Bruins extend agreement with ECHL Atlanta for 2 years

[Fenway]

This surprises me with the ECHL coming to Worcester and also a team in Manchester.

http://www.atlantagladiators.com/news/index.html?article_id=3736

Gladiators Head Coach and General Manager of Hockey Operations Andy Brandt announced today that the Gladiators have extended their affiliation with the NHL's Boston Bruins via a new two-year agreement.

"We began discussions on extending the affiliation with [Boston General Manager] Don Sweeney and [Providence Bruins General Manager] John Ferguson back in September," said Brandt. "The Gladiators are excited, and honored, to continue our relationship with the Bruins organization and remain committed to developing their prospects."

The Bruins became the sixth NHL team to affiliate with the Gladiators on August 6th, 2015, with Atlanta serving as the lone ECHL partner for both Boston and their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Over the course of the past two seasons, the Gladiators have received ten players from the affiliation, including three directly from Boston. Goaltender Zane McIntyre, who was assigned to Atlanta earlier this season and played in two games with the Gladiators, has appeared in eight NHL games with the Bruins this year.

“The Boston Bruins and Providence Bruins are excited to renew our affiliation with the Atlanta Gladiators,†said Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney. “Since entering into our partnership with the Gladiators two years ago, we have established a strong working relationship with the club. We have been impressed by the support system; led by their owner Mr. Jeffreys and their VP Joe Gelderman, along with the individual development attention that Head Coach Andy Brandt and his staff has shown each one of our players. We look forward to the continued success of the franchise and thank the Atlanta Gladiators ownership group and the Duluth community for their steadfast support.â€

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[CHRDANHUTCH]

This surprises me with the ECHL coming to Worcester and also a team in Manchester.

http://www.atlantagladiators.com/news/index.html?article_id=3736

this has been discussed in both the AHL/ECHL forums, Fenway.....

apparently, Worcester is considered within the territorial restriction of Providence, Manchester, will likely not be considered because the Kings organization has had a degree of control over the Monarchs since day 1, AEG just transferred the franchise to a local ownership, but those connections, along, with the history of the AEG/Manchester connection, that's why it seemed easy for Manchester to switch leagues, without losing anything.

 

[Fenway]

this has been discussed in both the AHL/ECHL forums, Fenway.....

apparently, Worcester is considered within the territorial restriction of Providence, Manchester, will likely not be considered because the Kings organization has had a degree of control over the Monarchs since day 1, AEG just transferred the franchise to a local ownership, but those connections, along, with the history of the AEG/Manchester connection, that's why it seemed easy for Manchester to switch leagues, without losing anything.

From a Bruins viewpoint would it not be better to have your 2 development teams 50 miles from TD Garden? A Worcester ECHL team is not going to hurt Providence one iota and it just seems perfect to have the AHL and ECHL teams make a perfect triangle with Boston.

Meanwhile I haven't heard anything concerning Portland getting a team again and St John's needs to be addressed.

Springfield this year has responded to the Pirates moving there. David Andrews stuck his neck out to keep Springfield in the league and so far has been proven correct.

 

[DominicT]

Fenway, I have just one question if I may, but it's OT:

Do you ever sleep?

 

[smithformeragent]

Fenway, I have just one question if I may, but it's OT:

Do you ever sleep?

It's been confirmed that Fenway is the man in the cave from the Twilight Zone.

Spoilers

He's a giant computer.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

From a Bruins viewpoint would it not be better to have your 2 development teams 50 miles from TD Garden? A Worcester ECHL team is not going to hurt Providence one iota and it just seems perfect to have the AHL and ECHL teams make a perfect triangle with Boston.

Meanwhile I haven't heard anything concerning Portland getting a team again and St John's needs to be addressed.

Springfield this year has responded to the Pirates moving there. David Andrews stuck his neck out to keep Springfield in the league and so far has been proven correct.

the issue, more so is the current Providence owner and Cliff Rucker, are direct competitors in another business venture, Fenway,

as for Portland, what I can tell you is a targeted date of 2018-19, similar timeline, to what THE Railers HC, as Worcester's new club is called.... BUT THE ISSUE HERE, is the Church/Wood GROUP RAN OUT OF TIME for this season, and was forced to move on to other ventures, THERE also is a probability that Spectra may want to return to Portland as an owner, they already manage the arena, and hadn't been here since 1988, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE AWARDED another franchise that's currently in Allentown, PA, but nothing has materialized on either front, based off how the ECHL has its timelines for awarding franchises, much as the AHL has done.

there have been some movement, but not enough to say yet, whether an ownership group has advanced to the stage, where a franchise, expansion or existing, will come, and whether the timeline can be accelerated to begin this October or October of 2018...

the days of Portland ever playing a Bruins affiliate from this region, may be finished, even though Portland was the B's AFFILIATE FOR 3+ YEARS, before landing in Providence almost a quarter-century ago.

St. John's likely goes away, as the Canadiens announced Laval, WHICH was buried deep because the pressing AHL News of Albany being transferred to Binghamton for 2017/18, after Ottawa bought the Binghamton franchise to transfer that to Belleville.

 

[Fenway]

Fenway, I have just one question if I may, but it's OT:

Do you ever sleep?

Seriously I have been dealing with a very sick cat.