Las Vegas Wranglers
The Las Vegas Wranglers were a professional ice hockey team based in Las Vegas Valley. The Wranglers were members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League). The Wranglers were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 following the ECHL's takeover of the West Coast Hockey League.
| Las Vegas Wranglers | |
|---|---|
| City | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western Conference |
| Division | Pacific Division |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Operated | 2003–2014 |
| Home arena | Orleans Arena (2003–2014) |
| Colors | Red, black, white, silver |
| Owner(s) | Wranglers Hockey, LLC |
| General manager | Mike Madill |
| Head coach | Mike Madill |
| Affiliates | Calgary Flames (NHL) (2003–2009) Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) (2009–2011) Lowell Lock Monsters (AHL) (2003–2005) Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (AHL) (2005–2007) Quad City Flames (AHL) (2007–2009) San Antonio Rampage (AHL) (2009–2011) Independent (2011–2014) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2003–2014 | Las Vegas Wranglers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 2006–07 |
| Division titles | 2006–07, 2007–08 |
| Conference titles | 2007–08, 2011–12 |
In May 2014, the team suspended operations for the 2014–15 ECHL season, allowing it time to secure a new home arena. In 2015, the team withdrew from the ECHL after being unable to find a home arena for the 2015-16 season.
The Wranglers won many accolades over their time in the league. They have the highest winning percentage in ECHL history and hold six other ECHL records. The Wranglers made two appearances in the Kelly Cup Finals, in 2008 and 2012 and won the Brabham Cup once and the Pacific Division title twice. Former Wranglers who have reached the National Hockey League (NHL) include Brent Krahn, Adam Pardy, Dany Sabourin, Tyson Strachan, and Tyler Sloan. From 2003 to 2014, the Wranglers played their home games on the west side of the city at the Orleans Arena. The team's lease with Orleans Arena ended after the 2013–14 season.
The Wranglers had been the ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames since the team's inaugural season in 2003 until 2009 before announcing that they were switching their affiliation to the Phoenix Coyotes for the 2009–10 ECHL season.
The Wranglers garnered many accolades from the local media, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal naming the Wranglers "Best Local Sports Team" three times (2005, 2006, 2009) and head coach Glen Gulutzan "Best Local Coach" (2007, 2009).