# Bloomington Bison

The **Bloomington Bison** are a professional ice hockey team based in [Bloomington, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/bloomington-illinois), whose players compete under ECHL contracts.<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup> The city's Bloomington Ice Center serves as the team's secondary practice rink, according to the city's FY 2027 budget overview.<sup>[2](https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showdocument?id=32393&t=639086455716871107)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Home city | Bloomington, Illinois |
| League | Players compete under ECHL contracts<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup> |
| Secondary practice rink | Bloomington Ice Center, Bloomington, IL<sup>[2](https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showdocument?id=32393&t=639086455716871107)</sup> |
| Roster administration | Protected lists, season-ending rosters, and qualifying offers govern player rights between seasons<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup> |
| Rookie definition | A player with fewer than 25 regular-season games of professional hockey at the "AA" level or higher as of the start of the current season<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup> |

## Roster and offseason movement

A fan-maintained team tracker, Offseason HQ, follows players from the Bison's 2025-26 season and their status for the 2026-27 campaign. It lists, as of September 10, 2026, the players who skated for Bloomington in 2025-26 and appeared on the protected list or received qualifying offers for 2026-27; players whose rights were acquired after June 8 were not eligible for the protected list.<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup>

Among the 2025-26 players on the protected list were Brandon Yeamans, Ilya Tsulygin (a rookie), [Jonny Evans](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonny-evans), Max Neill, Daniel Tedesco, and Kohei Sato. Yeamans signed with JAX for 2026-27, Tsulygin signed with DEAC in Hungary, Sato signed with Briançon in France, and Neill's rights were traded to ATL. Tedesco appeared on the protected list, the season-ending roster, and received a qualifying offer.<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup>

## How ECHL offseason rights work

The offseason tracker illustrates the standard ECHL roster cycle. Teams file a protected list and a season-ending roster after the season, and may extend qualifying offers to retain rights to certain players; a player marked ineligible for the protected list, as Yeamans was, can still sign elsewhere as a free agent. Rookie status is defined by professional experience: fewer than 25 regular-season games at the "AA" level or higher as of the start of the current season.<sup>[1](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)</sup>

## References

1. [Bloomington Bison – Offseason HQ](https://bloomingtonbisonhockey.com/offseasonhq)
2. [City of Bloomington, IL – FY 2027 Budget Overview and General Fund](https://www.bloomingtonil.gov/home/showdocument?id=32393&t=639086455716871107)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Winter and ice sports › Ice skating sports › Figure skating › Figure skating technique and people › Figure skating clubs and training environments*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license