North Iowa Bulls alumnus defenseman Caleb Huffman has signed a contract to play professional hockey for the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.
Huffman laced up for the 2020-21 edition of the Bulls, playing 25 regular season and 10 Fraser Cup postseason games on route to claiming the Bulls’ fourth and most recent Fraser Cup Championship. In the regular season, Huffman notched 3 goals and 16 assists for 19 points while adding 62 PIMs. In 10 postseason games, the Fairbanks, Alaska, native posted 1 goal, 3 assists, and 4 points.
During his Mason City season, Caleb earned a call up to the NAHL’s Kenai River Brown Bears before earning a spot on the Brown Bear’s full time roster the next season and eventually becoming Kenai’s Captain at the start of the 2022-23 season. All told, Huffman skated in 86 games for Kenai, scoring 5 goals and 19 assists for 24 points.
Caleb’s efforts earned him a chance to play NCAA Division I College Hockey at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, where he played 42 games over two seasons for the Seawolves. In the 2024-25 season, Huffman played U Sports Hockey at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, where he laced up for 20 games, scoring 3 goals and 16 assists for 19 points. After his collegiate season, Huffman made his professional debut for the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder, where he played 6 games.
The next season, the 6’4″, 201-pound defenseman spent the year in the SPHL, splitting the season between the Macon Mayhem and the Evansville Thunderbolts. All told, Caleb skated in 31 SPHL games, scoring 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points. With the Thunderbolts, Huffman played 12 postseason games, scoring 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points, and skating as a +11 defenseman to push Evansville to their 2nd consecutive President’s Cup Championship as SPHL Playoff Champions.
The Tulsa Oilers, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have operated since 1992 and joined the ECHL in 2014, winning their Division’s Title in 2019. They are affiliated with the American Hockey League (AHL)’s San Diego Gulls and National Hockey League (NHL)’s Anaheim Ducks.
Huffman is the third Bulls alumnus in the last calendar year to sign a deal with an NHL franchise or affiliated franchise. Lucas Wahlin (2019-20) inked a deal with the Winnipeg Jets (NHL) and made his professional debut with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) after completing his four-year collegiate career at the University of St. Thomas. Campbell Cichosz (2020-21) signed a deal with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye after four NCAA DI seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato.
The Bulls wish congratulations and good luck to Caleb Huffman as he begins his second full professional season and first full season in the ECHL.