Prospect Info: Hartford Wolf Pack/Maine Mariners Thread: Part XIV

[The Sweetness]

I just don't understand how it will be financially feasible to run the AHL if there are no fans and still have the money it'll take to enhance social distancing and create a bubble. Unlike the NHL are they really going to have the resources to test and quarantine and bubble? And travel in a safe way?

I suppose i feel safer with what the NHL is doing because they're in a bubble. Lots of money is being spent to ensure players are kept apart from the rest of the public. And there's tv money to offset some of the costs. AND since its just the playoffs, it's fewer teams to worry about. and a shorter window of time. I would be weary about having my brightest young talent in a situation where protecting the players is way more challenging than the NHL.

If I'm the Rangers, I call up the Islanders, devils, Flyers and Sabres and figure out how to create a bubble/pod for local prospect development for next season. Basically create a traverse city like tournament inside a bubble where all non-collegiate NA prospects and pro signees for each team can play. It's all one facility that has multiple rinks. A hotel. and a large dedicated medical team. This bubble would be part of the NHL bubble because i think the NHL will be forced to keep expanded rosters for next season anyway. I understand the multitude of hurdles - specifically it could destroy the AHL.

I wouldnt want to be Jeff Gorton or JD in this situation.

Yeah, I totally agree. Priority #1 should be on loaning out our most promising prospects ASAP IMO.

 

[cwede]

leading scorer Alex Kile re-ups w Maine
not that anyone knows when they might actually play ....

 

[Leetch3]

 

[Joey Bones]

This kind of inspired me to look at everyone's affiliates. I feel like it's been so long for AHL team shuffling and this offseason brought on a lot of changes. Below are the current NHL/AHL/ECHL affiliates (in NHL alphabetical order)....

Anaheim Ducks/San Diego Gulls/Tulsa Oilers
Arizona Coyotes/Tucson Roadrunners/Rapid City Rush
Boston Bruins/Providence Bruins/Atlanta Gladiators
Buffalo Sabres/Rochester Americans/Cincinnati Cyclones
Calgary Flames/Stockton Heat/Kansas City Mavericks
Carolina Hurricanes/Chicago Wolves/Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Chicago Blackhawks/Rockford IceHogs/Indy Fuel
Colorado Avalanche/Colorado Eagles/Utah Grizzlies
Columbus Blue Jackets/Cleveland Monsters
Dallas Stars/Texas Stars/Idaho Steelheads
Detroit Red Wings/Grand Rapids Griffins/Toledo Walleye
Edmonton Oilers/Bakersfield Condors/Wichita Thunder
Florida Panthers/Charlotte Checkers
Los Angeles Kings/Ontario Reign
Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild/Allen Americans
Montreal Canadiens/Laval Rocket
Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals/Florida Everblades
New Jersey Devils/Binghamton Devils/Adirondack Thunder
New York Islanders/Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Worcester Railers
New York Rangers/Hartford Wolfpack/Maine Mariners
Ottawa Senators/Belleville Senators/Brampton Beast
Philadelphia Flyers/Lehigh Valley Phantoms/Reading Royals
Pittsburgh Penguins/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins/Wheeling Nailers
St. Louis Blues/Springfield Thunderbirds
San Jose Sharks/San Jose Barracuda
Seattle Kraken/???/???
Tampa Bay Lightning/Syracuse Crunch/Orlando Solar Bears
Toronto Maple Leafs/Toronto Marlies/Newfoundland Growlers
Vancouver Canucks/Utica Comets/Kalamazoo Wings
Vegas Golden Knights/Henderson Silver Knights/Fort Wayne Komets
Washington Capitals/Hershey Bears/South Carolina Stingrays
Winnipeg Jets/Manitoba Moose/Jacksonville Icemen


All NHL teams have an immediate minor league (AHL) affiliate except the Kraken, but I'm sure they'll have one set up by the time they start play. IIRC, management is already in the works on that. There are some teams that don't have an ECHL affiliate, though. These teams are the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks and the Seattle Kraken. I find this weird because there are plenty of teams that are in the SPHL that could be used as double minor affiliates for these NHL players. And few of those teams already were affiliates at one point like the Peoria Rivermen and Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs. What is even more weird is that the Norfolk Admirals are still listed as an independent team playing in the ECHL. They used to be an accomplished AHL team for years.

