Ducks hiring AHL-level position in San Diego?

[Ducks DVM]

Wait til October

If it's for next year, it needs to be announced ASAP. Season tickets take time to sell and they won't want to found 5-8 new markets that will all lose massive amounts of money because there wasn't enough advertising time to drum up a fan base. On top of the massive amounts of money those franchises lost from breaking their current leases.

 

[snarktacular]

Yeah i have a hard time believing such a huge change could happen by next season. Tickets need to be sold, deals need to be made.

 

[Hoodaha]

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/10/despite-continental-divide-admirals-not-about-move#

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/hockeyozone/2014/11/02/no-timetable-for-ahl-west/18373357/

http://mainehockeyjournal.com/2014/...-no-franchises-have-been-sold-or-transferred/

Until someone comes up with a source from the AHL that contradicts these statements, this is all the actual data that's out there. The "doing it in less than a year is going to fail" comment is probably telling.

These articles are from months ago and don't say that no AHL teams are for sale.


They say that:

1) Norfolk has no "desire" to sell, that they would rather find another affiliation.
2) As of November 2nd, Anaheim didn't have an AHL franchise.
3) The league won't grant a new franchise.
4) As of August 25th, no AHL franchise purchases had taken place.

The third article in particular is refuting a particularly speculative blog article that claimed two CHL teams were joining the AHL. So far that's the only source that has claimed that.

This is much more recent and mentions Norfolk to San Diego or Long Beach. Now, it's possible that the writer for the Edmonton Sun doesn't know how affiliations work, but we will see.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2014/12/18/with-no-okc-barons-next-year-oilers-will-likely-move-ahl-team-to-bakersfield

And this one says that it's looking like Anaheim's a part of the 5 team move for a 5-team Western division.

http://mayorsmanor.com/2014/12/source-san-jose-has-interesting-plan-for-ahl-west-move/

We'll see what happens, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Anaheim winds up with an AHL franchise. There's no benefit to announcing anything early, as it would certainly kill attendance for whichever team is purchased. Besides, these are big money deals and take time to finalize, so they can skirt around "No team has been sold or transferred" while the lawyers write up paperwork. As dominoes start to fall, I think that what has really been going on behind the scenes will start to become more public. Keep an eye out for Anaheim buying an AHL team, Calgary buying Stockton, more news of AHL teams not being in their respective barns next year (like OKC has already announced), etc.

 

[Theridion]

Id drive down to SD from the oc to catch some duck AHL action.

 

[Hoodaha]

If it's for next year, it needs to be announced ASAP. Season tickets take time to sell and they won't want to found 5-8 new markets that will all lose massive amounts of money because there wasn't enough advertising time to drum up a fan base. On top of the massive amounts of money those franchises lost from breaking their current leases.

Several of the mentioned landing points have ECHL teams already in place, so they can quietly sell tickets for next year as they would be doing anyway (assuming that there isn't a price increase needed *worth noting that Western ECHL prices are pretty much in line with Eastern AHL prices*) in Ontario, Bakersfield, Stockton. You make a valid point for San Jose and San Diego, if they're indeed the other locations. It takes time to get staff in place, get sales calls going, etc. San Jose has a benefit of the big club already being in the community/having lists of hockey fans, so they have a pre-built call list and can advertise for it at the big club's games, if they want to, which could theoretically expedite the process there.

According to Patrick LaForge of the Oilers per the Bakersfield Californian, "The AHL and NHL are collaborating at looking at making some announcements at the end of January regarding relocations, playing fewer games with less travel and more divisional play"

I would guess that if there's a big announcement, the one at the end of January would be it.

 

[Hoodaha]

Id drive down to SD from the oc to catch some duck AHL action.

I'd love to see prospects for all of these West coast teams play. I'd think some Anaheim, LA, and San Jose fans might gladly take in a few AHL games to see the up and coming kids since they'd be nearby. I don't know that there's near as much synergy with Calgary and Edmonton in California, but over time, seeing players move up will help with that.

 

[HansH]

Yeah i have a hard time believing such a huge change could happen by next season. Tickets need to be sold, deals need to be made.

Deals can be made before they're announced. Yes, the sooner a new market is formally announced, the more time there is for marketing and sales, but I'm thinking sometime before mid-February is the real go/no-go time. Later for markets like Ontario or Bako where there's a sales infrastructure already in place that can be rapidly converted, but IF there is a move to SD pending, I'd expect more leaks in the next 4 weeks until the ECHL meetings semi-force SOME kind of announcement.

 

[pesko]

Yeah, there's been talk of this for so long, that the deals and the groundwork have to be pretty far along by now. It looks like it's only a matter of time before it happens, the question is when. Judging by the article by The Mayor, LA seems to be ready to make the switch for next season, and they're sitting on the announcement until it's clear what other teams can make that schedule.

 

[justheducks]

Wouldn't it take all teams in the West to make a move to the West Coast next season to make this happen not just the Ducks.
I feel like something would have leaked already with 3-4 teams moving their AHL teams out West.

 

[Opak]

Wouldn't it take all teams in the West to make a move to the West Coast next season to make this happen not just the Ducks.
I feel like something would have leaked already with 3-4 teams moving their AHL teams out West.

There has been speculation in twitter (Dreger?) that the pacific division teams are possibly interested in an AHL mass relocation, bringing the AHL affiliates closer to the big clubs.

 

[HansH]

Wouldn't it take all teams in the West to make a move to the West Coast next season to make this happen not just the Ducks.
I feel like something would have leaked already with 3-4 teams moving their AHL teams out West.

