home rink of the Spartans would announce that they would be cutting ties with the team and begin looking for a new tenant. As the WSHL was looking to return this season, they were able to secure a new team at the rink, moving the Barrhead Bombers franchise rights to Southern Oregon (though the Bombers name will still remain with a team in Barrhead this season as a “new” franchise).
Following a name-the-team contest, the league announced the name “Rogue Valley Royals.” It has been previously reported that the team will be headed up by head coach Ty Smith, who has previously coached in the WSHL with Oklahoma City, West Sound, and Butte.
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