In a couple more days (application deadline March 7) we'll find out who will be the two new teams in the SJMHL. Along with the expansion we'll introduce new divisions. Balancing the league into 4 divisions of 4 teams each.  Since the divisional rotation was introduced to balance out playoff appearances, I'm working with the assumption that rotation will end and these new divisions will be permanent.  I'm also working on the assumption that one team will be added to the West and one to the East to also help with balancing things out.  Here is how I see things shaking out. 

Western Conference:
Mountain Division:

Colorado, Great Falls and Nevada are all pretty close to each other in this area so this seems like a natural group to lump together, this is also where I would place the first expansion team.  Based on some of the cities that have been bounced around, as well as empty areas on the map, there are plenty of choices that could round out this division.  Portland, Oregon, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, or somewhere in California.  The SHL has teams in LA and San Fran, but there's still possibilities for a location like San Diego or Oakland. Regina could also potentially be a team for this division since it is the team that is physically closest to Great Falls, but I think there's a possibility that the expansion team will be somewhere along the West Coast or Southwest of the US.

Great North Division:

Alaska and Western Canada make up this division with Anchorage, Yukon, Vancouver and Kelowna all relatively close to each other. Alaska and the Yukon territory border one another and Vancouver and Kelowna both in British Columbia sets up for some intense regional rivalries.

Eastern Conference:
Central Division:

The four teams located roughly in the center of the two countries would be Regina, Detroit, St Louis and Quebec City.  This would bring back the long standing and intense rivalry between Detroit and St Louis.  Also would likely form instant rivalries with QCC who have been dominant the last few seasons. A possibility for this division would be Kansas City, which would set up an instate rival for St Louis.  In that case QCC would move to the Atlantic.

Atlantic Division:

These teams aren't super close to each other, but run up and down the Eastern seaboard.  Newfoundland, Maine and Carolina are the 3 remaining teams without a division.  Joining them (in my estimation) would be the second expansion team.  Some of the speculated cities include Miami, Washington DC, perhaps somewhere slightly inland like Nashville. If the new team ends up in the Midwest, they would go to the central division and QCC would slide in here. 

Just a few thoughts on where I think some teams will end up, but of course this is all pure speculation at this point.