Kings And Ducks Bring AHL Affiliates Closer to Home
- Updated: January 31, 2015
(Via @BaileyLAKings)
Thursday was a big day for hockey in California, as it was announced that the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks are relocating their top minor league affiliate clubs closer to home. The Kings are moving their American Hockey League team from Manchester, New Hampshire, to Ontario, California. The Ducks are purchasing and moving the Norfolk Admirals from Virginia to San Diego, and the Sharks are bringing their AHL affiliate to San Jose from Worcester, Massachusetts.
These three teams will compete in the newly formed Pacific Division of the American Hockey league along with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers AHL affiliates that are being moved to Stockton and Bakersfield, respectively. The new alignment will take effect beginning with the 2015-16 season and the five new California teams will play 32-35 home games a year. AHL President and CEO David Andrews said on Thursday, “the Western-based NHL clubs have been in dialogue with our league for almost three years, and today’s announcement launches a new era for the American Hockey league and for professional hockey in California.” You can read more from that press conference here.
Hockey fans in California have reason to be excited, as over 88 percent of current NHL players spent time in the AHL before moving up to the NHL. Kings, Ducks and Sharks personnel execs have reason to be happy as well, since now they’ll be able to make short trips to see their top minor league prospects play in person, instead of having to make a cross-country trek.
Ontario currently has a minor league team, the Reign, playing in the ECHL, which is a step below the AHL. The AHL club moving from New Hampshire will replace the Reign and play games in the Citizens Business Bank Arena. While the club is effectively being replaced, the team will remained called the Reign, but will get new jerseys and a new logo design. The team currently in New Hampshire, the Monarchs, will be replaced by an ECHL team, which will likely also be called the Monarchs. Basically, Ontario and Manchester will have traded hockey clubs. Ontario hockey fans will see a step up in player quality, however, and when players get promoted from their club, they’ll be able watch them play for the LA Kings 40 miles down the road, or on Fox Sports West.
San Diego hasn’t had a professional hockey team since 2006, when the San Diego Gulls folded. The name and logo of the new San Diego AHL team will be announced on Feb. 22 during a Hockeyfest celebration at the Valley View Casino Center. The club moving from Virginia is currently called the Admirals, which would also work well as the mascot of a San Diego team given the strong Navy presence in “America’s Finest City”. Resurrecting the Gulls nickname would also work if Anaheim wanted to stick with the bird theme. The Valley View Casino Center is where the club will play it’s games, and renovations are in the works for the arena, as it hasn’t hosted hockey for nearly a decade.
Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Kings and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, All the time!
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