Also, does anyone have any inclination to what happened to the Manchester Monarchs? I remember them winning the Calder one year and then the next year completely disappearing. I know they were with LA for some time, but seems odd to win it to then never be heard from again.

 

[Ola]

This kind of inspired me to look at everyone's affiliates. I feel like it's been so long for AHL team shuffling and this offseason brought on a lot of changes. Below are the current NHL/AHL/ECHL affiliates (in NHL alphabetical order)....

Anaheim Ducks/San Diego Gulls/Tulsa Oilers
Arizona Coyotes/Tucson Roadrunners/Rapid City Rush
Boston Bruins/Providence Bruins/Atlanta Gladiators
Buffalo Sabres/Rochester Americans/Cincinnati Cyclones
Calgary Flames/Stockton Heat/Kansas City Mavericks
Carolina Hurricanes/Chicago Wolves/Greenville Swamp Rabbits
Chicago Blackhawks/Rockford IceHogs/Indy Fuel
Colorado Avalanche/Colorado Eagles/Utah Grizzlies
Columbus Blue Jackets/Cleveland Monsters
Dallas Stars/Texas Stars/Idaho Steelheads
Detroit Red Wings/Grand Rapids Griffins/Toledo Walleye
Edmonton Oilers/Bakersfield Condors/Wichita Thunder
Florida Panthers/Charlotte Checkers
Los Angeles Kings/Ontario Reign
Minnesota Wild/Iowa Wild/Allen Americans
Montreal Canadiens/Laval Rocket
Nashville Predators/Milwaukee Admirals/Florida Everblades
New Jersey Devils/Binghamton Devils/Adirondack Thunder
New York Islanders/Bridgeport Sound Tigers/Worcester Railers
New York Rangers/Hartford Wolfpack/Maine Mariners
Ottawa Senators/Belleville Senators/Brampton Beast
Philadelphia Flyers/Lehigh Valley Phantoms/Reading Royals
Pittsburgh Penguins/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins/Wheeling Nailers
St. Louis Blues/Springfield Thunderbirds
San Jose Sharks/San Jose Barracuda
Seattle Kraken/???/???
Tampa Bay Lightning/Syracuse Crunch/Orlando Solar Bears
Toronto Maple Leafs/Toronto Marlies/Newfoundland Growlers
Vancouver Canucks/Utica Comets/Kalamazoo Wings
Vegas Golden Knights/Henderson Silver Knights/Fort Wayne Komets
Washington Capitals/Hershey Bears/South Carolina Stingrays
Winnipeg Jets/Manitoba Moose/Jacksonville Icemen


All NHL teams have an immediate minor league (AHL) affiliate except the Kraken, but I'm sure they'll have one set up by the time they start play. IIRC, management is already in the works on that. There are some teams that don't have an ECHL affiliate, though. These teams are the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks and the Seattle Kraken. I find this weird because there are plenty of teams that are in the SPHL that could be used as double minor affiliates for these NHL players. And few of those teams already were affiliates at one point like the Peoria Rivermen and Roanoke Rail Yard Dogs. What is even more weird is that the Norfolk Admirals are still listed as an independent team playing in the ECHL. They used to be an accomplished AHL team for years.

Also, does anyone have any inclination to what happened to the Manchester Monarchs? I remember them winning the Calder one year and then the next year completely disappearing. I know they were with LA for some time, but seems odd to win it to then never be heard from again.

Great stuff!

Funny, I had no clue that the Monarchs wasn’t in the AHL anymore. Turns out they left 5 years ago...

 

[cwede]

From Manchester Minarchs at wikipedia,
Manchester Monarchs (AHL) - Wikipedia
when the AHL created west coast conference for closeness to NHL west teams,
Kings moved the team west:'
"They were the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL) Los Angeles Kings during the team's entire existence. For the 2015–16 season, the Monarchs traded places with the Kings' affiliate in the ECHL, the Ontario Reign; the AHL franchise moved to Ontario, California, and play at Citizens Business Bank Arena where they became the new Ontario Reign, while the ECHL team moved to New Hampshire retaining the Manchester Monarchs name.

