Despite more than 50 years of hockey history, the phrase “hockey season in Amarillo” still feels a bit foreign to some residents. However, the Ice Ranch continues to bring the idea home.
Early Years: Amarillo Rattlers and Gorillas
The Amarillo Rattlers were a low-level minor league hockey team that skated for six seasons during the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The Rattlers were one of six founding members of the Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) in 1996. The WPHL featured teams in Texas and New Mexico during its debut season and later added clubs in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Rattlers routinely packed the Amarillo Civic Center, averaging just under 3,600 fans per game in the first season, despite finishing dead last that first season at 17-39-8. In 2001, the WPHL merged with the CHL and the Rattlers played one season in the CHL before folding.
The Rattlers were never a particular threat in the WPHL, recording only one season above .500 (31-30 in 1998-99) in their six years and never making the playoffs.
Following the 2000-01 season, the Central Hockey League absorbed the WPHL. The Rattlers played one final season in the CHL during the winter of 2001-02.
Read also: Features of Custom Hockey Gloves
The team changed hands in 2002 and launched a community Name-The-Team contest to re-brand the team. In June 2002, the Rattlers became the Amarillo Gorillas. The Gorillas played eight more seasons in the CHL before folding in 2010.
Center Chris Brooks (Amarillo ’96-’99) was the Rattlers all-time leading scorer with 93 goals and 122 assists over three seasons.
Only four men who played for Amarillo between 1996 and 2002 ever saw action in the National Hockey League. All four played in the NHL before arriving in Amarillo - the WPHL wasn’t exactly a big prospect league. 36-year old center Todd Bidner, who appeared in just 6 games with the Rattlers during the 1997-98 season, saw the most NHL action. His 16 games in the senior circuit came a full 16 years earlier with the 1981-82 Washington Capitals. Amarillo’s primary goaltender during its first two WPHL seasons was Matt DelGuidice, who played 11 games in net for the Boston Bruins in the early 90’s.
Amarillo Rattlers Statistics and History [CHL]
- Leagues -> CHL -> Amarillo Rattlers
The Amarillo Bulls Era
The Amarillo Bulls were a Tier II junior ice hockey team based in Amarillo, Texas. On May 11, 2010, it was reported that the team had found new owners and would relocate to Texas for the 2010-11 season.
Their franchise and roster were officially sold to the Amarillo ownership on May 26, 2010. The Amarillo Bulls announced their inaugural coach as Denis Williams, former NCAA Division I coach at Bowling Green.
Read also: The story of Craig Needham
On May 13, 2013, the Bulls captured their first Robertson Cup Championship defeating the Wenatchee Wild 5-0 in the championship game.
Robertson Cup Round Robin - Amarillo Bulls (2-1) - Qualify for Semifinal Game (W, 5-2 vs. Warriors; W, 5-3 vs. RoadRunners; L, 1-2 vs.
Robertson Cup Round Robin - Amarillo Bulls (1-2) - Qualify for Semifinal (OTW, 3-2 vs. Tornado; L, 1-3 vs. Ice Dogs; L, 2-6 vs.
Robertson Cup Semifinal Game - St.
Robertson Cup Round Robin - Amarillo Bulls (2-1) - Qualify for Championship Game (OTW, 2-1 vs. Ironmmen; OTW, 2-1 vs. Bobcats; L, 0-7 vs.
Read also: Inside Aaron Ness's Career
The Rise of the Amarillo Wranglers
Opening an ice facility is one thing. But Sutter and his partners didn’t stop there. They purchased the Kansas City Scouts hockey franchise and moved it to Amarillo, rechristening the North American Hockey League team as the Amarillo Wranglers. (The name honors the city’s Central Hockey League team that played from 1968 to 1971.
Another local team took up the Wrangler mantle in the Southwest Hockey League from 1975 to 1977, winning the league championship in 1976.)
The Amarillo Wranglers are a Tier II junior ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's South Division.
Amarillo’s hockey community embraced the new Wranglers from the beginning. “And we saw huge growth in the second year. Out of the 32 franchises in the league, we were second in attendance. This year, our goal is to be No. 1.”
