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The Houston Bulls announced they would be relocating to the Houston area for the 2026-27 NAHL hockey season.
Ever since the second iteration of the Houston Aeros left the city in 2013, Houstonians have been without a local hockey team. There have been reports in recent years about an NHL team potentially coming to the city, but that has not materialized.
Now, instead of a top-level professional team, the Houston region is getting an amateur squad.
The Houston Bulls are a newly rebranded franchise in the North American Hockey League (NAHL), a tier II junior ice hockey league. The team announced Wednesday that it would be moving from Iowa to Houston for the 2026-2027 season.
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We’re thrilled to be bringing @NAHLHockey to Houston for the 2026-2027 season!
Stay tuned for more updates as we get ready for our inaugural season.#HoustonBulls #NAHL pic.twitter.com/729S4WtqK2
— Houston Bulls (@HoustonBulls) March 18, 2026
The team, formally known as the North Iowa Bulls, announced it would be relocating from Mason City, Iowa — located north of Des Moines near the Minnesota border — to Richmond, Texas — a southwest suburb of Houston in Fort Bend County. In a news release, the team said it would be joining the NAHL South Division and play at the new Deep South Ice & Sports Center in Richmond.
Tyler Shaffar, president of the management group that oversees the Houston Bulls, said in a statement he expects the team to play more than 30 games per year in Richmond.
“We are excited to bring NAHL hockey to the Houston area and to be part of a rapidly growing hockey market,” Shaffar said. “The Deep South Ice Facility will provide a tremendous home for our players and fans.”
According to the team, the new facility will open this summer and feature a 1,800-seat arena, 14 suites, two party decks, a second NHL-sized practice ice sheet and a volleyball center.
“We’re thrilled to welcome junior hockey to our facility and to the community,” TC Lewis and Caren Bell, general managers of Deep South Ice & Sports Center, said in a statement. “The Houston Bulls will bring exciting, high-level hockey to our city and create new opportunities for local players and fans to connect with the sport.”
News of the junior league team’s relocation comes one year after reports circulated about reported discussions between the NHL and Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin to bring a professional team to Houston. In early 2024, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta was reportedly in talks with the NHL.
The NAHL was founded in 1975 and is the second-to-last league in the hierarchy of American ice hockey leagues. There are currently eight teams in the NAHL South Division, five of which are located in Texas.
While the league is not at the professional level, meaning the players are not paid, it can be a launching pad for players to reach the NHL. Notably, the goaltender for the 2026 U.S. men’s national team, Connor Hellebuyck of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, started his career with the NAHL South Division’s Odessa Jackalopes.
Last month, Hellebuyck played a key role in Team USA’s 2-1 overtime victory against Canada in the gold-medal game at the Winter Olympics in Italy. He was subsequently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump.
According to the Houston Bulls, the Mason City Toros, a North American 3 Hockey League team, will remain in Iowa after the Bulls’ departure.