Yet Another ECHL Team Folds...

[DelayedPenalty]

I think we're two or three seasons away from one AA-level league, with the ECHL, CHL and IHL merging into one.

Maybe something along the lines of the All Coast Hockey League (ACHL). It would take the 25 or 30 strongest franchises in the three leagues and combine them and provide affiliations for each team and make it a AA-level version of the AHL.

The last thing that AA-level minor-league hockey needs to do in order to stabilize itself is attempt to form a single, nationwide, 30-team circuit. The economics of such an arrangement barely make sense at the AHL's AAA-level. Franchises in the ECHL are slowly being killed-off economically by attempting to survive in such a continent-spanning set-up.

Rather, three geographically-regional AA-level leagues of ten teams each should be organized. They should all agree to play their own independent schedules throughout the regular season, only combining forces - perhaps - for a playoff between each circuits top few teams. Either that, or you launch a single entity with the understanding that teams in said league's three geographically-regional conferences never play outside their respective conferences during the regular season.

The latter shouldn't be too hard; the ECHL effectively operates as an Eastern League and a Western League during the regular season.

A lot would need to be worked out to make this successful.

The first issue would be just what the hell to do with the IHL. It doesn't really fit into either the ECHL or CHL's geographic footprint but has some profitable teams that should be included. That is, after all, where hockey is extremely popular.

Which teams to contract would also be an issue.

Then there would have to be the task of assigning affiliations. Would they be based on the nearest AHL franchise or NHL franchise to latch onto the parent club's popularity? Would teams split affiliations?

And then players who aren't property of any NHL system would need to be figured into this. Many of the IHL and CHL teams are filled with unaffiliated players. What happens to them?

There is a lot that needs to be ironed out but I think it could (could) work.

The "I"HL could easily drop 3 teams (in my mind at least) and merge Fort Wayne (Comets), Kalamazoo (Wings), and Flint (Generals) into the ECHL. The CHL could be absorbed as a third "conference" and teams play within their conference until the playoffs (with a few regular season games out of conference).

Affiliations could be split, as teams have done in the past with the AHL. Any existing affiliations would be carried over (Bakersfield-Iowa-Anaheim for example), and any remaining teams could be grabbed by teams who currently don't have an affiliate, or share one. Players on those teams who are currently unaffiliated with an NHL club would simply be free agents, as they are now.

I'm not saying it would work, but it's definitely a good idea on paper.

This would actually be a pretty good idea for one of those realignment "concepts" that show up on the forum. Maybe I'll try and work it out if I have a chance.

Trust me, if we're picking strong IHL teams, Flint wouldn't make the cut. They'd be the first team dropped.

I was thinking along the lines of an established franchise with a history. The Generals have been around for almost 40 years.

[Sodboy13]

I was thinking along the lines of an established franchise with a history. The Generals have been around for almost 40 years.

And are currently seeing about 1,400 a game at the gate.

[ZoomZoom18]

The Sea Wolves are finished?

Aw man, that really sucks. I went to more than a few games while I was down on the coast. I used to love that they had a Mardi Gras jersey whenever it was that time of year. This really sucks, I feel like a part of the preteen child in me just died.

I'm bummed to hear this news as well. I went to a couple of Sea Wolves games while stationed at Keesler AFB. Even bought their jersey to add to my collection and won their Kelly Cup Champs shirt at my old HS a few years back. What a bummer.

[DelayedPenalty]

I was thinking along the lines of an established franchise with a history. The Generals have been around for almost 40 years.

And are currently seeing about 1,400 a game at the gate.

Attendance slips when performance slips. The team is doing poorly this year so less people are likely to attend. Support my point on the other two teams, Fort Wayne and Kalamazoo are leading the league in attendance. Bloomington is third.

[rams80]

I was thinking along the lines of an established franchise with a history. The Generals have been around for almost 40 years.

And are currently seeing about 1,400 a game at the gate.

Honestly, if we get right down to it, would any notIHL teams make the cut? Fort Wayne, assuming they would somehow abandon their opposition to the PHPA, would be just as likely to shoot for the AHL IMO, and how many of the other notIHL teams are doing well at the gate?

---------------------------------------

Flint's been dying a slow, prolonged, and painful death for years. Their attendance woes are not a recent development. Bloomington also came damn close to folding last year IIRC, so praising them for attendance doesn't bode well for the notIHL at all.

[BJ Sands]

There are issues in Flint that go well beyond attendance. There's no way that franchise would make the cut for this new league.

[DelayedPenalty]

There are issues in Flint that go well beyond attendance. There's no way that franchise would make the cut for this new league.

Move the team to Ann Arbor. The city is doing just fine in the economic downturn, and with the amount of Red Wings fans in this area, I'm sure a minor-pro team would do just fine here. Make them a Red Wings affiliate and you're golden! Detroit-Grand Rapids-Ann Arbor?

Would make a nice Ann Arbor-Toledo rivalry too! The US-23 Battle?

[rams80]

There are issues in Flint that go well beyond attendance. There's no way that franchise would make the cut for this new league.

Move the team to Ann Arbor. The city is doing just fine in the economic downturn, and with the amount of Red Wings fans in this area, I'm sure a minor-pro team would do just fine here. Make them a Red Wings affiliate and you're golden! Detroit-Grand Rapids-Ann Arbor?

Would make a nice Ann Arbor-Toledo rivalry too! The US-23 Battle?

Ignoring for a second that every minor league team in the Detroit area has also ended up dying a swift, painful death, wouldn't the Michigan Hockey Wolverines murder this team financialy?

[DelayedPenalty]

There are issues in Flint that go well beyond attendance. There's no way that franchise would make the cut for this new league.

Move the team to Ann Arbor. The city is doing just fine in the economic downturn, and with the amount of Red Wings fans in this area, I'm sure a minor-pro team would do just fine here. Make them a Red Wings affiliate and you're golden! Detroit-Grand Rapids-Ann Arbor?

Would make a nice Ann Arbor-Toledo rivalry too! The US-23 Battle?

Ignoring for a second that every minor league team in the Detroit area has also ended up dying a swift, painful death, wouldn't the Michigan Hockey Wolverines murder this team financialy?

Wolverines hockey relies mostly on alumni season ticket holders and current students for their ticket sales, not the general public.

[rams80]

There are issues in Flint that go well beyond attendance. There's no way that franchise would make the cut for this new league.

Move the team to Ann Arbor. The city is doing just fine in the economic downturn, and with the amount of Red Wings fans in this area, I'm sure a minor-pro team would do just fine here. Make them a Red Wings affiliate and you're golden! Detroit-Grand Rapids-Ann Arbor?

Would make a nice Ann Arbor-Toledo rivalry too! The US-23 Battle?

Ignoring for a second that every minor league team in the Detroit area has also ended up dying a swift, painful death, wouldn't the Michigan Hockey Wolverines murder this team financialy?

Wolverines hockey relies mostly on alumni season ticket holders and current students for their ticket sales, not the general public.

So what percentage of the local populace does not fall into that category?

General rule of thumb in minor league sports. Never set up shop in the same town as a major college program. Between the lack of arena dates and the locals being more into the established college team, your team should drown in a sea of red ink.

[Sodboy13]

General rule of thumb in minor league sports. Never set up shop in the same town as a major college program. Between the lack of arena dates and the locals being more into the established college team, your team should drown in a sea of red ink.

And that's why the Columbus Stars did them one better, starting up in a market with both a major college program and a new professional team. Sure, they only drew 30 people a game and folded before the halfway point of the season, but hey... er, what was my point again?