I am not sure why the ECHL put a limit on the number of teams in their by-laws (26 I believe) ... Seems to me that they would cap it at 30 (the same number of NHL and AHL Teams) .. they could pick up a few of the stronger CHL Teams and become the only AA Professional Hockey League ... Each ECHL Team would therefore be affiliated with an AHL Team and a NHL Team, and give hockey the resemblance of a true Minor League system.
ECHL By-Laws
- Thread starter Kapn Kaveman
- Start date
SemireliableSource
Liter-a-cola
Is is actually in the by-laws? I know McKenna said he'd like to but I'm sure if a strong organization came along with no other home, they wouldn't turn them away.
Sports Enthusiast
Not Here To Be Liked
Wouldn't be much fun if that happened. Guys could only get called up to affiliate AHL team. It would hurt rosters some for a few franchises. Minor league hockey never does the sensible thing anyway.
NSHPreds1835
Glads/Preds
Well I know that Alaska,Bakersfield and Las Vegas have no affiliation with AHL or NHL teams.
Gibbie42
Registered User
They set the cap at 26 but they can change the cap anytime they want. They can change it with a simple vote of the owners. They've done it before, doubtless they'll do it again.
Cyclones Rock
Registered User
- Jun 12, 2008
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The cap might be as simple as a ploy to create value for an ECHL franchise.
If the CHL goes down the drain and more than 3 of those teams decided that they would like to join the ECHL, then a phony "scarcity" of available franchises has already been created thus driving up the price of securing the rights to an ECHL franchise.
As was pointed out, the cap number is as easy to change as having the owners vote upon it. It's an arbitrary number which really doesn't have any inherent meaning to it. Only if the 30-30-30 (NHL-AHL-ECHL) scenario is realized would an ECHL franchise become a scarce and possibly valuable entity.
If the CHL goes down the drain and more than 3 of those teams decided that they would like to join the ECHL, then a phony "scarcity" of available franchises has already been created thus driving up the price of securing the rights to an ECHL franchise.
As was pointed out, the cap number is as easy to change as having the owners vote upon it. It's an arbitrary number which really doesn't have any inherent meaning to it. Only if the 30-30-30 (NHL-AHL-ECHL) scenario is realized would an ECHL franchise become a scarce and possibly valuable entity.
