The affiliate thread

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=anXnSOBNCqs[/video]

 

i thanked you for the post Will but also thumbsed you down.
Jeff Lerg and Justin Abdelkader stole the NCAA championship from one of the greatest NCAA teams in history in '07.
I thought Michigan State had a much better game plan for that title match and executed it perfectly. Abdelkader w/ the last minute gwg, shades of the 17 seconds of Broons/Hocks.
The name Lerg still makes me angry.

 

sorry, matty, but i had to thumb it back up. not out of any sense of fairness, noooo. but rather because when i loaded the thread, there was a speck of something on my monitor, and it looked like it was talking about the highly anticipated Herpes Night

 

no problemo lulz. i didn't want to minus Will, just had to minus Lerg is all.

 

lol. Herpes night. Thats every Saturday night in Toledo. For decades you could catch more crabs than the trollers in Baltimore Harbor too.

It's ok about the - thing. I plan on turning into a real dick soon, thats what ive been stockpiling for. I figure once i get to 3500, I will unleash the beast.



Just kidding. I hope. I am generally a nice guy, so I have to go out now, ima stop at a barnes and noble and get a 'How to be a dick for dummies 101' book. I'd bet it's authored by Bettman and Goodell.

 

Herpes night rewlz

 

Speaking of diseases, the Oils have done their part to get a pacific division going in the AHL:

Good news for the AHL and hockey in my opinion. With some affiliates owned by parent NHL franchises, there should be stability and room to develop.

For hockey fans in general, the KHL drama should infuse a few dozen good players into the AHL and could help persuade a number of fence sitting prospects more reason to jump across the pond to affiliates.

 

This is good news. We could have expected this especially after the ECHL absorbed the Central Hockey League. The ECHL had been operating like to loosely associated entities - one in the east and the other in the west. This season, the new Midwestern teams are operating like a third league within one organization.

It's time to have the larger ECHL cities move up to the AHL, and for some AHL cities to get relegated to the E. The geographical footprint will be an important consideration, and I expect some E franchises will get extra credit for running a strong operation.

Indianapolis does not have a strong history of supporting hockey, and Cincinnati has had their AHL clubs come and go. Orlando could be a good place for the AHL as long as there are NHL teams in FL. Salt Lake City is a good hockey town, and I expect some of the CA teams such as Ontario could support an AHL team.

It's going to look at times like the great shift in NCAA football conferences, but this time it will look a lot more logical and not just a money & glory-grab.

 

http://wavy.com/2015/01/07/norfolk-admirals-expected-to-be-sold-2/

All the pieces are falling into place. Sales need to be finalized, and the AHL has to do their end but the transition is moving along nicely. A better AHL setup should be good for the NHL and hockey in general. The more teams tied to the parent club, the better.

I'm digging the development but there are going to be some nasty hiccups as things settle out. Too bad the Tidewater area is losing their AHL team, I have no idea if they'll be in play to get another AHL team back there.

 

hopefully the new team will be called the f'ks

 

That's a snappy name.

What would be the mascot?

 

I dunno about the mascot, but I'd probably want to buy their sweater.

 

They want at least five teams for a new Western AHL division. Norfolk will probably become the San Diego Gulls. This is just the first domino to fall in what will be a realignment of both the AHL and the ECHL. Norfolk is not going to get another AHL team but will get on in the ECHL. VAN, LA, SJ, & EDM, and probably CGY, all want western affiliates. EDM already owns Bakersfield in the E, and they may moved them up to the A. San Francisco, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City are candidates for A teams. Small cities like Utica and Manchester are likely to get relegated to the E.

 

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHxwHKg4o6Q[/video]

 

Is a five-team AHL division in California in the works?

http://arenadigest.com/2015/01/20/five-team-california-ahl-division-works/

ANA and EDM are very likely to have their top prospects in San Diego and Bakersfield next year; the plan would work much better with three more teams. Expect the LAK to move to Ontario, and I think SJ to Fresno makes sense. VAN is more likely than CGY to be the fifth team to move their AHL team west.

Salt Lake City has a good minor league history and I think CO could move there after their ties to Cleveland end in 2017. It is almost inevitable that the AHL shifts to the west, and once that happens I think it's likely that other cities like Spokane and Portland, OR, will be considered. Also, if it looks like the Yotes are going to stay in the desert then look for them to place their AHL club in Tuscon.

This is going to be more fun than the NCAA FB realignment because hockey's minor leagues - the ECHL will also be realigned - makes both geographical and economic sense.

 

I hear Calgary is looking at Stockton, CA, for their AHL affiliate. I feel bad for Glens Falls, NY, but it makes sense for the Flames. I think San Diego, Bakersfield, and now Stockton are virtual locks. The LAK have to trade their ECHL & AHL affiliates for Ontario to be the fourth Calif. club. Getting to six should be easy.

 

http://theahl.com/

I think they're going to announce at least five California teams in the AHL next year.

 

This was posted on the HockeyNews by Jonny Hyouston:

This guy could be as much of an authority as I am on this topic for all I know, (I have no authority whatsoever). But he does write in a confident style, and expect that several of his 13 points will prove to be accurate.

 

It may seem odd that VAN is not joining the move west. I am not buying it, I believe they have been very tight lipped because Utica hosted the AHL all-star and did not want to rain on that party. I expect VAN, AZ, and CO will join the five in due time. If the NHL expands to two more western cities then expect a 10-team/2 division AHL Western Conference. They may play very few - if any - games against eastern teams. That part sucks, but would keep travel costs down.

Also, I believe that Worcester will become the Fresno Sharks*; the team is using the SJ arena as leverage to get a better deal with one of two arenas in Fresno. (What would they call the minor league team if both played in San Jose? The Shark Bites? Bite me Sharks of SJ? Perhaps, in a nod to Silicon Valley, they'd just be called the Bytes.)

 

i think utica is safe next year