Vernal Oilers
| Vernal Oilers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Vernal, Utah |
| League | United States Premier Hockey League Premier |
| Division | Pacific |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Home arena | Western Park Ice Rink |
| Colors | Blue, orange, white |
| General manager | David Imonti |
| Head coach | Ryan Howse |
| Franchise history | |
| 2021–present | Vernal Oilers |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 1: 2025 |
| Division titles | 3: 2023, 2024, 2025 |
| Playoff championships | 1: 2025 |
The Vernal Oilers are a junior ice hockey team that is currently a member of the United States Premier Hockey League's (USPHL) Premier Division. The Oilers play their home games at the Western Park Ice Rink in Vernal, Utah.
History
[edit]As part of the Western States Hockey League plan to return after the COVID-19 pandemic, the league added the Vernal Oilers as an expansion team for the 2021–22 season.[1] However, the WSHL was never able to restart play.[2] Instead, in January of 2022, the Oilers were one of several former WSHL franchises to form the Can-Am Junior Hockey League.
After finishing out their abbreviated first season, the Oilers were invited to join the USPHL's Premier Division along with four other western teams and establish a new regional division.[3] The Oilers accepted and swiftly became one of the top teams in the USPHL. In 2024–25, the Oilers compiled an astounding regular season record of 44–0, becoming one of the few ice hockey teams in history to not lose a single game. During their postseason run, the Oilers were just as dominant, winning all but one of their game en route to the championship. The only loss for the Oilers came in the national Round-Robin series after they had already secured a promotion to the championship round and thus did not affect their ability to win the title.[4]
Season-by-season records
[edit]| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can-Am Junior Hockey League | |||||||||||
| 2021–22 | 41 | 23 | 16 | 2 | 48 | 272 | 229 | 3rd of 6, CAJHL | Won Pool A Round-Robin, 5–6 (Cold Lake Aeros), 6–2 (Barrhead Bombers) Won Semifinal, 5–4 (SO) (Hinton Timberwolves) Lost Championship, 1–6 (Cold Lake Aeros) | ||
| USPHL Premier | |||||||||||
| 2022–23 | 44 | 35 | 5 | 5 | 73 | 284 | 132 | 1st of 5, Northwest Div. t-8th of 70, USPHL Premier |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 2–0 (Rogue Valley Royals) Won Div. Final series, 2–1 (Seattle Totems) Lost seeding round, 1–4 (New York Aviators), 1–3 (Toledo Cherokee) Won Consolation game, 6–4 (Minnesota Moose) | ||
| 2023–24 | 44 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 64 | 222 | 138 | 1st of 5, Northwest Div. t-14th of 61, USPHL Premier |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 2–0 (Rogue Valley Royals) Won Div. Final series, 2–0 (Seattle Totems) Seeding round, 2–7 (Fort Wayne Spacemen), 5–4 (OT) (Ontario Jr. Reign) Lost Eighthfinal, 4–6 (Potomac Patriots) | ||
| 2024–25 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 406 | 69 | 1st of 7, Northwest Div. 1st of 73, USPHL Premier |
Won Div. Semifinal series, 2–0 (Iron County Yeti) Won Div. Final series, 2–0 (Seattle Totems) Won Division 2 Round-Robin, 4–0 (Fort Wayne Spacemen), 7–3 (Universel Sherbrooke), 3–4 (Potomac Patriots) Won Semifinal, 7–3 (Tampa Bay Juniors) Won Championship, 6–2 (Springfield Pics) | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "WSHL August Update". WSHL. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021.
- ^ "New Rogue Valley junior hockey announces 'dormancy' before playing a game". KDRV. November 5, 2021.
- ^ "United States Premier Hockey League Announces Formation Of Northwest Division In USPHL Premier". USPHL. May 6, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ "Vernal Oilers Win 2025 USPHL National Championship". YouTube. Retrieved July 18, 2025.