The Willmar WarHawks are a Tier III junior ice hockey team playing in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at the Willmar Civic Center located in Willmar, Minnesota .
31-662: NA3HL teams play a 47-game regular season schedule, and additional post-season games (if qualifying for playoffs). The Warhawks compete in the West Division of the NA3HL along with the Alexandria Blizzard , Granite City Lumberjacks , Mason City Toros , Minnesota Loons , and Rochester Grizzlies . Established as the Minnesota Flying Aces , the franchise's first season was in 2007–08 as members of
62-737: A blizzard that froze Brookings's feet, which both had to be amputated. Brookings rose to a high position in the Territory, becoming a member of the Squatter Territorial Legislature and later elected Squatter Governor. He then was appointed superintendent of a road that was to be built from the Minnesota state line west to the Missouri River about 30 miles north of Ft. Pierre . It was during this road's construction that Brookings came into contact with land that
93-534: A junior hockey market and founded the Tier III level expansion team as a replacement. The Blizzard announced their first head coach was Jeff Crouse, formerly the assistant coach for the NAHL Blizzard. Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in and the county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota , United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth most populous city , with
124-718: A large group of Yankton and Yanktonnia Indians drove the settlers from the area, and Medary remained nearly abandoned for the next 11 years. In 1869, a group of 10 Norwegian pioneers moved west into the Dakota Territory and resettled the area of Medary, about four and a half miles south of present-day Brookings. The county of Brookings was formally organized in Medary in Martin Trygstad's cabin on July 3, 1871. The county's original boundaries extended to two miles south of Flandreau. The territorial legislature established
155-507: A male householder with no wife present, and 53.0% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 23.5 years. 16.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 38% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 to 44; 15.2% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
186-686: A population of 23,377 at the 2020 census . It is home to South Dakota State University , the state's largest institution of higher education . Also in Brookings are the South Dakota Art Museum , the Children's Museum of South Dakota , the annual Brookings Summer Arts Festival, and the headquarters of several manufacturing companies and agricultural operations. The county and city were both named after one of South Dakota's pioneer promoters, Wilmot Brookings . Brookings set out for
217-841: A religious congregation. The largest such groups were: Brookings is also home to the Institute of Lutheran Theology , a pan-denominational Lutheran seminary. Students come from across the Lutheran spectrum, with the majority affiliated with one of three denominations; the North American Lutheran Church , Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ and the Canadian Association of Lutheran Congregations . The Brookings School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade . There
248-507: Is 2.7%, well below the national average of 4.7%. Bel Brands USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Paris-based multinational Fromageries BEL or Bel Group , began commercial construction of a 170,000-square-foot Babybel cheese production plant in 2014 in the city's Foster Addition north of the Swiftel Center. The project added 250 new jobs in Brookings by the end of 2014. Rainbow Play Systems is also headquartered in Brookings. According to
279-608: Is also a Catholic School hosted in St. Thomas More Catholic Church for students pre-kindergarten through fifth grade . South Dakota State University , the state's largest college, is in Brookings. The Brookings Register publishes daily Monday through Friday morning with a focus on local news and sports. It serves all of Brookings County and parts of Hamlin, Deuel, Kingsbury, Lake and Moody Counties in South Dakota and Lincoln County, Minnesota. Brookings Regional Airport serves
310-468: Is concentrated in the warmer months. Extremes range from −41 °F (−41 °C) as recently as January 12, 1912 to 109 °F (43 °C) on July 24, 1940. As of the census of 2010, there were 22,056 people, 8,159 households, and 3,836 families living in the city. The population density was 1,704.5 inhabitants per square mile (658.1/km ). There were 8,715 housing units at an average density of 673.5 per square mile (260.0/km ). The racial makeup of
341-801: Is owned by Chris and Mitri Canavati, the owners of the Tier II North American Hockey League 's Brookings Blizzard . Established in 2012, the Blizzard replaced the North American Hockey League team that had recently relocated to Brookings, South Dakota . The owners of the NAHL franchise, Chris and Mitri Canavati, relocated their team due to Alexandria being the smallest market in the Tier II league. However, they still wanted to keep Alexandria as
SECTION 10
#1732793671258372-840: The Dakota Territory in June 1857. He arrived at Sioux Falls on August 27, 1857, and became one of the first settlers there. He and his group represented the Western Town Company . After a time in Sioux Falls , Brookings and a companion set out for the Yankton area to locate a town in an area that was soon to be ceded by the Native Americans . This trip began in January 1858, and the two soon encountered
403-657: The Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL). The Flying Aces were based out Little Falls, Minnesota , and played their home games at Exchange Arena. Following the 2010–11 season, the franchise moved to the North American 3 Hockey League along with in-state rival, the Granite City Lumberjacks . On May 24, 2016, Flying Aces owners John and Debbie Holthaus sold the franchise to Blizzard Hockey, LLC. Blizzard Hockey also owns
434-509: The North American Hockey League 's St. Cloud Norsemen and the NA3HL's Alexandria Blizzard . The new owners then relocated the franchise to Willmar, Minnesota . It was at this time the team was renamed the Willmar WarHawks. Regular season records, as of completion of 2023–24 season † Chris Blasius stepped was the head coach for the 2016-17 season, and for the first portion of 2017-18 through 11/17/17. †† Mike Bowman
