2016-17 Southern Professional Hockey League season

This is the 2016-17 Southern Professional Hockey League season.  This is the league's 12th season.

Membership changes

• On October 20, 2015, the league announced that the franchise rights to the former Mississippi Surge franchise had been sold and the new rights owner would establish a team based out of Roanoke, Virginia.  The team will be based out of the Berglund Center.  The team's name was later announced as the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.
• As a result of the Evansville IceMen of the ECHL announcing they would be relocating to Owensboro, Kentucky (originally for the 2016-17 season; but later having to sit out the season due to renovations needed at the arena), The SPHL announced that an expansion team was awarded on March 16, 2016 to commence play with the 2016-17 season.  The team was later announced as being named the Evansville Thunderbolts.

• On May 16, 2016 longtime league member, the Louisiana IceGators announced they would be sitting out the 2016-17 season as their home arena, the Cajundome would be undergoing extensive renovations.  The renovations are scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2016; and limited dates were available during the month of December. The team looked at several options including playing the first two plus months on the road or using an other venue in Louisiana for their home games. The team's management concluded "at this time suspending operations for this season would be the best route to take."

• In early March 2017, the owner of the Columbus Cottonmouths, who had been trying to sell the team, announced that the team will cease operations after the 2016-17 season if a new owner is not found.  The team was reported to be in the process of being sold, however; it would not be in time to keep the team active for the 2017-18 season as the team announced they were suspending operations for the 2017-18 season.
• On April 26, 2017 the league announced an expansion team to be based out of the Pelham Civic Center in Pelham, Alabama in suburban Birmingham to be called the Birmingham Bulls (SPHL).  The team will begin play for the 2017-18 season.  The team is owned by the former owner of the Birmingham Bulls (ECHL).

• During the spring of 2017 the Fayetteville FireAntz were sold and subsequently renamed the Fayetteville Marksmen

• The Louisiana IceGators who had suspended operations for the 2016-17 season were quietly dissolved during early 2017.

Teams for 2016-17

On Hiatus

Team	City/area	Arena	Founded	Joined	Head coach
Louisiana IceGators	Lafayette, Louisiana	Cajundome	1995	2009	Kevin Kaminski

Note

* - Represents a franchise move.

Standings

Team	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Macon Mayhem	56	37	13	6	178	146	80
Fayetteville FireAntz	56	36	17	3	174	130	75
Peoria Rivermen	56	32	13	11	182	145	75
Huntsville Havoc	56	34	16	6	200	165	74
Mississippi RiverKings	56	32	21	3	172	162	67
Knoxville Ice Bears	56	29	20	7	175	178	65
Pensacola Ice Flyers	56	27	21	8	171	154	62
Columbus Cottonmouths	56	22	30	4	153	199	48
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs	56	17	30	9	158	216	43
Evansville Thunderbolts	56	14	32	10	138	206	38

President's Cup Playoffs

Format

The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.  All series are best of three

Quarterfinals

• Macon Mayhem defeated Columbus Cottonmouths 2 games to 1
• Pensacola Ice Flyers defeated Fayetteville FireAntz 2 games to none
• Peoria Rivermen defeated Knoxville Ice Bears 2 games to none
• Huntsville Havoc defeated Mississippi RiverKings 2 games to 1

Semifinals

• Macon Mayhem defeated Pensacola Ice Flyers 2 games to none
• Peoria Rivermen defeated Huntsville Havoc 2 games to 1

Final

• Macon Mayhem defeated Peoria Rivermen 2 games to none

2017 SPHL champs Macon Mayhem