The future of high-level junior hockey is uncertain at Geneva’s Fox Valley Ice Arena with the Chicago Hitmen’s departure after only one season.

The Hitmen, members of the North American Hockey League, relocated from Rolling Meadows to Geneva for the 2011-12 season, but a tumultuous year off the ice bounced the Hitmen not only from the ice arena but – at least temporarily – from the league.

The NAHL released a brief statement in mid-May indicating the Hitmen will not compete in the league for the 2012-13 season, adding that all of the team’s players would be considered free agents. League commissioner Mark Frankenfeld did not return phone messages this week seeking further comment.

The Hitmen fielded a Tier-2 team with numerous college prospects and a lower-level Tier-3 team. Timothy Weilandt, managing partner of Centrum, which manages the Fox Valley Ice Arena, said it is unrealistic to land another Tier-2 team in time for next season, but he would be “perfectly willing” to partner with a new Tier-3 organization.

“If the team gets sold to new ownership, we would accept new ownership back in here, so we think that we’re going to have a team here, but I don’t think they’re going to be called the Hitmen,” Weilandt said. “But a different ownership group that is well capitalized, that’s the way it looks now, but there’s no deal set yet.”

The Hitmen and Centrum went to court in the late stages of the season after Centrum locked the team out of the arena because of contractual disputes. The relationship between the Hitmen brass and Centrum was rocky throughout the season as the sides clashed over finances and marketing.

Hitmen owner Mark Hammersmith, recovering from recent hip surgery, could not be reached for comment, and the team’s attorney, Peter Storm, did not return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment. Hitmen general manager/coach Brent Agrusa confirmed he’s exploring other opportunities, saying simply “we’re done.”

“It’s sports – it’s hard for these teams to pull it off,” Agrusa said. “It’s not an easy thing. Sometimes this happens.”

The Hitmen were allowed to close out their season at Fox Valley Ice Arena in late March, and court-ordered arbitration was supposed to determine whether it would be workable for the team to remain in Geneva for next season. But with the NAHL suspending the Hitmen from competition, Weilandt said there is little point to arbitration.

“There’s nothing really left to fight about because they don’t want to be back in here,” Weilandt said. “It was all about us not letting them occupy their offices and their locker room and stuff and skate on the ice without meeting their obligations here and, now that there is no team, there’s not a lot to fight about. They didn’t want to leave, but now they’re gone.”

Weilandt said the likelihood of a Tier-3 team playing in Geneva next season should become clear in the coming weeks. Regardless, he said Centrum continues to explore options to bring junior hockey to the area.

“We want to make it happen,” Weilandt said. “I think that junior hockey in this area is important, and I think the community would support a team that was run well. We certainly want to encourage a junior program to come here.”