By John Packett
Renegades writer

J.J. Wrobel isn’t worried about the Richmond Renegades folding this season. He should know, since he’s been through such a scenario twice.

The left wing was asked about his concerns in the wake of the Florida Seals going out of business earlier this month and causing the Southern Professional Hockey League to shrink from eight to seven teams.

“It happened my rookie year,” Wrobel said. “The team [Mohawk Valley Prowlers in the United Hockey League] folded halfway through the year.”

It also occurred when Wrobel played for the Anchorage Aces of the West Coast Hockey League, but “they waited until the end of the year. It was the same thing. We got kicked out of our apartments and checks were bouncing.”

Wrobel, who spent all or parts of three seasons with the Richmond RiverDogs (UHL) until the franchise left for Chicago after last season, leads the Renegades with 20 goals through the first 32 games.

The seventh-year pro believes the Renegades, who are an expansion team in the SPHL, are on firm ground financially under owner Allan B. Harvie Jr., who founded the original Renegades in 1990.

“This is as professional as it gets,” Wrobel said. “Allan has done a fantastic job for the players. There’s not a worry in my mind about anything here.”

Wrobel said he’s convinced the SPHL in general isn’t in any danger of losing more teams and perhaps not having enough franchises to stay afloat.

“I think there’s enough people that want to keep it going,” Wrobel said. “They [Florida] just had a tough time getting people in the building. Any time you can’t bring fans in to watch the games, you’re not going to be able to support the team. I think it’s just a matter of time before another ownership group picks up and puts another team, maybe not in Kissimmee [Florida] but in another place.

“I know personally a couple of guys that I’ve played with who have thrown the idea out. Asked me about the league. I’m not concerned about the whole league going down.”

This is the third year of the SPHL, which has lost four franchises and added three since its inception for the 2004-05 season.