Bloomington Thunder

The Blaze replace the defunct Bloomington PrairieThunder which played in the International Hockey League from 2006-2010 (in their first season the league was called the United Hockey League) before it merged with the CHL for the 2010-11 season, which they had only played the single season before folding.
Though the Blaze also plays at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, the franchise is not considered a continuation of the PrairieThunder franchise.

On May 13, 2013, the Peoria Journal Star reported that the Blaze, along with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen, would move to the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2013-14 season. The two teams will reportedly be owned by two former Rivermen executives, John Butler and Bart Rogers, with financial backing from former Rivermen owner Bruce Saurs. The SPHL held an emergency meeting with the Board of Governors and the league owners and general managers on the morning of May 14, 2013 to decide on the acceptance of the franchises.
On May 15, 2013, it was officially announced that the Blaze would leave the struggling CHL for the lower level SPHL. Also entering the league with Bloomington are the Peoria Rivermen, who lost their AHL team after their owners, the Vancouver Canucks, announced they were moving the team. Renamed Bloomington Thunder in July 2013

After 2013-2014 season team migrate to USHL

In 2017, the team rebranded and became the Central Illinois Flying Aces

• from 2011 to 2013: Bloomington Blaze
• from 2013 to 2017: Bloomington Thunder
• from 2017 to present: Central Illinois Flying Aces

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