Tulsa Oilers hockey will look very different come this fall.
The Central Hockey League team has been sold to Steven Brothers Sports Management of Tulsa, LLC, it was announced at a news conference Tuesday at the BOK Center.
Rodney, Brandon and Johnny Steven, who own the Wichita Thunder, bought the Tulsa franchise from Jeff Lund, who has operated the Oilers the past 21 years.
Lund will remain owner of the Oilers Ice Center and the Tulsa Junior Oilers, a tier three junior team in the Western States Hockey League.
For the past two seasons, the Oilers have struggled to remain competitive. They finished the 2012-13 season in last place with a 22-39-5 record.
The purchase by the Steven brothers will keep the Oilers in Tulsa and playing at the BOK Center. They said they hope to do for Tulsa what they accomplished in Wichita: raise attendance and build a championship team.
"We assumed the contract that he (Lund) had and did an amendment to it," Rodney Steven said of the contract with the BOK Center. "The contract still had a few years on it.
"It has been a good two years in Wichita, and Tulsa is our best rival. The better Tulsa does, the better it will push Wichita to do. When you raise the level of expectation, everybody's level raises.
"This is just an opportunity for everyone to step up to the plate and do a better job."
The Steven brothers have a string of successful businesses and will bring that same work ethic to the Tulsa Oilers.
"I have been in the health club business for 21 years, have 12 health clubs in the state of Kansas and my brothers and I own five car lots as well," Rodney Steven said.
"We don't do anything halfway. Everything we do is 100 percent and I feel my job in Tulsa is going to be easy. You have a good fan base here and they want to win again. I think the coach and the office staff just need some support and an ownership group that is 100 percent behind them."
Rodney Steven says Wichita and Tulsa can grow their strong rivalry and be two of the best teams in minor league hockey.
"I think this will be one of the premier Double-A hockey teams not just in the CHL, but in the country," Rodney Steven said of Tulsa. "This is our third year in Wichita and our ticket sales have increased every year. We want to grow what you have here."
The brothers knew the Oilers were struggling and felt they could step in and save the financially strapped franchise.
"They were looking for a change," Rodney Steven said of Oilers management. "The old owner (Jeff Lund) has been here a long time and he supported this town for a long time. This is a time for someone else to step in and support this team."
One challenge will be overseeing the operation of both teams. But Steven said that will not be a problem.
"We own the teams, but we have good managers in place and great coaches," said Steven, who will keep Taylor Hall on as general manager. "We will be down here supporting the team a lot. My title is owner and President of Steven Brothers Sports Management. We have a Steven Brothers Sports Management of Wichita and a Steven Brothers Sports Management of Tulsa.
"I see a ton of potential here. You guys need a great hockey team here and you guys are going to get one."
It was just two years ago the Steven Brothers filed a lawsuit against the former Thunder owners, WIHO LLC and Jeffrey Lund. According to published court documents, WIHO and Lund hired people to erase files from the computers pertaining to the financial situation of the Thunder hockey team.
But according to Rodney Steven, that has nothing to do with the purchase of the Oilers.
"We got all of that worked out," he said. "This deal is totally separate."
Now for Steven it is time to get down to business.
"I have heard a lot of great things about the coach (Bruce Ramsay) and I don't think he has been supported well enough," he said.
"We are keeping all the staff and just add to it. We think they may be three to five people short in the office. We will hire from here."
Ramsay, who has signed on to remain with the Oilers, is excited to see what the future holds.
"This is very exciting news," he said.
"One thing I want to say, I have worked for Jeff Lund the last four years and I have a lot of respect for him," Ramsay added. "I consider him a close friend and he has taken care of me and my family. I want to show my appreciation to him.
"It has been tough for him over the last few years, but thanks to him this franchise kept running and there was hockey in Tulsa."
Now Ramsay is looking forward to stocking a new team.
"We did not have the resources that other teams had and that made us deficient in what we could do on the ice," he said.
"I will have to do a better job with the resources I think I will get from the new owners. I think it will be a very positive situation and I want to build on what we did three years ago with a championship-caliber team.
"With the help of Rodney and his brothers and what they have done in Wichita, there is no reason we can't do that here. They have been in the playoffs the last two years. I expect that to happen here.
"Rodney is a winner and his expectations are high. I have to win. That is my job as a coach."
CHL under new ownership
The Central Hockey League has announced that it is now under the ownership and control of Central Partners, LLC, a collection of the franchise owners in the league. The CHL was previously owned by the Western Professional Hockey League Inc.
The CHL now becomes an ownership owned league. Wichita Thunder and Tulsa Oilers co-owner Rodney Steven has been named the interim Chairman of Central Partners, LLC.
The CHL will consist of 10 teams when the season begins in October. The St. Charles (Mo.) Chill and the Brampton (Ontario) Beast are two new expansion teams joining the CHL. The Fort Worth Brahmas and Bloomington Blaze are not returning.
Original Print Headline: Oilers sold to brothers; will stay put
Pro - Oilers
The Tulsa Oilers will play a preseason game against the Wichita Thunder at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Wichita Ice Center.
The Tulsa Oilers signed five players - defenders Andy Willigar and Andrew Himelson and forwards Neilsson Arcibal, Kyle Leahy, and Brett Skalski.