 

[MrAlmost]

I will be buying AHL.TV this year if they have a season. Perhaps I am wrong, and seeing that list shows me there are more AHL teams close to the NHL club that I thought, but I never understood why the NHL teams don't invest in their AHL team and bring them close to their city, or even in their city. I always thought the teams like the Toronto Marlies and San Jose Barracuda and others had the right idea by bringing the team in the fold and supporting the operation more directly. I will admit I am naive to financial impact of purchasing an AHL affiliate that as best will see 2k-4k fans per game, but the benefits of emergency call-ups, especially for goalie, would be great and the developing players in the AHL(and the AHL is much more of a developmental league than it used to be) would be closer to the coaches, trainers, video teams, etc. that the parent team provides.

I guess all I wanted to say was that I hope they have a season this year and I would like to support the league.

 

[Leetch3]

I will be buying AHL.TV this year if they have a season. Perhaps I am wrong, and seeing that list shows me there are more AHL teams close to the NHL club that I thought, but I never understood why the NHL teams don't invest in their AHL team and bring them close to their city, or even in their city. I always thought the teams like the Toronto Marlies and San Jose Barracuda and others had the right idea by bringing the team in the fold and supporting the operation more directly. I will admit I am naive to financial impact of purchasing an AHL affiliate that as best will see 2k-4k fans per game, but the benefits of emergency call-ups, especially for goalie, would be great and the developing players in the AHL(and the AHL is much more of a developmental league than it used to be) would be closer to the coaches, trainers, video teams, etc. that the parent team provides.

I guess all I wanted to say was that I hope they have a season this year and I would like to support the league.

having the team close is ideal but keep in mind that those teams are affliated but most NHL teams don't own the AHL teams so don't have that control. And I'm sure the AHL team would have concerns about their own attendance if in the same market as the nhl team...and also needs to have available arenas

 

[MrAlmost]

having the team close is ideal but keep in mind that those teams are affliated but most NHL teams don't own the AHL teams so don't have that control. And I'm sure the AHL team would have concerns about their own attendance if in the same market as the nhl team...and also needs to have available arenas

Yeah I was thinking about that. The Barracuda when they first moved to San Jose had a solid attendance, but it has gone down. However, both the Sharks and the Barracuda have gotten worse in that time, and its harder to draw for a losing team than a winning one, especially in the AHL.

Looking at the numbers, teams that are close to their NHL team but not in the exact same city have the best attendance. Then if that team is good they get an extra boost. Or in the case of Hersey, good every year.

 

[nyr2k2]

having the team close is ideal but keep in mind that those teams are affliated but most NHL teams don't own the AHL teams so don't have that control. And I'm sure the AHL team would have concerns about their own attendance if in the same market as the nhl team...and also needs to have available arenas

I believe 21 of the AHL teams are either owned directly by the NHL team or by the company/holding company that owns the NHL team.

EDIT: Anaheim/San Diego, Arizona/Tucson, Buffalo/Rochester, Calgary/Stockton, Dallas/Texas, Edmonton/Bakersfield, LA/Ontario, Minnesota/Iowa, Montreal/Laval, NJ/Binghamton, NYI/Bridgeport Sound, NYR/Hartford, Ottawa/Belleville, Pittsburgh/WBS, Toronto/Toronto, Vancouver/Utica, Vegas/Henderson, Winnipeg/Manitoba. I believe this list is accurate.

Carolina had a minority owner that owned Charlotte but I guess that's no longer a thing. So what does that make, 18?

 

[Leetch3]

I believe 21 of the AHL teams are either owned directly by the NHL team or by the company/holding company that owns the NHL team.

thats interesting. i didn't think it was nearly that high

 

[nyr2k2]

thats interesting. i didn't think it was nearly that high

Yeah it's pretty large. I edited my post above with info that is correct to the best of my knowledge.

 

[Edge]

thats interesting. i didn't think it was nearly that high

Expect more of a push for teams to own their AHL affiliate on the other side of this whole global mess.

