St. John's Ice Caps, anyone?

Global warming may be threatening the polar ice caps … but they just might be moving into St. John's.

CBC News has learned there are strong signs that the province's new American Hockey League franchise will be called the St. John's Ice Caps.

St. John's Ice Caps Inc. was registered earlier this month with Newfoundland and Labrador's registry of deeds and companies. The only director named is former premier Danny Williams, who has been leading the drive to bring professional hockey back to St. John's.

The company had been listed originally as 65179 Newfoundland and Labrador, but its name was changed last Friday.

A domain name for a website featuring stjohnsicecaps.com was registered by M5 Interactive on June 16.

M5 also registered the domain name ahlisback, before Williams and the Manitoba Moose announced the AHL franchise was relocating to St. John's. The site was also used to sell season passes for the new team.

M5 spokeswoman Sarah Constantine said the team owners are not confirming that the AHL franchise will be known as the Ice Caps,

However, she said, Ice Caps is currently the frontrunner.

A decision is expected in a few weeks.

Mile One Centre had been built in part to house the former St. John's Maple Leafs, the farm team for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which relocated to Toronto in 2005.

The stadium was able to lure a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team, the Fog Devils, although that was sold to a new owner in Quebec in 2008.