The NAHL has announced that its Board of Governors has approved the membership applications for five new teams located in Montana, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho.

The five teams, formerly in the NCDC, will play in the newly formed Mountain Division starting in the 2026-27 season.

Starting in Montana, the Billings Cattle Punchers will return junior hockey to Billings after an eight-year absence. The town has a population of 117,000 and is Montana’s largest city. The Cattle Punchers will play at the brand-new Signal Peak Energy Arena and features a 2,200-seat arena, featuring two NHL-sized sheets of ice.

Cattle Punchers VP Chris Hall said his organization is excited about joining the NAHL.

“We’re excited to join a league as great as the North American Hockey League,” Hall said. “This move continues our commitment to the city of Billings to put the highest quality product on the ice every night as we establish a tradition they can be proud of.”

Joining the Billings-based team will be the Idaho Falls Spud Kings. The Spud Kings are situated in a town with 72,000 residents and play out of the Mountain American Center, the “MAC,” in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The MAC was built in 2023, featuring a 4,100-seat arena and a state-of-the-art sound system. The arena regularly sells out, and the organization has created a loyal fan base in Idaho Falls.

Spud Kings president Kevin Greene shares more on why he is thrilled to join the NAHL.

“We’re excited to join a league as great as the North American Hockey League,” Greene said. “Thanks to our players, coaches, staff, and fan base, Idaho Falls has become one of the top options for junior hockey players in the country, and we believe this move makes us an even better option moving forward.”

Expanding the NAHL footprint into Utah, the Ogden Mustangs join the other teams with a desire to continue the NAHL’s mission of developing and advancing players to NCAA programs. The Mustangs will play out of the Weber County Sports Complex, a host site for past Winter Olympic Games. The facility features a 2,400-seat arena with two LCD video boards inside. Ogden is situated 25 minutes from Salt Lake City and features a population of over 100,000 people.

The final two teams to round out the Mountain Division will play in the Centennial State this upcoming season. The Grand Junction River Hawks play out of the River City Sportplex, a 900-seat facility with the organization having plans to increase capacity to 1,200 in the future. Grand Junction, Colo., features a population of 159,000. The River Hawks have built media relationships in town as the team will have 15 games broadcast locally and have every game live in the Grand Valley on the radio.

The River Hawks organization shares what it means to join the “League of Opportunity.”

“The Grand Junction Riverhawks thank the North American Hockey League for inviting our team into the newly created Mountain Division,” the team said in a statement. “We are excited to be one of the newest members of this highly competitive, well-established, and unmatched junior hockey organization. We wish success to all of our division teams and look forward to hosting them for electrifying games during this historical inaugural season. Let’s go, Hawks!”

Joining Grand Junction in Colorado, the Chippewa Steel will relocate to Pueblo and compete in the newly formed Mountain Division. The town has a population of 111,000 and features a strong hockey fan base. More information on the new identity of the Pueblo-based team will be announced and revealed in the coming weeks during their launch. 

David Nelson, president of PSMEG, states what it means to see the community has the NAHL in their city.

“We are thrilled to welcome and introduce NAHL Hockey to the Pueblo community,” Nelson said. “This is an exciting time for Pueblo and the Pueblo Ice Arena and Events Center as we continue to grow sports and entertainment in the community.”

Overall, the NAHL is ecstatic to be adding these five new teams.

“We are excited for all of the organizations to join in on the mission of developing college-ready athletes,” said Mark Frankenfeld, president and commissioner of the NAHL. “All of the teams provide an exciting opportunity for the players to compete and develop in dedicated communities and organizations.”

— NAHL Staff

(June 13, 2026)