The League of Extraordinary Frankenfollies Seriously Mark?

In the world of junior hockey, where dreams of Division I stardom either take flight or fail, one name has become linked with a special type of administrative innovation. That name is Mark Frankenfeld, Commissioner of the North American Hockey League. Over the last three seasons, discussions, observations, and frustrated expressions have cataloged the commissioner's distinctive leadership style—a series of decisions so illogical that a new term was needed. Thus, the "Frankenfollie" was created.

It's a combination as haphazard as the league's decisions: a mix of "Frankenstein" and "folly." Think of it as a poorly constructed creation, a collection of mismatched parts that, against all odds, functions, though a little shakily. And there have been some real blunders in recent years.

Frankenfollie #1: The Maine Attraction (or, The Case of the Unmovable Teams)

The first and most lasting Frankenfollie involves new, and clearly underfunded, owners stuck with bad arena deals. The NAHL's rulebook, apparently written on old paper by a group of highly paid people, insists that teams must stay in place or at best, stay in their division. This is true even if the new owners of the Maine Nordiques needed to move to a better market, like, Wasilla, Alaska. A move that "made incredible sense for everybody."

"Can't move divisions," came the word from the league's boss, a statement delivered with the authority of a hockey god. Except, this rule has been ignored many times. The Alaska Avalanche moved to Johnstown. The Soo Eagles became the New Jersey Titans. The Wenatchee Wild went on a continental tour, ending in Rio Grande Valley and Philadelphia. The rule, it seems, is "the Nordiques can't move because it makes too much sense." This is a classic Frankenfollie: a rule enforced selectively, a puzzle wrapped in pure nonsense.

Frankenfollie #2: The Minnesota Mallards—A Season of Spectacular Self-Destruction

Has there been a more embarrassing situation for the NAHL in the last 20 years than the 2024-25 Minnesota Mallards? The Mallards were a magnificent failure, so complete that it deserves its own trading card set. This was a Frankenfollie of epic proportions, a Frankenstein’s monster of bad ideas that collapsed before the winter thaw. It makes you wonder if there was an actual plan or if the season was just an avant-garde performance piece about the futility of ambition.

The Colorado Grit was a franchise that was obviously a rich dad's gift to his son. The team's theme song should have been "Daddy's Little Plaything." One kid jumped to the NAHL—a case of nepotism. When the son aged out, the team failed.

A fall guy was needed, so Mike Beavis from the NA3HL was hired to take the blame. We can only assume the commissioner, pointed a finger at Beavis and yelled, "It's alive!" after creating this mess. People are wondering how much of that rumored $150,000 salary Beavis actually collected. The real question is why Frankenfeld continues to let rich parents buy their kids into the league. It's a Frankenfollie that undermines the league’s integrity and makes a mockery of every kid who earns their spot the hard way.

The expansion of the NA3HL into the southern US was another decision that could only be a Frankenfollie. Everyone in hockey knew that expanding the pay-to-play junior market was a recipe for disaster. It made the path from pay-to-play to real college hockey even more of a fantasy. The results are visible: games like last weekend's Maine and New Jersey NA3HL matchup mysteriously did not happen. The NA3HL is now a land of logistical nightmares, populated by teams that are little more than ghost ships.

Perhaps the most impressive Frankenfollie is the D1 illusion. The league put out a video, bragging about all the NCAA Division I coaches and scouts at their Showcases. It was the junior hockey equivalent of an old man bragging about the $20 Powerball ticket he bought last week and how he was going to spend the cool billion.

These scouts are supposed to be eager to sign every player. But let's be realistic. The over/under for NAHL players from the 2025-26 season playing more than twenty games at the D1 level in 2026-27 should be set somewhere south of 100. Why not spend money on getting more NCAA D3 and ACHA D1 coaches to the event? That's where most college placements from the 2025-25 season will occur. But Frankenfeld prefers the illusion, the shimmering mirage of D1 glory.

It’s a Frankenfollie of misplaced priorities, a testament to the league’s insistence on a marketing strategy that is out of step with reality. As the case of the Wisconsin Windigo is considered, people are left to wonder: what new, glorious Frankenfollie awaits?