 

[Oscar Lindberg]

I have a friend that works for the Checkers, he said they were very disappointed Carolina was choose Chicago over them going forward

I was surprised to hear that the Canes didn't own the Checkers, I just assumed they did

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

I have a friend that works for the Checkers, he said they were very disappointed Carolina was choose Chicago over them going forward

I was surprised to hear that the Canes didn't own the Checkers, I just assumed they did

Just mind-boggling to me. I'd be curious to hear the rationale sometime.

 

[nyr2k2]

I have a friend that works for the Checkers, he said they were very disappointed Carolina was choose Chicago over them going forward

I was surprised to hear that the Canes didn't own the Checkers, I just assumed they did

I have a friend that works for the Checkers, he said they were very disappointed Carolina was choose Chicago over them going forward

I was surprised to hear that the Canes didn't own the Checkers, I just assumed they did

Michael Kahn is a part-owner of the Canes and also owns (owned?) the Checkers, so yeah that's weird.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Curious if anyone can share what the Rangers current commitment Is to the city of Hartford?
Once the Belmont Park Rink is completed could the Wolf Pack be moved there to share with the LI team?
If not could they be moved to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Colosseum?
Would the Rangers have to pay a territorial fee to both the Isles and New Jersey clubs if they relocated their minor league team to one of those two locations?

 

[cwede]

New Britain Herald - Wolf Pack to remain in Hartford for at least the next two years

HARTFORD - The New York Rangers will keep their AHL affiliate playing in Hartford’s XL Center for at least the next two years, under a renewal agreement signed Friday with Spectra by Comcast Spectacor, which manages the XL Center.
The previous deal was a three-year lease agreement that included two one-year options that were both picked up to keep the Wolf Pack in Hartford through this season.
The new deal is for two years with three more one-year team options that could keep the Rangers’ top minor league talent in Hartford through at least the 2022-23 season.

 

[cwede]

btw a more commonly suggested speculation has been
Isles move farm team to Nassau,
NYR move much closer, to Bridgeport

 

[Clark Kellogg]

New Britain Herald - Wolf Pack to remain in Hartford for at least the next two years

HARTFORD - The New York Rangers will keep their AHL affiliate playing in Hartford’s XL Center for at least the next two years, under a renewal agreement signed Friday with Spectra by Comcast Spectacor, which manages the XL Center.
The previous deal was a three-year lease agreement that included two one-year options that were both picked up to keep the Wolf Pack in Hartford through this season.
The new deal is for two years with three more one-year team options that could keep the Rangers’ top minor league talent in Hartford through at least the 2022-23 season.

Thank you.
The future arena at Belmont Park, 17,113-seat hockey rink is scheduled to open October 2021.
So in Lower New York State construction speak:
October 2023.

 

[Leetch3]

Curious if anyone can share what the Rangers current commitment Is to the city of Hartford?
Once the Belmont Park Rink is completed could the Wolf Pack be moved there to share with the LI team?
If not could they be moved to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Colosseum?
Would the Rangers have to pay a territorial fee to both the Isles and New Jersey clubs if they relocated their minor league team to one of those two locations?

i'm pretty sure there is no territorial fee for a non-nhl team...and I think its a pretty safe bet that they won't be sharing an arena with the islanders at belmont lol.

brooklyn would also be a possible option once the isles are in belmont. but my based on absolutely nothing speculation would be that if the rangers decided to do this, dolan would build an arena somewhere that he would own rather than paying rent to someone else

 

[MrAlmost]

This is a lot of great information. Thanks everyone.

I happen to have moved to Raleigh last year and have friends that moved to Charlotte. Very disappointed the Canes moved their AHL affiliation to Chicago as I was hoping to go to Checkers games at some point.

 

[Joey Bones]

btw a more commonly suggested speculation has been
Isles move farm team to Nassau,
NYR move much closer, to Bridgeport

This is honestly the best option. Bridgeport is a rough 45 minute train to Grand Central!!

 

[Joey Bones]

This is a lot of great information. Thanks everyone.

I happen to have moved to Raleigh last year and have friends that moved to Charlotte. Very disappointed the Canes moved their AHL affiliation to Chicago as I was hoping to go to Checkers games at some point.

You still can, they are the Panthers' affiliate now!!

 

[MrAlmost]

You still can, they are the Panthers' affiliate now!!

No one cares about the Panthers.