465-981: The United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 13.04 square miles (33.77 km ), of which 12.94 square miles (33.51 km ) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km ) is water. Brookings experiences a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ), which is characterized by warm, relatively humid summers and cold, dry winters, and is in USDA Hardiness Zones 4. The monthly daily average temperature range from 12.8 °F (−10.7 °C) in January to 70.7 °F (21.5 °C) in July, while there are 8 days of 90 °F (32 °C)+ highs and 35 days with sub-0 °F (−18 °C) lows annually. Snowfall occurs mostly in light to moderate amounts, totaling 35.8 inches (91 cm). Precipitation, at 25.21 inches (640 mm) annually,
496-716: The 2016-17 regular season, the franchise's first season in Willmar, with 56 points. Tyler Misialek (West Fargo, ND) set the Willmar Warhawks NA3HL single season goals record during the 2023-24 regular season, with 28 goals. The franchise statistical leaders consider all historical statistics commencing with the franchise's inaugural NA3HL season (2011–12), including all NA3HL seasons for the Minnesota Flying Aces (2011-2016) & Willmar Warhawks (2016–present). Brandan Holt (Madison Heights, MI) set
527-508: The Minnesota state line into Brookings County on October 2, 1879. With tracks being built at about one mile per day, the track and first train reached Brookings's Main Street on October 18, 1879. The railroad station opened a month later. Brookings was laid out in 1880. According to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its largest employers are: Brookings's unemployment rate
558-405: The average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 36.6% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in
589-455: The city was $ 31,266, and the median income for a family was $ 49,246. Males had a median income of $ 31,276 versus $ 22,763 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,028. About 7.3% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. The two largest ancestries in the city are: As of 2010, 60.7% of Brookings's population claimed affiliation with
620-572: The city was 51.1% male and 48.9% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 18,504 people, 6,971 households, and 3,422 families living in the city. The population density was 1,549.7 inhabitants per square mile (598.3/km ). There were 7,359 housing units at an average density of 616.3 per square mile (238.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 95.49% White , 0.44% African American , 0.99% Native American , 1.88% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islander , 0.26% from other races , and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of
651-419: The city was 92.1% White , 1.1% African American , 1.0% Native American , 3.7% Asian , 0.5% from other races , and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 8,159 households, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had
SECTION 20
#1732793671258682-476: The current boundaries on January 8, 1873. Two other small settlements, Oakwood and Fountain, appeared in the Brookings County area around this time. All three hoped to be the town the railroad would decide to run through as it moved westward. The railroad bypassed Medary, so it became a ghost town. In fact, the railroad bypassed all three towns. When the businessmen of Medary and Fountain found out that
713-432: The franchise NA3HL career points record during the 2019-20 season with 114 career points. Tyler Misialek (West Fargo, ND) set the franchise NA3HL career goals record during the 2023-24 season with 59 career goals. Parker Tomczyk (Mosinee, WI) set the franchise NA3HL single season points record during the franchise's inaugural NA3HL season (2011–12) with 59 points during the regular season. Parker Tomczyk (Mosinee, WI) set
744-487: The franchise NA3HL single season goal record during the franchise's inaugural NA3HL season (2011–12) with 29 goals during the regular season. Alexandria Blizzard The Alexandria Blizzard is a USA Hockey -sanctioned Tier III Junior ice hockey team playing in the North American 3 Hockey League (NA3HL). The team plays their home games at Runestone Community Center in Alexandria, Minnesota . The franchise
775-510: The franchise's move to Willmar, MN, prior to the 2016-17 NA3HL season (2016-present). Brandan Holt (Madison Heights, MI) set the Willmar Warhawks career points record during the 2019-20 season with 114 career points. Tyler Misialek (West Fargo, ND) set the Willmar Warhawks career goals record during the 2023-24 season with 59 career goals. Kyle Wendorf (Richfield, MN) set the Willmar Warhawks NA3HL single season points record during
806-407: The population. There were 6,971 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and
837-426: The railroad had no plans to run through the two towns, they began a push to find a central location. Many private meetings and much effort on the part of the men of Medary and Fountain led the railroad to lay its tracks through what became the city of Brookings. In a letter sent to Chicago on September 30, 1879, Land Commissioner Charles E. Simmons communicated the layout of the series of towns in Brookings County for
868-440: The railroad to pass through: Aurora, Brookings, and Volga. Many merchants of Medary and Fountain packed up their businesses and belongings and moved to Brookings, which was surveyed and platted on October 3 and 4, 1879. Fountain ceased to exist; Medary and Oakwood remained for a while but eventually faded away. A monument still stands at the site of the old Medary as a reminder of the people who once lived there. The railroad crossed
899-510: Was hired as fulltime head coach on 12/24/17 to replace interim head coach Steve Yurichuk . ††† Connor White was hired as head coach for 2022-23 season. Kyle Christensen took over as head coach for a portion of the 2022-23 season, before being replaced by Connor White for the remainder of the season. Transition dates have not been able to be verified so both coaches are co-listed for the 2022-23 season. The Willmar Warhawks statistical leaders consider all historical statistics commencing with
930-491: Was one of the first three European settlements established in South Dakota. The first site of Medary was located by the Dakota Land Company of Minnesota , led by Alpheus G. Fuller and Franklin J. DeWitt and accompanied by engineer Samuel A. Medary, Jr. In 1857, the men put up quarters in preparation to live out the winter in Medary. Many other settlers moved into the area in 1858. But in the spring of that year,
961-482: Was part of this county at the time. He made settlement of this area possible for many people. The first real town organized in Brookings County was Medary , in 1857. Before that, the area had been traveled and utilized only by Native Americans, with a few indistinct traces left showing the penetration of the area by explorers, missionaries, trappers, and traders. Along with Sioux Falls and Flandreau, Medary