The affiliate thread

Yeah, the Comets may be in Utica next season but it's only a matter of time before the Nucks move to Abbotsford, BC.

 

I wonder who will go to Adirondack down the road.
When I lived in upstate NY I used to go to Glen Falls to watch them, they were affiliated with the Red Wings at the time still.

I'm not sure what year it was but Detroit moved them. The AHL team in in San Antonio used to be Detroit's affiliate. Who played in Glen Falls between the Wings and the Phantoms anyway?

 

The ECHL is making an announcement later today about moves.

 

There was a lengthy gap with no AHL team in Glens Falls between the Red Wings and the Phantoms. They wasted no time getting the Flames when the Phantoms returned to PA, but that only lasted this season. They'll either get an ECHL team or be hockeyless in Oct. Their arena situation is far from ideal, but they are a strong hockey market despite being a very small city. My guess is that another team will eventually relocate there. My best guess is Albany; it's odd that two cities so close to each other are so dissimilar when it comes to fan support.

Albany is, IMO, the most likely city to lose their franchise in this minor hockey shakeout. The shift to California is seismic, but there are many more dominos yet to fall.

 

the Pacific expansion of the AHL is a great move for hockey in the US, and for those specific Pacific NHL teams.
say those 2 words back to back 10 x quickly.

So the Sharks and their AHL affiliate will be sharing the same arena. Makes me wonder what kind of effect that will have on the NHL team's attendance. How many Northern Cali hockey fans will take in the AHL games at 1/5 the price?

 

It sure seems to make things a whole lot more convenient to interchange players when needed. Cost effective for one thing. It seems to me today's NHL is more willing to and able to send someone down and bring someone up at the drop of a hat, which keeps things interesting and moving. The competition level is better and the competition factor keeps everyone on their toes and trying their best to stay sharp. With all the injuries its rather convenient too.

I also think the economy is forcing teams to become more cost efficient. It just doesnt even make sense for West Coast teams to be transporting cross-continental for player swaps.

Clubs linked to the NHL clubs which are in close proximity seem to help in the attendance draw also. I know here in Toledo, the fans really like watching the prospects and conditioning stints from some of the vets and being closely linked in proximity and to the parent club must make a difference in the decision for people to make the short trip to Detroit and watch the games. Smaller venues linked in close relation to the big dogs is good for both clubs, in my opinion.

Signed, the ramblings of a madd mann.

 

The only real advantages teams can have over each other is how much non player spending the choose to use. Some clubs, like WPG, will benefit from the cost perspective. Most will offset some losses with lower travel costs. CA isn't a cheap place to play, so I don't think there's much in the way of direct money to be made for most. Others gain from having more assets tied to the parent company even though they'll lose some cash year to year.

All of them will see a gain in hockey operations efficiency. The obvious being player movement and the more subtle being scouting and associated hires for support people. I think geography makes a big difference to some young overseas players too and putting affiliates closer to teams might make some signings easier and it will impact their decision making come draft time.

I just hope the business side holds up for all the affiliates moving, the gains could be very good for both leagues in the long and short term.

 

I am not persuaded that the Young Sharks will skate on the same pond for long. Fresno is close and has two AHL-ready rinks. It'll help market the team regionally if they were in Fresno. I still believe the Sharks are leveraging the SAP option to extract the best terms from one of the two in Fresno. Personally, I prefer a satellite city over a shared rink arrangement. Again, I think it helps to regionalize the team's fan base.

I'd like to know if the Sharks own the SAP. If they do then filling in another 38 dates would be another goal, but if they lease that does not greatly benefit the team. BTW, the Pacific Div. will play a shorter schedule; I've heard 76 games rather than 80.

 

FWIW, the Rochester Americans were my first love in hockey, and I favored the AHL over the NHL up to about 1971. I still am a big A fan and am happy to see the direction they're taking.

 

ya its nice to have your own team. Fresno to SJ is about 150 miles, good on both ends. Hope they end up there.
I could see fans watching the AHL club in SJ and not pay the money to see the NHL Sharks.

well, they do say the west coast is more laid back.

btw Dan, Bytes is a great name.

 

Wait a minute I'm missed something.
The AHL already went to 76 across the board, when did they go back to 80? Or is the other conference going to 80 and the Western teams staying the same?

 

I may have the numbers wrong. Maybe the Pac-5 is going to 72 games. They're going to operate like separate leagues - at least until there are more teams in the west. They're not going to play the eastern teams during the regular season. That's how understand it, and the season will be about four games shorter.

 

Winnipeg will move their St. John's affiliate 3,000 miles closer and will probably be the Manitoba Moose next year. I think they're eying Sault Ste. Marie as their long term AHL affiliation.

Montreal is moving their Hamilton Bulldogs team to St. John's, but that's also temporary until they build an arena in Laval. I think St. John's Newfoundland has a trademark on the IceCaps, so that's what I expect they'll be called.

I maintain that the Sharks are more likely to play their young Sharks in Fresno rather than at the SAP in San Jose. They're holding, IMO, the two competing arenas in Fresno hostage for which ever one offers them the best deal.

The Bellevue Bulls will relocate to Hamilton in the OHL. Ironically, the owner of this storied franchise once owned the Hamilton Bulldogs. I think that kind of sucks.

 

From the Glob & Mail:

I think it's only a matter of time for VAN, COL, & AZ to relocate to the west. Add an NHL expansion team or two in the west and you could easily get to ten teams. At that point I'd expect three AHL conferences with two divisions each. They could play a balanced schedule, but they may play very few, if any, games outside their conference. That will make the Calder Cup playoffs a headache, but it resolves the primary purpose of the AHL which is player development.

 

The AHL affiliate musical chairs continues:
- Colorado wants to move from Lake Erie (Cleveland) to San Antonio.
- Florida: San Antonio to Portland, ME.
- Arizona: Portland to Springfield.
- Columbus: Springfield to Lake Erie.

It looks like Columbus & Cleveland are the winners. This will solidify the fan base for hockey in Ohio. I think the dance will continue over the next few years for the other teams.

 

Thanks, I haven't kept up the last couple weeks (damn Cubs distracting me). Still some sales that might take place too.

I'm shocked how quickly the league has realigned itself to fix so many of the geographic problems. It used to be one or 3 teams improving and one getting worse most years. All of a sudden there are 5 NHL franchises, maybe 7 when all is said and done, that will get a huge boost to how well they can function as an affiliate assisting the big team.

 

SJ Barracuda unveiled their 2015/16 unis.

 

Thunder Bay is dead.
WPG moves their affiliate into WPG and that fishbowl there.

My concerns about Lennie (fans and media) are very high. I don't think it's good for the franchise in a lunatic market like that. WPG tends to be a little tempermental when it comes to the players on the franchise.

Part of the advantage of sending players down is so they can get away from some of the pressure to find or adjust their game and build back the confidence that they often lose when they hit a speedbump. Some players will lose this advantage. Some players will undoubtedly benefit as they'll be around more scouts and coaches and it will be easier for them to work and adjust. Whether this works or not will depend on how scouting and developmental systems adjusting for a massive change in how they do business starting at the draft. Where most franchises can pull this off, I'm skeptical in WPG's case but it will be more interesting and more fun to watch.

 

the Thunder Bay Bombers would've been so great. way to blow it AHL!