The CHL has become a bloated, diluted product with what appears to be a handful of franchises using a revolving door to come in and out of the league as finances dictate. Overexpansion killed the original CHL and it's starting to wear this model pretty thin as well.

What made the first couple of years of CHL II so enjoyable was the small size of the league and relative roster stability - it was not hard to know every player on every team in the league. Rivalries were intense based on stability and repetition of opponents. I think the Blazer ownership was wise not to jump to the IHL when they had the chance to get the KC Blades several years back. I'm not a fan of the high minors - lots of player turnover, especially on teams loaded with prospects. The team you ice at the start of a season may look drastically different at the end.

I don't think it's a knock against OKC to have a successful low-minor program so long as the games are competitive and entertaining. Saturday night games vs Tulsa used to draw nearly 13,000 to the Myriad in the Blazers' first couple of seasons back (92,93). I don't think too many folks in the rink felt bad that they weren't attending an IHL contest.

What I would love to see is for the Blazers, Oilers, Thunder, Riverkings and the Independence (KC) franchise pull out of the CHL and form a new league. I'd then add a 6th franchise at the arena in St. Charles (western STL suburb) and call it done. Every franchise has at least a couple of close, regional rivals (OKC-TUL, TUL-WIC, WIC-KC, KC-STL, STL-MEM/MIS), travel costs are more easily managed, and you develop that familiarity which made the early years of CHL II so much fun.

Don't get hung up on what "level" the team plays at. Focus on whether the league in which your team plays offers a consistently meaningful, entertaining and competitive experience.