A last-minute deal to keep the Albert Lea Thunder in Albert Lea for next season appears to still be in the works, according to the North American Hockey League.

The league issued a statement Tuesday in which it stated the league is still working with potential owners.

The statement read: “The North American Hockey League is still in the process of working with potential ownership groups to keep the Albert Lea Thunder membership in Albert Lea.”

The statement comes a day after the Mason City, Iowa television station KIMT reported that the Albert Lea franchise had been purchased and was going to be moved. The report cited an unnamed person on the NAHL Board of Governors.

Terry Hughes, a firefighter from Crestwood, Ill., expressed an intention to keep the Albert Lea Thunder in Albert Lea next season in a letter to the Albert Lea City Council. Hughes planned to purchase the existing franchise in Albert Lea and keep the team in Albert Lea.

The NAHL draft begins May 26.