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Minor League Hockey Shake-up...coming


JackieMoon

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AHL alignment is set for next year:

East

Atlantic: Bridgeport, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Portland Pirates, Providence, Springfield, W-B/S

North: Albany, Binghamton, Rochester, St. John’s, Syracuse, Toronto, Utica

West

Central: Charlotte, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Iowa, Lake Erie, Manitoba, Milwaukee, Rockford

Pacific: Bakersfield, Ontario, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, Stockton, Texas

Do the two teams in Texas get the special snowflake schedule, or do they have to play full slates like everyone else?

Not sure on how many games they'll be playing, but glad they lumped the Texas teams in with the California ones. Makes sense to have the Cali teams travel east since they're all NHL funded more so than it did having any of the independent eastern teams travel down to Texas.

Agreed. This is also ideal because all the New York teams are in the same division, all the PA teams are in the same division, and all the New England teams are in the same division. Having Toronto and St. John's in the same division is also best for St. John's because of the air traffic that flows between the 2 cities.

Well, this also sets up the move of St John's to Laval just outside of Montreal. That's where everyone is saying the team will be moving to for the 2017-18 season.

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Thanks KaTo

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I think you'll find that most people would be in favor of a completely separate AAA league for the western and/or southern U.S., it's grafting a few pet projects to a traditionally low-travel northeastern league that has people upset. I mean, they're not being made to play a full schedule. That's illegitimate.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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Minor league hockey is not a big money business. The Sabres bought the Rochester Amerks (a long-time and stable franchise that draws at least in the middle of the AHL) for only $5M. The CCSLC could probably buy an ECHL team. Swapping out a bus ride down I-90 for plane tickets across the country is a big change for these teams... confirmed by the fact that the league isn't even making these new teams play a full schedule! The business model needs too much massaging to make this happen; it shouldn't be happening.

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Wasn't there talk of the CCSLC buying an ABA team? I recall we were going to field a team that would take down the Atlanta Krunk Wolverines.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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Minor league hockey is not a big money business. The Sabres bought the Rochester Amerks (a long-time and stable franchise that draws at least in the middle of the AHL) for only $5M. The CCSLC could probably buy an ECHL team. Swapping out a bus ride down I-90 for plane tickets across the country is a big change for these teams... confirmed by the fact that the league isn't even making these new teams play a full schedule! The business model needs too much massaging to make this happen; it shouldn't be happening.

Unless it's the first step in the western teams eventually being spun off into a separate league not unlike how baseball has the International League and PCL geographically east and west who then come together to play a AAA championship game between their respective winners. Not unlike how the NL and AL used to do it in bygone days. Obviously though that's an ideal solution that may or may not ever happen. Long term though they probably do need to increase the number of games the west teams play. Maybe after Vancouver moves their AHL team west.

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No, it's been confirmed that the California teams get special dispensation to not play a full schedule because their precious existence is so important to hockey.

How will playoff seedings work then?

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For maximum hilarity, I'm hoping the Texas teams play the full schedule, so that standings in the other three divisions will be normal, but in the Special Snowflake Division, standings will be determined by points percentage. Most likely, though, it'll be 68 games for the Stars and Rampage, too, and the playoffs will be top 4 in each division, no crossovers.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12.

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For maximum hilarity, I'm hoping the Texas teams play the full schedule, so that standings in the other three divisions will be normal, but in the Special Snowflake Division, standings will be determined by points percentage. Most likely, though, it'll be 68 games for the Stars and Rampage, too, and the playoffs will be top 4 in each division, no crossovers.

and in terms of saving money on travel, thisll be the best bet as well.

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Formerly known as DiePerske

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For maximum hilarity, I'm hoping the Texas teams play the full schedule, so that standings in the other three divisions will be normal, but in the Special Snowflake Division, standings will be determined by points percentage. Most likely, though, it'll be 68 games for the Stars and Rampage, too, and the playoffs will be top 4 in each division, no crossovers.

Which is ok I guess as long as the divisions are self contained in who they play.

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The San Diego Gulls had their season ticket selection weekend last weekend. According to the ticket reps they have somewhere north of 3,500 season ticket holders already for the new AHL team. Don't know how that compares to the rest of the AHL or the Pacific Division, but it seemed pretty high to me for a minor league team.

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That's a decent number. That means you can expect an average announced attendance of at least 3,500 without any walk up. They should do just fine at the gates.

Athletic Director: KTU Blue Grassers Football

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) spoke to Dave Andrews last night while covering the Manchester Monarchs. The commissioner confirms the "California teams" will only play 68 games next season, while the rest of the league plays 76.

Lessened CA AHL schedule had been reported for a while. Why? Travel costs, desire to nurture better play with fewer 3-in-3s had been cited.

...excuse me for a second.

*steps outside*

*deep breath*

YOU CUT TRAVEL COSTS ALREADY BY MOVING A SIXTH OF THE LEAGUE TO THE COASTAL OPPOSITE OF ITS INTENDED GEOGRAPHIC FOOTPRINT, YOU TURDLINGERS. YOU DON'T GET TO CRAP ALL OVER LEAGUE STRUCTURE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE EVEN CHEAPER. IF YOU DIDN'T WANT AHL EXPENSES, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BOUGHT AN AHL TEAM. GO PISS UP A ROPE AND MAKE YOUR OWN LEAGUE ALREADY.

On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said:

For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA.

PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12.

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I want to note here that the AHL's website is THEahl.com, which reminds me of the Onion article about how cybersquatters had reduced the NHL to registering "nhlhockeysports.com."

Anyway, I think it's pretty cool that the Manchester Monarchs are a game away from winning the league's championship and subsequently getting demoted to the ECHL. I don't think this is what the promotion/relegation buttmonkeys had in mind. Congratulations, New Hampshire! Now here's some crap.

The eight games the California teams don't play should count as losses in the final standings, since they're basically forfeiting those games because playing them is too hard.

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♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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The eight games the California teams don't play should count as losses in the final standings, since they're basically forfeiting those games because playing them is too hard.

Youre never going to Grow the Game that way, admiral.
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