Bloomington Bison joining ECHL in 2024-25

[JMCx4]

how committed though is Columbus to the ECHL..... they've never been known to have an affiliation

They could leave the ECHL affiliation agreement biz to Cleveland, like the STL Blues have done with Springfield. For the purposes of the Bison hyping an "NHL affiliation" as they try to increase sponsorships & ticket sales, it would be same-same and very few patrons would get the difference.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Somber start to the franchise’s front office.

Bloomington Bison | VP OF OPERATIONS SCOTT ALAN PASSES AWAY

Dear Indy Fuel and Bloomington Bison Fans,It is with a somber heart that I reach out to you today to share the tragic news of the passing of our beloved colleague and friend, Scott Alan. Scott's sudden departure due to an auto accident on Monday has left us all in a state of shock and sorrow...

bloomingtonbisonhockey.com

 

[VaCaps Fan]

f***

 

[GindyDraws]

Scott would also do Indianapolis Indians games, so he was a bit of a local guy.

RIP.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Wasn't expecting the Rangers. I'm good with it, though.

Bloomington Bison | Bloomington Bison Announce NHL Affiliation and Introduce New Head Coach

BLOOMINGTON, IL – The City of Bloomington along with the Bloomington Bison Hockey organization are excited to announce a landmark moment as we prepare for our inaugural season. The team revealed Thursday its affiliation with the prestigious New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). In...

bloomingtonbisonhockey.com

Head coach will be former Greenville assistant coach Phillip Barski.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

That’s solid….

 

[wildcat48]

Was not expecting the Rangers. This will be their third city since leaving Maine (Jacksonville, Cincinnati & Bloomington). I'm not sure why Bloomington other than no other option, and Cincinnati wanted to attempt to kindle its relationship with Columbus.

Assuming Vegas goes to Tahoe, Savannah will open for a team, and that will leave Toronto, Carolina, Utah and St. Louis without ECHL affiliations.

 

[Northerner]

When can we get their gear? I would like to get a jersey

 

[No Fun Shogun]

When can we get their gear? I would like to get a jersey

They have a very limited merch list on their site, but no news on jerseys yet.

And schedule got dropped, Bison open up their home barn on Oct 19th vs the Walleye.

Bloomington Bison | BISON ANNOUNCE 2024-25 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

BLOOMINGTON- The Bloomington Bison announced today their full 72-game schedule for the 2024–25 campaign, which will be their inaugural season in the ECHL. The Bison will be in the league's Central division. The Bison will open their first season at home on Friday, Oct. 20 against their I-69...

bloomingtonbisonhockey.com

 

[JMCx4]

... And schedule got dropped ...

"dropped" is a good way to describe that release. A pile of game references & math tables, while they still haven't populated their web schedule.

 

[JMCx4]

And then there was this ... BISON NAME JESSE MESSIER AS ASSISTANT COACH

 

[JMCx4]

Fuel and this team playing 18 times a year?

Just a Lucky 7 vs. Indy, sorry. Heartlanders are being given 15 games vs. BLM to see if they can win a couple this season.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Nice, my cousin lives in Indianapolis nearby….

 

[JMCx4]

Nice, my cousin lives in Indianapolis nearby….

A leisurely 3-hour drive from Indy to Bloomy, IL. You'd have the time to take a tour of Danville along the way (and maybe even take in an FPHL game if rumors come true). Just make sure you don't head for Bloomington, INDIANA by mistake ... though IU does have a national champion club hockey team.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Bloomington, IL > Bloomington, MN > Bloomington, IN

On a side note, I’m an Illinoisan that went to college in the state of Indiana, and when I got married we invited more than a few of my college friends. My sole contribution to our wedding invites was insisting that we reiterate that the wedding and reception was in “Bloomington-Normal, Illinois” all spelled out to make sure folks didn’t assume we were getting married at the Hoosier town.

 

[JMCx4]

Bloomington, IL > Bloomington, MN > Bloomington, IN ...

Where do the other 17 Bloomingtons fit in your math equation?

 

[VaCaps Fan]

That schedule release was old school…

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Bloomington, IL > Bloomington, MN > Bloomington, IN

On a side note, I’m an Illinoisan that went to college in the state of Indiana, and when I got married we invited more than a few of my college friends. My sole contribution to our wedding invites was insisting that we reiterate that the wedding and reception was in “Bloomington-Normal, Illinois” all spelled out to make sure folks didn’t assume we were getting married at the Hoosier town.

I don’t keep track of standings below the bronze medal.

 

[JMCx4]

THN's Ryan Sikes quizzes BLM head coach ... Q&A With Phillip Barski: Getting To Know The First Coach Of The ECHL's Bloomington Bison

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Being a coach and GM of an expansion team can’t be easy. He has to build an organization before he can even get to the hockey side of things.

 

[JMCx4]

Being a coach and GM of an expansion team can’t be easy. He has to build an organization before he can even get to the hockey side of things.

Expectations for hockey team success in Bloomington, IL have been minimized by several consecutive failures. So Barski the Coach won't have nearly as much pressure to succeed as you might imagine.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Damn, that’s not a stable market.

 

[JMCx4]

Damn, that’s not a stable market.

ALSO not an expectation for minor pro & juniors markets.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Bloomington will play 1st exhibition game vs Indy

 

[Atlantian]

Expectations for hockey team success in Bloomington, IL have been minimized by several consecutive failures. So Barski the Coach won't have nearly as much pressure to succeed as you might imagine.

That doesn’t even account for the ECHL and FPHL teams that were announced but never played games