Minor League Hockey Shake-up...coming

[Burmy 1,147]

Flames to Stockton getting closer by the moment.

Only three certainties in life it seems; death, taxes, and the Flames' AHL team having an uncertain future...

[monkeypower 3,131]

The St. John Ak-Sar-Ben Quad City Abbotsford Adirondack Stockton Flaming Heat Knights

[Sodboy13 5,770]

of Anaheim.

[JackieMoon 334]

What sucks is Alaska is going to end up losing their franchise. If this new AHL West takes off, no NHL team is going to put a farm team up there.

As for CBJ linking up with the Cyclones, that could work for AA. Cincinnati is not a hockey town. The Cyclones have a good following, but they never pack in seats. Only big nights are $1 beer/College Brat Night, and when kids eat free/parents stand in line for the whole 2nd Period just to get their kids a free hot dog Night.

[Geoff 590]

Alaska already flies everywhere. It's entirely possible that they stick around in a division with Colorado, Idaho, Rapid City, and Utah.

I could see this break down assuming all three Cali teams go AHL and every former CHL team sticks around:

Western Conference

Northwest Division: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Rapid City, Utah

Central Division: Allen, Missouri, Quad City, Tulsa, Wichita

Eastern Conference

Northeast Division: Brampton, Elmira, Reading, Toledo, Wheeling

Midwest Division: Cincinnati, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Kalamazoo

Southern Division: Florida, Greenville, Gwinnett, Orlando, South Carolina

Back to the two uneven conferences but whatever. This clearly doesn't account for any markets that might be or are coming in like Norfolk. And with the model you'd have a ton of in-division play for the Northwest and you'd have to have cross over for the Central with the Eastern Conference.

[kiwi_canadian 201]

\

Vancouver moves their farm team cross-country from Utica to Victoria

Utica Comets (3,717 per game, 22nd in AHL) 2,903 miles from Vancouver

Victoria Royals- WHL (4,534 per game, 9th in WHL) 71 miles from Vancouver

Abbotsford joins WHL (3,007 per game, would be 18th in WHL)

Utica joins ECHL

Never going to happen. The WHL only allowed RG Properties to purchase and move the Chilliwack Bruins to Victoria to specifically prevent the AHL from coming to the capital. There was a very good chance that Victoria would have wound up with the Manitoba Moose if the WHL did not allow the relocation. It is too much of a lucrative location for the WHL and they would never give it up. Same goes for Nanaimo. They will see the WHL in the coming years as well.

[Geoff 590]

AHL West could be announced as early as the All-Star Break. Also the league's considering dropping to 66 or 72 games from the current 72.

I think 66 is too few. The ECHL is at 72, the Central league was 66, the SPHL is 56. Keep it at 76 or drop it to 72 but don't drop all the way to 66.

[TheLAKnight 398]

I'd wager that the idea of a 66 game season would be to try and help the fledgling AHL West. If they were to follow how the ECHL West plays, only teams in the west would play each other (with a few exceptions).

In the current 72 game set-up, if there are to be 5 teams (Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, LA, SJ) to start, that would be 18 games against each other unless there is significant travel involved.

With a 66 game season, they would play each of the other teams 14 times.

I would rather them finalize more teams (Vancouver, Colorado, Arizona, etc) before jumping head first into this.

[Viper 211]

EDIT, also Lake Erie is owned by Dan Gilbert, who basically uses the team as a loss leader to fill arena dates. You're going to have difficulty prying that franchise loose.

nash61's idea wasn't to move or demote Lake Erie, merely to switch its parent club from Colorado to Columbus.

Also, re: 5-team West Coast "mini-league" within the AHL: Keep in mind that would likely go up to 6 teams or even 7 with Las Vegas and/or Seattle affilliates joining in.

[Sodboy13 5,770]

With a 66-game schedule, they'd play two teams 16 times, and two teams 17 times.

[rvrdgsfn 94]

I bet this will work out well...

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/purdy/2015/01/21/sharks-minor-league-team-moving-san-jose-sap-center-yes-really/

Next winter, ice hockey at SAP Pavilion will have company: More ice hockey.

The Sharks will move their minor league Worcester franchise in Massachusetts to SAP Center for the 2015-16 season, this newspaper has learned. The team will play between 30 and 40 games in downtown San Jose, filling up currently vacant dates a

It also looks like Bakersfield will go through a name change?

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/sports/condors/x729409831/A-new-nickname-could-be-in-Condors-future

But getting back to Bakersfield, which the Edmonton Oilers purchased a year ago, the burning question from this vantage point is the team name.

Will it remain Condors?

Or do the Oilers want Bakersfield to become Baronville and name the team the Bakersfield Barons? (Please, no).

I hope they keep the Condors name, also I hope Stockton keeps the Thunder name instead of using something Flames related.

[CubsFanBudMan 399]

An interesting point raised in the Sharks article: Golden State will soon vacate Oracle in Oakland, and the Kings will soon have a new arena.

So if this "2 teams, 1 arena" stuff doesnt work out or the novelty wears off after a couple years, there might be nearby options available.

[SJAnfield 162]

So, the minor league world is officially beig shaken up. San Jose is moving their AHL affiliate from Worcester to the SAP Center (same venue the parent club Sharks play in). Reports state Anaheim, LA, Calgary and Edmonton will all be announcing their plans to move their AHL teams to California in the next few weeks. Bakersfield is apparently looking at a rebrand, potentially donning the Oilers moniker (which is actually okay, as Bako is an oil town). LA is apparently moving the Monarchs to Ontario, but are moving the Reign to Manchester, and each club will keep its name, so there will be no major change, just new affiliations. I hope to God Calgary doesn't change the Stockton Thunder into a flame-related name. The franchise is successful, and I like the brand. I also hope the Ducks bring back the Gulls name and logo. My guess is that the Sharks are probably just waiting for the new Warriors or Kings arenas to be finished to move the AHL franchise, or the vacated Oracle Arena. Still, wherever they end up, I pray they keep the original Sharks logo!

I suspect this will lead to Colorado, Arizona and Vancouver following suit and heading west. If so, we are looking at a ton of logo/uniform changes. Also, the ECHL will be having to relocate, and maybe expand. Rumor has also spread that the Bruins want to move their affiliate to the now vacant Worcester market. It's going to get crazy.

Edit: Damn! Beaten by seconds!

[the admiral 29,116]

Scumbag Sharks take a minor-league city's team away, don't even give team to another minor-league city.

[Burmy 1,147]

Am I the only one who would kinda like to see the San Diego Mariners come back? WHA history aside, it'd make sense and would subtly recall the franchise's prior history as the Norfolk Admirals.

[rams80 4,278]

Scumbag Sharks take a minor-league city's team away, don't even give team to another minor-league city.

*post deleted by LadyStanley*

*poster "the admiral" has been banned for life*

[NoHoJoe 35]

Rumor has it that Calgary will be moving its AHL franchise from Glen Falls New York (Adirondack Flames) to Atlanta. Sort of a long awaited homecoming for the Atlanta Flames fans.

[monkeypower 3,131]

Rumor has it that Calgary will be moving its AHL franchise from Glen Falls New York (Adirondack Flames) to Atlanta. Sort of a long awaited homecoming for the Atlanta Flames fans.

Where did you hear that? That is so much worse than what the Flames have now.

Stockton was a city posted earlier in this thread for the Flames and that makes sense with the proposed West AHL.

[Sodboy13 5,770]

"Making stuff up on my own" is not a rumor, Joe.

[the admiral 29,116]

Yeah, what is this, The Score?