Traverse City Hounds rebrand to bring back North Stars name

By @MichaelCaples – 

The Traverse City North Stars are back.

According to a team announcement made earlier today, the Traverse City Hounds are rebranding to pay tribute to Traverse City’s previous junior team.

The new North Stars squad plays in the United States Premiere Hockey League, while the former club with the same name played in the NAHL.

All travel teams in Traverse City, from 8U and up, will be known as the North Stars moving forward.

“With all of the travel teams on up to junior teams being one name, that shows our commitment to growing the game in this area,” said team owner and GM Scott Gardiner, a founding member of the NAHL franchise more than 11 years ago. “It also brings back some great memories for myself when we played in the NAHL and we feel we can build on what we learned way back when to make the North Stars brand bigger and better here.”

From 2012-2015, the Hounds played in the Midwest Junior Hockey League and won all three of the MWJHL’s regular-season and Veteran’s Memorial Cup playoff titles.

“Junior hockey has succeeded in Traverse City for many years due to the tremendous support of the community and that resonates with the players on the ice,” said Gardiner. “Every year, our roster looks a little bit different, but our staff has the resources to get the best out of each and every player that comes to the program. We consistently win on and off the ice – not too many programs can say that happens on a yearly basis.”