Minor League Teams in Illinois

The Cougars started life as the Wausau Timbers, but it's in Geneva where they've really made their name. They've won two Midwest League championships, sent 150 players to the Major Leagues, and became the first Class A Minor League Baseball team to reach a lifetime fan attendance of 10 million.

Like the Cougars, the Peoria Chiefs play in the Midwest League of Minor League Baseball. The club began as the Peoria Suns back in 1983, but the name didn’t stick for long – by the next season they were playing under the current Chiefs name. See them play at Dozer Park, Peoria.

The Gateway Grizzlies play in the West Division of the Frontier League, the oldest currently running independent baseball league. Since they started in 2001, they’ve had a strong record, including a Frontier League championship win in 2003 and 30 players sent to MLB affiliates.

The Joliet Slammers play in the East Division of the Frontier League. They took over from the former Joliet JackHammers back in 2011, and since then have won two Frontier League championships. And yes, the name is indeed a reference to that famous landmark, Joliet Prison.

The Boomers are one of the most successful teams in the Frontier League, championship winners in four of the eleven seasons they’ve played. The Boomers are named in honor of the greater prairie chicken, which performs a mating dance known as "booming" - which mascot Coop the Boomer has mastered.

The Miners, named for the Southern Illinois region’s history of coal mining, play in the West Division of the Frontier League. The Miners began in 2007 as Marion's second-ever professional baseball team, following the two-season Marion Indians in 1947-1948.

The ThunderBolts are one of the oldest teams in the Frontier League. But it was some path getting here. They started out in the former North Central League as the Will County Claws, before joining the Heartland League as the Will County Cheetahs and then the Cook County Cheetahs.

The Chicago Dogs are Illinois’ newest professional baseball team, joining the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball in 2018 with a vision of “the best ballpark experience in America.” The name isn’t canine in nature – it’s named for the famous Chicago street food.

The Wolves are one of minor league hockey’s most successful teams. They’ve posted a winning record every one of their 29 seasons, gone to playoffs 24 times and won five championships. They're also well-known for their community involvement, and their pre-game pyrotechnics.

The Rockford IceHogs are part of the American Hockey League, often facing off against the Wolves. The team came to Rockford via Baltimore and Cincinnati, taking over from a different team of the same name in 2007. They’re an affiliate team of fellow Chicago-area team, the NHL's Blackhawks.

The former Peoria Rivermen moved to Utica, New York in 2013. That left Peoria without a pro hockey team. The former owner and two former execs of that team thought that just wouldn’t do – so they quickly formed a new team under the same name, joining the Southern Professional Hockey League.

The Quad City Storm is Illinois’ newest professional hockey team, starting up in the 2018-2019 season. Like the Rivermen, they play in the Southern Professional Hockey League.