THN.com's CHL and IHL Logo Rankings

The logos of the Central League have a double-edged sword quality to them – many are easy to both love or hate. The fact the league is reaching out to people in “non-traditional hockey markets” by having fun with their names and emblems means a lot of cartoonish animals, some which work and others which don’t. Several franchises have also included a southwestern twist to their identities, which is great to see.

One note on the team rankings for the CHL: Not ranked were the Youngstown SteelHounds, who are not likely to rejoin the league after a financial dispute.

Maybe Youngstown will end up in the IHL one day, but for now that circuit is a six-team affair, so as is the case with the Southern Pro League, the margins between best and worst logo are fairly small.

Over the month of August, THN will rank the logos of 16 North American leagues. Click HERE to go to THN's Logo Rankings Central page and click HERE to vote for your top CHL and IHL logos as part of our tournament to discover the fans' choice for the top logo in hockey.

THN's CENTRAL LEAGUE LOGO RANKINGS

RK.	LOGO	TEAM	THE SCOOP
1		Oklahoma City Blazers	Irrefutable evidence you can find classic hockey logos in the South.
2		Laredo Bucks	Could easily pass as an NHL logo.
3		Corpus Christi IceRays	A huge improvement over the last Ray, this new sleek look shines.
4		Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees	Not only is this a top-notch killer bee, but the turquoise is a nice Southwestern touch.
5		Tulsa Oilers	Animals abound in the Central, but a man from Tulsa will challenge them all.
6		Rocky Mountain Rage	The avenging eye of the Rage is upon you.
7		Odessa Jackalopes	Goofy? Sure, but look how muscular that bunny with antlers is!
8		Rapid City Rush	Simplicity can sometimes win out and Rapid City’s ‘R’ would certainly look good on a hat.
9		Amarillo Gorillas	Not only is the gorilla name fun, but this chap even uses his hockey stick as a machete to clear his jungle path.
10		Texas Brahmas	Sometimes the first goal of an emblem is to do no harm and Texas has a solid entry with no obvious faults.
11		Mississippi RiverKings	A turtle is the king of the river? Doesn’t look that tough.
12		Arizona Sundogs	Better than a dog wearing sunglasses, but not much to write home about, either.
13		New Mexico Scorpions	The mascot’s face is a little messed up, plus this poor little guy looks like he’s about to drop venom on his own head.
14		Colorado Eagles	In a league filled with zany ideas, the Eagles are just too plain.
15		Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs	We appreciate the creativity in the name, but it’s still a weird-looking mascot.
16		Wichita Thunder	You really can’t do much less and still call it a logo.

Click HERE to vote for your favorite CHL Logo.

THN's INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE LOGO RANKINGS

RK.	LOGO	TEAM	THE SCOOP
1		Kalamazoo Wings	Old school, but crisp. Works on both a jersey and a hat and is easy for young fans to draw.
2		Fort Wayne Komets	One of the most enduring emblems in all of minor hockey, the Komets know what works for them.
3		Port Huron Icehawks	Not only does this bird look carnivorous, but it also looks kind of sneaky, which we love. Grasping the name in its talons works, too.
4		Flint Generals	New logo will need to grow on fans used to the classic 'G,' now used in a secondary capacity.
5		Bloomington Prairie Thunder	Pretty cool name, very elaborate logo (maybe too elaborate).
6		Muskegon Fury	The colors aren’t hot and the mascot looks like something that went wrong on a potter’s wheel.

Over the next two months, THN.com will leave the voting on the best logos up to you, the reader. To vote for your favorite, click HERE.