That buzz you heard coming from The Rink about a new hockey team in town was from the Battle Creek Rumble Bees, which unveiled its new name, team colors and its mascot on Tuesday.

Playing out of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, the Battle Creek Rumble Bees are the newest franchise and 10th pro team in that conference and will begin play at The Rink in downtown Battle Creek in October.

"We obviously 'bee-lieve' in Battle Creek," said Rumble Bees General Manager Adam Stio, putting emphasis on the Bee from the nickname. "We want to be a huge part of Battle Creek. We don't want to be just a hockey team, we want to be a brand new small business in a market that is helping to support small business and to help young entrepreneurs get going."

The Federal Prospects Hockey League is in eight states and is geared toward showcasing players looking to climb the ladder of the professional ranks. The league also has a second team in Michigan, playing in Port Huron.

"We are excited to be here," said Don Kirnan, Commissioner of the Federal Prospects Hockey League. "Obviously, Michigan is a hockey market and I think this will be a great fit and we can't wait to get started. I think we will do very well here. Love the name and love the jersey."

With black and gold being the team colors, a vicious looking bee with the silhouette of the state of Michigan in its eye is the mascot. Training camp is scheduled to start at The Rink on Oct. 14 and the team already has its first player in goalie Joel Eisenhower, who has played previously in the league and played at Lebanon Valley College.

"Want to give thanks for the opportunity to be part of this organization and looking forward to the beginning of the season," Eisenhower said.

The season home opener is Oct. 25 vs. the Danville (Ill.) Dashers in a Friday-Saturday weekend series. The Rumble Bees are scheduled to play 24 home contests.

Barry Soskin, who is part of the ownership group of the Battle Creek franchise, also owns a stake in other teams in the league and sees an opportunity for growth in the Cereal City.

"This is our 10th year as a league and we are starting to be where we want to be as a league. We are moving players up, coaches up, referees up. People are using our league as a stepping stone, which is exactly what Don (Kirnan) wanted to do when he started this league 10 years ago," Soskin said.

The Rink has seen several professional and semi-professional hockey teams come and go in recent years, but Stio thinks the Rumble Bees have a better chance to succeed. It also seems hockey is growing in Battle Creek as a second team could soon join the Rumble Bees as the Battle Creek Cavalry Hockey Club may also play its 2019-20 season at The Rink out of the Interstate Hockey League. Official news of that league has not yet been made available, however.

"We are going to be different than previous organizations. We are going to be out in the community, be involved in the city and hopefully have fun doing it," said Stio, who was previously the General Manager of the Evansville Thunderbolts. "We are also here to support anything else that is at The Rink.

"We know there may be another team involved here and if that's the case, they will probably be a lower level than us. That can actually help us. As we see some of our prospects move up, we will need to fill in and look for new players and another team here in The Rink could be an advantage."

Bill Broderick can be reached at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0678. Follow him on Twitter:@billbroderick.