West Coast Hockey League - Decline and Merger With ECHL

Decline and Merger With ECHL

The league began to contract in 2001-02 after the Phoenix Mustangs folded before the season. Before the 2002-03 season, the WCHL's last as an independent league, the Tacoma Sabercats and Colorado Gold Kings folded. The WCHL played in a single division in 2002-03 as it had its first two seasons.

In 2003, the WCHL was absorbed by the East Coast Hockey League. In a change reflective of the nationwide presence of the ECHL, the East Coast Hockey League formally changed its name to simply ECHL on May 19, 2003, as a direct result of the merger. The six remaining WCHL teams (Anchorage, Bakersfield, Fresno, Idaho, Long Beach and San Diego), as well as a planned WCHL team in Las Vegas, Nevada, which became the Las Vegas Wranglers, joined the West and Pacific Divisions of the ECHL's National Conference. The Anchorage Aces renamed themselves the Alaska Aces before joining the ECHL.