There's been speculation for months, and a couple of things HAVE leaked already -- like Calgary allegedly buying ECHL Stockton, like Edmonton pulling out of Oklahoma City (and already owning ECHL Bakersfield), and the fact that both the Worcester Sharks and the Manchester Monarchs are owned by their NHL parents AND both have the freedom to move next season (that is, aren't trapped in a lease where they are). Also, someone registered "San Diego Gulls" as a trademark on August 21, 2014 -- nothing concrete there, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[snarktacular]

What percent of releases are spoiled by domain registrations?

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

There's been speculation for months, and a couple of things HAVE leaked already -- like Calgary allegedly buying ECHL Stockton, like Edmonton pulling out of Oklahoma City (and already owning ECHL Bakersfield), and the fact that both the Worcester Sharks and the Manchester Monarchs are owned by their NHL parents AND both have the freedom to move next season (that is, aren't trapped in a lease where they are). Also, someone registered "San Diego Gulls" as a trademark on August 21, 2014 -- nothing concrete there, but interesting nonetheless.

The marks originally used by the Gulls are all cancelled or abandoned, except for "Gulls San Diego" for use on jerseys, t-shirts, hats and the like.

The new mark was registered in August to James Cavataio, who styles himself as the President of San Diego Gulls Hockey, Inc. That corporation was formed in April.

I can't find any other info on this guy. He's not a hockey guy that I've ever heard of.

 

[93Ducks]

The marks originally used by the Gulls are all cancelled or abandoned, except for "Gulls San Diego" for use on jerseys, t-shirts, hats and the like.

The new mark was registered in August to James Cavataio, who styles himself as the President of San Diego Gulls Hockey, Inc. That corporation was formed in April.

I can't find any other info on this guy. He's not a hockey guy that I've ever heard of.

Cavataio is the GM of the WSHL San Diego Gulls. I don't know him, just was messing around on google. It would make sense for him to trademark the WSHL stuff, which pretty much eliminates him from having anything to do with a possible AHL Gulls I imagine.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

The beauty of the internet.

 

[Dr Johnny Fever]

 

[Hoodaha]

There's been speculation for months, and a couple of things HAVE leaked already -- like Calgary allegedly buying ECHL Stockton, like Edmonton pulling out of Oklahoma City (and already owning ECHL Bakersfield), and the fact that both the Worcester Sharks and the Manchester Monarchs are owned by their NHL parents AND both have the freedom to move next season (that is, aren't trapped in a lease where they are). Also, someone registered "San Diego Gulls" as a trademark on August 21, 2014 -- nothing concrete there, but interesting nonetheless.

Plus there was the leak that after San Jose looked into several markets, they were now leaning toward playing their AHL team in their own building. Still lots of dominoes to fall, but there certainly appears to be a lot of smoke (no fire yet).

 

[andyolly]

Internal job posting meaning I can't apply?

 

[Ducks DVM]

And there's ths smoking gun?

Admirals’ owner Ken Young said Wednesday the team has not been sold but acknowledges that his options may be limited.

“There have been serious discussions regarding west coast teams wanting to own their AHL franchises and being able to move them closer to their parent cities,†he said. “This will be discussed at a league meeting in New York in the next three weeks.â€

Sources tell WAVY-TV and FOX 43 Sports Director Bruce Rader the sale of the Admirals may not be finalized but it appears to be a “done deal.†The AHL franchise would be sold by Young to the Ducks, and this would be its last season in Norfolk.

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

 

[AngelDuck]

I'm moving down to San Diego to go to schol there next year, so I will be trying to get a job with the Ducks AHL team if they decide to locate there. I'm pumped

 

[Getzmonster]

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/01/sources-admirals-being-sold-will-leave-norfolk

OK, so this is happening, right? While this article still relies on a "source" leaving it in the rumors category, this is more than just smoke.

"San Diego Admirals" still fits, the theme is perfect for SD.

 

[KickHisAssZegrass]

I'll be there with you AngelDuck. I also heard they won't be playing at the Sports Arena, but instead a bit further east at the Valley View Casino where the indoor soccer team plays.

 

[HansH]

I'll be there with you AngelDuck. I also heard they won't be playing at the Sports Arena, but instead a bit further east at the Valley View Casino where the indoor soccer team plays.

Not quite.

The indoor soccer team plays at the Valley View Casino CENTER, which is the newest corporate sponsor name of the SDSA. The VVC itself is far north and inland of the SDSA, but the casino bought the naming rights to the arena (much like the Viejas Arena is on the campus of San Diego State, not at the casino).

So, the SDSA and the Valley View Casino Center are one and the same. If the alleged San Diego team is playing where the indoor soccer team plays, it's the SDSA.

 

[HansH]

"San Diego Admirals" still fits, the theme is perfect for SD.

There's another "Admirals" team in the AHL as it is -- when the IHL teams came in, the Milwaukee Admirals kept their name. So, if I had to guess, _if_ this is happening, they'll do whatever they can to use the San Diego Gulls name to get rid of duplicate Admirals, and to tap into the nostalgia for the WHL, IHL, and ECHL/WCHL teams that used the name before. I was a season seat holder for the WCHL/ECHL Gulls for years, and attended many games with a media credential as well, so that's how I see it working -- again, IF this actually all does happen.

 

[snarktacular]

For some reason I find the fact that the Valley View Casino Center is just the SDSA and nowhere near Valley View Casino hilarious.