The Port Huron Prowlers are a minor professional ice hockey team in the Federal Prospects Hockey League that began play in the 2015âÂÂ16 season. Based in Port Huron, Michigan, the Prowlers play their home games at the McMorran Arena.
The Federal Hockey League (FHL) held a regular season game at McMorran Arena on January 31, 2015 between the Danbury Whalers and the Danville Dashers. 1,709 fans saw the Dashers defeat the Whalers by a score of 4âÂÂ1, leading the FHL to strongly consider Port Huron as a market and seek out ownership for a franchise there.
Two months later, on April 2, it was announced that the FHL's newest franchise would be based in Port Huron, making it the tenth hockey team to call Port Huron and the McMorran Arena home and the FHL's first Michigan team. Barry Soskin of Arlington Heights, Illinois, who also owned the Danville Dashers and Dayton Demonz FHL teams, serves as the team's owner. A name-the-team contest was held, with the Prowlers name, logo and colors being announced on June 5. On July 16, the Prowlers announced that the protected player list from the Dayton Demonz had been transferred to their team when Soskin folded his Dayton team.
The Prowlers won their first FHL championship in their 2015âÂÂ16 inaugural season, sweeping the Danbury Titans 3âÂÂ0 in a best-of-five series concluding on April 22, 2016 at McMorran Arena.
On January 7, 2017, the Prowlers surprisingly fired inaugural head coach Trevor Karasiewicz after leading the team a 8âÂÂ10âÂÂ1âÂÂ5 record in 2016âÂÂ17 and to the championship the previous season. He was replaced by Joe Pace, Sr. as the interim head coach. Pace Sr. stayed on as head coach the for the 2017âÂÂ18 season. He led the team to a regular season title and a berth in the Commissioner's Cup Finals where they lost to the Watertown Wolves.
The following 2018âÂÂ19 season, Pace Sr. was hired as the head coach of the Mentor Ice Breakers FHL expansion team. He was replaced as head coach and general manager of the Prowlers by his son, Joe Pace, Jr. who had previously been a Prowlers' player, assistant coach, and assistant general manager. In 2018, the FHL began calling itself the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) and fully rebranded before the 2019âÂÂ20 season.
Following the abbreviated 2020âÂÂ21 season, Pace Jr. left the team and was replaced as head coach and general manager by former assistant Matt Graham.
In January 2025, ahead of a future expansion of the FPHL into Topeka, Kansas, the Prowlers played a neutral site games against the Danville Dashers while branded as the "Topeka Road Runners", in honor of the former NAHL team of the same name.