While Fort Wayne is considered one of the hockey capitals of the U.S., at least for cities without an NHL team, John Finch and his business partners saw something missing -- a Junior A team.

That’s changing.

Finch formally announced Monday the creation of the Fort Wayne Spacemen, which will play in the United States Premier Hockey League beginning this season.

“It’s the gap. It’s what’s missing in Fort Wayne hockey,” said Finch, who is part of the ownership group and will serve as president and general manager of the Spacemen. “We have a terrific youth program, a terrific high-school program and then it jumps to college. And with the model of hockey, players need to get Junior A experience in between high school and college.

[continued | The Journal Gazette]