The geographic divide between the NorPac Hockey League's two divisions has prevented teams from playing one another during the regular season.

But that won't be the case in 2009-10 as the league's Showcase tournament - to be held in Billings Jan. 7-9 -will gather the NorPac's 12 teams together for the first time.

The Billings Bulls were recently awarded the privilege of hosting the Showcase, and team owner Doug Strong knows it has the potential to be an important event.

"We've all been wanting to do this," said Strong, entering his fourth year as the Bulls' owner. "And since we've decided to do this at a central location, everybody is pretty excited to give it a try.

"We want to play these other teams from the other division and see where we match up."

Strong said the Showcase will be played between the NorPac's America West and Pacific divisions at both Centennial Ice Arena and Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark.

Strong said the league awarded the tournament to the Bulls by an 11-1 vote.

The event will feature 18 games, several of the inter-league variety, Strong said. Three games will be played at both Centennial Arena and Rimrock Auto Arena each day, and all will count toward the regular-season standings.

Strong said the tournament will bring in a variety of scouts, as well.

"It's all about moving our players on, and this will give them better exposure," he said. "We've had a great response so far. I think we're going to have north of 20 scouts here, between college, the North American league and the USHL."

Strong said the Bulls will play their Showcase games each night at 7:15 p.m. at Rimrock Auto Arena.

A Showcase all-star game is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 10 at Centennial Arena, Strong said.

The Tourism Business Improvement District, a part of the Billings Area Chamber of Commerce, is sponsoring the event to help defer the cost of ice at Rimrock Auto Arena.

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Strong also noted that the Bulls have reached an agreement to play two games at Rimrock Auto Arena the week before the Showcase.

The games, scheduled for Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, will be a continuation of a recent Bulls tradition.

Since losing its lease with MetraPark prior to the 2006-07 season, the team has managed to still play games at its old home. Last season the Bulls played three games there, while the two seasons prior they played a total of four.

Strong said he expects the league's schedule to be announced sometime in June.

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The team announced last week that it had signed a new contract with the Billings Amateur Hockey League and Centennial Arena.

The deal was tweaked, however, to give the BAHL an opportunity to bolster its pocketbook.

Within the parameters of the new contract, Strong said, the BAHL can increase capital by taking over the selling of tickets, advertising and sponsorship sales.

Due to the new agreement, meanwhile, the Bulls will be able to save money by not having to pay a full-time employee to handle those duties.

"They have the potential to make a lot more money this way," Strong said. "It's a deal that is very attractive for both sides."

The Bulls have played the last three seasons at Centennial Arena. They are slated to play 20 games there next season.

An announcement regarding ticket sales is pending, Strong said, and the phone number to purchase single-game or season tickets (294-0406) remains the same.

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On the personnel front, fourth-year Bulls coach Mike Hass announced the signing of 6-foot-2, 180-pound forward Daniel Turgeon. Hass recruited Turgeon at a junior placement showcase last weekend in Denver, Colo.

"He's got a big body and can put the puck in the net," Hass said.

In addition, Hass said he received solid commitments from five defensemen, three goalies and a forward to attend the Bulls' tryout camp in Denver at the end of July.

Hass also said he has six or seven players who are strong possibilities of returning for the 2009-10 season. Among them are forwards Stormy Knight, Jeremy Rolfe and Paul Hoffman.

Strong said the team has tendered Daniel Tratz, a 19-year-old forward from Nuremberg, Germany.

A separate addition to next year's team will be new assistant coach Matt Frank.

Frank, a Billings native, played Tier II Junior A hockey for the Bozeman IceDogs before embarking on a four-year career at Division I Ferris State, a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

"It's a good opportunity for Matt," Hass said. "He helped us last season on a limited basis, and one thing I noticed is that he is very detail-oriented. And that is one big thing to have from an assistant coach."

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The Bulls had their best performance of sending players on to the collegiate level since their days at the Tier II level ended, advancing three from last year's team onto prominent NCAA Division III programs.

Goalie Tim Gerrish and defenseman Shane Harvey have signed to play at the University of Southern Maine, while forward Steven Shaffroth has inked to play at Utica (N.Y.) College.

Meanwhile, forwards Jordan Keizer and Eddie LaPera have offers from D-III St. Mary's University in Minnesota.

Defenseman A.J. Larranaga will attend Minot State-Bottineau, a junior college in North Dakota, while forwards Josh Giudice (Weber State) and Chris Alexander (Arizona State) will play at the Division I club level.