A junior ice hockey team, the Wranglers feature college-level prospects, mostly between 17 and 20 years old. How competitive is the North American Hockey League? “It’s a powerhouse, for sure. The NAHL is one of the best amateur hockey leagues in the world,” Sutter says.
He and his staff pride themselves on getting commitments and scholarships for their players. “Pierce Patterson, who won Defenseman of the Year, plays at West Point this year. Twin brothers Ben and Jack Ivey are both committed to West Point. Our goalie from last year, Carter Clafton, plays at the Air Force Academy. We’ve got kids going all over to high-end hockey schools and doing very well.”
Austin Sutter serves as president of the Wranglers. Harry Mahood, who coached the team to the playoffs last year, has been promoted to President of Hockey Operations. They hired Ryan Anderson as the new head coach.
No stranger to Texas hockey, Anderson guided the Texas Brahmas to a North American Tier III Hockey League championship. This season in Amarillo promises to be an exciting one as the Wranglers continue to play their home games at the Civic Center.
The Ice Ranch: A New Era for Amarillo Hockey
The downtown facility opened at 301 S. Grant St. in 2021. It features 17,000 square feet of smooth ice, plus locker rooms and spectator seating. Along with the heated room for putting on skates, there’s a snack bar, training room, and party room.
“Our mission is to positively impact as many people as possible through ice sports,” says Austin Sutter, President of the Amarillo Wranglers and co-owner of the Ice Ranch. “That’s not just hockey. It’s figure skating, it’s going to a game. It’s the kid who moved across the world to play hockey for the Wranglers and the family hosting them. It’s a kid who takes a step out on that ice for the first time or the 73-year-old adult league player. It’s a kid celebrating their birthday party. It’s folks coming out on Friday and Saturday nights when we turn on the disco lights.”
But don’t let the Friday-night disco lights fool you. This is a serious facility. “We have an NHL player who trains in our facility in the summer,” says Sutter. “He’s a goaltender who lives on a ranch outside Abernathy.” What makes the Ice Ranch worth the drive? “Amarillo actually has a pretty good climate for ice.”
Sutter and his partners have also created a great climate for youth sports. In what some might consider the unlikeliest of cities, youth hockey and figure skating are exploding. They coach more than 350 kids in youth hockey programs-and more than 100 young figure skaters at the Amarillo Ice Skating School, directed by Svetlana Petrey. “She’s amazing,” Sutter says.
Adults are joining in on the fun. More than 275 grown hockey players fill three different leagues, and an introductory skating class for adults has a waiting list.
The Ice Ranch and the Wranglers’ local ownership means affordability and accessibility. “It helps keep the fees low,” he says. “And it opens a lot of doors. People show up for you.”
Amarillo’s ice sports are hotter than ever. “This year, all our programs have set records,” says Sutter. partnership, several hundred youth graduated over the summer from an Intro to Ice Sports program. With four-week classes for participants from kindergarten through fifth grade, the program provides ice skates, and participants get to keep a T-shirt and souvenir hockey stick. After learning to skate, kids are introduced tothe basics of figure skating and hockey.
“For kids ages 4 to 8 who want to get started with hockey, we partner with the Dallas Stars for the Learn to Play program,” he says. The beginner classes fill quickly and run throughout the year. “The Dallas Stars offset the cost of all the equipment, and we donate the pro coaching and the ice time.” Their program for budding figure skaters, Learn to Skate, is just as popular.
Participants receive a complete set of gear: skates, a hockey stick, safety equipment, a jersey, and more. There’s even an equipment bag. Taking it a step further, the Ice Ranch gives participants the $200 fee back in credit for league registration. Like most youth sports, these leagues range from in-house recreational play to competitive travel teams.
“Say you put your child in Learn to Play. We offer six sessions for $200. They get about $600 in value of equipment alone. They get to keep it all. If they want to play in the Amarillo Hockey Association, we give them that $200 back in credit. In a sense, it’s like trying hockey for free,” Sutter says.
The Ice Ranch doesn’t want expenses to stand in the way of kids learning the sport. “We have local businesses who help out with donations of equipment like jerseys and nets,” he says.
