After the fall of the Thunder Bay Flyers in 2001, the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) was founded. The Thunder Bay Wolves, who had played for a short while in the Thunder Bay Junior B Hockey League, were a founding team, but after one season they changed their name to the Fort William Wolves.
The formation of the SIJHL took place following the demise of the Thunder Bay Flyers in 2001. Initially, the Thunder Bay Wolves, previously part of the junior hockey league, joined as founding members but later changed their name to the Fort William Wolves after a single year.