The affiliate thread

bummer, Bingo [del]is[/del] was a great AHL city.

 

The defending Calder Cup Champion Lake Erie Monsters will play as Cleveland next season. I like that change.

The ECHL announced some rule changes. Nothing worth commenting on IMO. The league also announced realignment which was needed after absorbing the CHL (that's Central, not Canadian), and after the big AHL/ECHL city shuffle last year.

The Fort Wayne Komets are in play again since their short affiliation came to an end when the Avs moved their E-team to Colorado. Fort Wayne is a very solid hockey market in Hoosier country.

 

Fort Wayne has been around forever and like you said, Dan, they are a great place to set up a Mid-West farm system. Komets wont be without a parent club for long.

 

Toledo Walleye sign a contract with the Red Wings to remain affiliated for the next two years.

 

Go Walleye

 

The LV ------ Knights are scouting where to place their AHL affiliate. There is a very remote chance that they will shack up with some other team, a.k.a. a duel-affiliate. It's much more likely that the A expands to 31. The three contenders appear to be Fresno, Reno, and Salt Lake City.

SLC has a long history of supporting their Grizzlies. I hope they get the promotion. I thought Fresno was going to get one of the five CA teams. I think the dueling rink owners sabotaged Fresno's chance at being the Sharks farm. Reno is in-state but I don't view them as a strong candidate.

 

The Elmira Jackals have announced that they are suspending operations after this season. Unlike the AHL Rochester Americans, the ECHL affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres is not owned by the Pegulas. The team has had severe financial difficulty since, well since the Jackals first yelped.

It's too early to know where Buffalo will send prospects not ready for the AHL. It's possible, but not likely, that they'll shack up with some other team. I think Fort Wayne would be a great affiliate, but it's not in their natural market. Glens Falls (Adirondack) is a great hockey market, and Calgary should vamose to some place closer to Alberta. That would be a great place to park the baby Sabres.

 

This really amounts to a dual-affiliation but the Vegas Golden Knights will be the primary parent to the Chicago Wolves. The St. Louis Blues have been there for a few years, and will still send some prospects to Chicago. They will not have a formal affiliation so you could see baby Blues spread around the AHL.

That's hardly an ideal set up for an org. that fancies itself a contender.

 

The 1 affiliate per NHL team thing is only recent. The Blues were rumoured to want to move their affiliation to Kansas City after it expired but they would have needed to buy an expansion team. The Wolves aren't going anywhere. They are owned by well to do Chicago businessmen. Unlike other owners they weren't ready to sell the team to an NFL franchise to move and do as they wish. Expect the AHL to expand to 32 as well.

 

having split squad affiliations is no good. the coaching staff will be from one organization and dole out the quality minutes to his guys.

 

is that a drunken Bobby Hull ?

 

The reality is tha Vegas is probably a year or two away from really needing a full AHL team. And, the Wolves are the most independently run "farm team" in sports.

It doesn't surprise me that Vegas is going there. What surprises me is that St. Louis is going with a org. structure that does not give them real control over prospect development. Perhaps, as Will suggests, we'll see them add a 31st AHL franchise.

 

amuzing that the wolves keep getting these half and halfs since the nucks left.

 

It's not really a dual affiliation. The Knights will have total control over coaching, etc. St. Louis is out on their ass, but they can place some prospects there. They'll scatter them around the AHL based on what team has a parking spot free. This works for Vegas because they do not have a full AHL roster.

St. Louis tried to get something done elsewhere (KC) but word is that the Sprint Center isn't going to take in any stinkin' minor league team. The Blues just ran out of time. OKC has a nice facility but hockey basically failed there.

 

OKC and most of the state of OK can only understand the basic games... like tic-tac-toe, checkers and basketball.

 

The Elmira Jackals have been relegated to history. The Buffalo Sabres wasted no time finding an excellent alternative in the ECHL. The Cincinnati Cyclones are now part of the Sabres farm system along with Rochester in the AHL.

I like it. The Sabres first AHL affiliation was with the Cincinnati Swords in the early 70's.

 

Full circle. Cincinnati has a good system and were competing for some cups recently. Good for the Sabres.

 

Toledo and Cincinnati is a good rivalry... I'm going to check them out in person this coming season.

 

Crunch up on Grand Rapids, 3-1 after 20.

 

https://www.nhl.com/news/syracuse-c...ns-in-game-5-of-calder-cup-finals/c-289876118

Syracuse scores 5 in the 1st and cruises to a win to extend the finals.