A former professional hockey player himself, Sutter knows the benefits of a team environment. “I think back on my own experience as a youth hockey player growing up in Canada. There are certain things your parents can teach you, there’s certain things the school can teach you, there’s certain things church can teach you. But there are also certain things that sports or art or music can teach you, right?”
Sutter believes that holds true for every age. In fact, the adult leagues at the Ice Ranch are just as robust as the kids’ program. “We have the fastest-growing adult program in the United States. And Learn to Play showed us how to do it. They get to keep the gear and get a discount for joining our leagues.” This year, 52 adults joined the Learn to Play program, and a wait list is already underway for the next session.
For the adults, A, B and C leagues offer different levels of skill and competition, from ice veterans in the A league to beginners in the C league. “We have tons of women joining, too. It’s not a men’s league, it’s an adult league,” he says. “And we hear a lot about how much this positively impacts people. They’ve really built a community.”
For a long time, Amarillo’s youth and adult hockey grew without a full-time ice facility. Thanks to the Civic Center’s sports and event schedule, ice was only available six months out of the year, during the hockey season.
“We want to develop players and make them better. Then we send them on their way to do great, successful things. And you can’t do that without ice time. You can’t do that without a facility,” says Sutter.
Amarillo needed a dedicated, year-round ice facility, but it would be an expensive, risky venture. Sutter and his partners spent years researching and exploring opportunities. Then, as the Bulls junior team was leaving, an empty auction house across the street from the Civic Center offered possibility. Everything finally fell into place.
“If you can skate every day, you can play college hockey, even pro hockey. Why did I get to play hockey at the level I did? Because I skated outside every day of my life,” he says. “The Ice Ranch makes that possible for Amarillo.”
North to South: Austin Sutter's Journey
Sutter grew up playing youth hockey in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, with his team placing third in the National Championships. He went on to play junior hockey with the Powell River Kings, who named him Rookie of the Year, Leading Scorer, and MVP. He received a scholarship to play for Minnesota State University before joining the Amarillo Gorillas. He was Central Hockey League’s 2008-09 Man of the Year.
That same year, Sutter’s love of hockey led to a passion for coaching. He accepted the role of Assistant Coach for the Gorillas and later the Bulls.
What kept him in Amarillo? “I ended up playing here a long time! Then I met my wife, of course. She’s a local. It’s how the story goes: You fall in love, and you never look back. We built a family here,” he explains.
“Amarillo feels like home. I grew up in the prairies in Alberta. It’s cattle, it’s oil, it’s windy. I love the blue-collar West Texas spirit and the humbleness. Everybody’s so giving and generous and welcoming. You can’t find that anywhere else in the world.”
Sutter recalls his first day with the Gorillas. “I pulled up, and it’s literally a rodeo. Like, there are horses. The team tells me, ‘The bus is right there. We’re going to Lubbock to practice.’ If there was no ice in Amarillo, we’d go to Lubbock, we’d go to [Oklahoma City]. We’d go wherever we could find ice. We called it the Zamboni Rodeo. “That’s when I realized: This is different from Minnesota State or Canada, where there are 15 ice rinks within a two-mile radius.”
But the Ice Ranch plays a vital role. When the rodeo comes to the Civic Center-like November’s annual WRCA World Championship Ranch Rodeo-the Wranglers don’t need to make road trips to practice. “They get dressed in the locker room, they walk up the ramp, practice at the Ice Ranch, walk right back.”
In the meantime, Sutter continues to invite the non-professional public to give ice skating or ice hockey a try. Even just once.
A new high school varsity sport in Amarillo
The Lone Star Cavalry were granted an expansion franchise in the America West Hockey League in March 2003. They stayed in the league when it merged with the North American Hockey League for the 2003-04 season. The Cavalry played out of the Blue Line Ice Complex in North Richland Hills, Texas and served the immediate "Mid-Cities" area of Metro Dallas-Fort Worth.
After financial difficulties caused the Cavalry's home rink, the Blue Line Ice Complex, to close, the Cavalry were left without a home. Due to this and other factors, the Cavalry ended up being sold and relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The team was granted membership on September 20, 2004, and began play on September 25, 2004, under their new identity as the Santa Fe RoadRunners. The Santa Fe RoadRunners played out of the Genoveva Chavez Community Center in Santa Fe.