Creating a new minor league hockey team doesn’t happen overnight.

For the past year, the Pueblo Bulls, a new team to the Western States Hockey League for the 2019-20 season, have done all the business aspects and franchise-creating steps needed to start the team.

Now, head coach Chris Wilhite will take the first step toward the actual team aspect when the Bulls announce their first two signed players at 6 p.m. today at the Pueblo Plaza Ice Arena.

“The last year has been very fun and exciting, very stressful with creating a whole new franchise,” Wilhite said. “This whole process is very, very exciting.

“You see the NHL and you see all these teams doing it, but to actually do it is very fun and exciting.”

The names of the two players are being kept under wraps, but both are Pueblo natives and are returning to play in front of their home town crowd.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. when fans get the chance to meet “Pueblo the Bull,” the franchise’s live mascot.

Fans will then be welcomed inside and get a chance to hear about the state of the Bulls before both players are officially signed.

The WSHL is an amateur-status league as Wilhite and his fellow assistant coaches stated how the goal of their team and the league is to help develop players toward college hockey or even be drafted by a professional team, whether in the states or overseas.

This week is the first official period the Bulls can sign players, which Wilhite hopes to get around 30 for his initial roster.

“On April 15, we got the OK to start talking to players so we’ve been very active speaking with players,” Wilhite said. “We have a lot of interest for being a new franchise and we’re getting a lot of interest from high school players and other junior hockey players outside the western states.”

Wilhite said that around 115 season tickets have already been sold and they will be available for purchase at the signing event today.

Billet families and others looking to help with game day operations are also being looked for the Bulls with the season expected to get underway late September/early October.

Also, the Bulls will host a prospect camp June 28-30 for any players born from 1999-2002 to tryout and be scouted by the coaching staff.

“This is for kids who I might not have necessarily been able to see, get interest in a team such as a local high school team,” Wilhite said. “If a kid wants to tryout, he is more than welcome to tryout at that June camp.”

Season tickets, signups for the prospect camp, applying to be a host family and more information leading up to the season can be found on the Bulls’ website at pueblobullshockey.com.

Chieftain sports reporter Austin White can be reached by email at awhite@chieftain.com or on Twitter @ajwrules44.