BILLINGS — Billings' new junior hockey team is on the move.
Last week, the North American Hockey League announced that it had approved a membership application for the Billings Cattle Punchers, along with teams from Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. The teams will play in the NAHL's newly formed Mountain Division starting in the 2026-27 season.
The Cattle Punchers were originally set to play their inaugural season in the National Collegiate Development Conference of the United States Premier Hockey League. Now the club will skate in the Tier II Junior A NAHL, a league that is sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NCDC is an independent Tier II league that is not USA Hockey-sanctioned.
"We’re excited to join a league as great as the North American Hockey League," Cattle Punchers vice president Chris Hall stated in a press release. "This move continues our commitment to the city of Billings to put the highest quality product on the ice every night as we establish a tradition they can be proud of."
Also joining the NAHL are the Idaho Spud Kings and teams from Ogden, Utah, Grand Junction, Colo., and Pueblo, Colo.
“We are excited for all of the organizations to join in on the mission of developing college-ready athletes,” Mark Frankenfeld, president and commissioner of the NAHL, stated in a press release. “All of the teams provide an exciting opportunity for the players to compete and develop in dedicated communities and organizations.”
The Cattle Punchers will play the 2026-27 season at the new Signal Peak Energy Arena in Billings.
Billings has prior history in the North American Hockey League. The Billings Bulls skated in the NAHL from 2003-06 before dropping to Tier III Junior A status.
Before that, the club competed in the Tier II America West Hockey League from 1998-03. The Bulls were an original franchise in the American Frontier Hockey League beginning in 1993.
