Three former PHL teams, the Alaska Gold Kings (Fairbanks, Alaska), Anchorage Aces (Anchorage, Alaska), and Fresno Falcons (Fresno, California) were joined by the Bakersfield Fog (Bakersfield, California), Reno Renegades (Reno, Nevada) and San Diego Gulls (San Diego, California) to become the founding member teams of the WCHL, with British Columbia businessman Bruce Taylor recognized as the league's founding father.

Before the 2002–03 season, the WCHL's last as an independent league, the Tacoma Sabercats and Colorado Gold Kings folded.

The six remaining WCHL teams (Alaska, Bakersfield, Fresno, Idaho, Long Beach and San Diego) joined the West and Pacific Divisions of the ECHL's National Conference, as did a planned WCHL team in Las Vegas, Nevada, which became the Las Vegas Wranglers.

The ECHL's Bruce Taylor Trophy, presented to the Western Conference playoff champion, is named in recognition of the WCHL's founding father.

It was named after the founder of the league, Bruce Taylor, who also originally owned three of the six founding teams (Bakersfield, Fresno and Reno).

The San Diego Gulls were by far the most successful postseason team in WCHL history, winning five of the eight Taylor Cup championships awarded.