AHL/NHL Affiliations

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Clinton Comets EHL

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Feb 18, 2014
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not exactly true, Utica..... Spectra owns the ECHL Team in Portland, and what NHL Team is Spectra based off of, Philadelphia's Flyers, since the company built Cross Insurance Arena, among other interests in management of the majority of AHL Arenas, notably Hartford, and Binghamton to name at least two.... past teams include Abbotsford, etc... not to mention Lehigh Valley and its arena..... In fact, Spectra operates both major arenas in Maine, not just Cross Arena but Cross Center in Bangor, where locals refer to it as the Bangor Auditorium, the arena in which it replaced much as Cross Arena was simply the CCCC, until its renovation 6 years ago....

all you have to do is research Spectra and venue management and there are 17 pages of such info, in fact, the Colorado Eagles and its host venue/arena are both listed under that category
 

Clinton Comets EHL

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Spectra or Comcast Spectacor in essence does, according to the ECHL, I wouldn't think you'd hire someone not affiliated with a Spectra venue in the front office, and both Briere and Holmgren are connected and it was the Flyers who started pro hockey in Portland.... YOU also likely don't get the transfer of territory from Alaska to Portland if it was a private ownership, like the 2 previous franchises were.
"Spectra or Comcast Spectacor in essence does" Well, do they or don't they?
 

UticaHockey

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Feb 27, 2013
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The point I was making was when Edmonton bought the ECHL Bakersfield Condors there was a lot of noise about NHL teams wanting to invest in ECHL teams to create a true AA farm system like in baseball. Then Calgary and Los Angeles followed suite by acquiring Stockton and Ontario. They didn't buy these teams to add to their player development system at the AA level they bought them to create the Pacific Division of the AHL and then sold off their ECHL franchises as soon as a new buyer could be found.

There is no interest by the Sabres or any NHL team in owning an ECHL team for development purposes. If the new Portland team can be linked to a NHL team through its arena management company that is because they need a hockey tenant for the building and not because a desire to expand their minor league hockey development system.
 

CHRDANHUTCH

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The point I was making was when Edmonton bought the ECHL Bakersfield Condors there was a lot of noise about NHL teams wanting to invest in ECHL teams to create a true AA farm system like in baseball. Then Calgary and Los Angeles followed suite by acquiring Stockton and Ontario. They didn't buy these teams to add to their player development system at the AA level they bought them to create the Pacific Division of the AHL and then sold off their ECHL franchises as soon as a new buyer could be found.

There is no interest by the Sabres or any NHL team in owning an ECHL team for development purposes. If the new Portland team can be linked to a NHL team through its arena management company that is because they need a hockey tenant for the building and not because a desire to expand their minor league hockey development system.
again, false....

Los Angeles owned Manchester, and had already owned Ontario at the time of the 2015 creation of the Pacific Division, Utica, remember who it was that had started that proposal, Brian Burke, an original Mariner, btw, once Washington had exited for Hershey in 2006.... Calgary had already owned all, if not half of its AHL franchise affiliate, ever since 2003, when it departed Saint John, and no matter whether the AHL Affiliate had been in suspension, even when the Flames were in Lowell, they still owned their franchise, whether it was active, or not, the Flames owned 50% no matter whether it was Omaha, QC, Abbotsford, or Stockton, which, ironically is now where the AHL Portland franchise awarded in 1977 is stationed, same goes for San Jose, no matter if they were in Cleveland or Worcester or even now as the Barracuda, same thing happened with Edmonton, Anaheim, and Arizona, why does Norfolk still exist when Anaheim previously had not been in the business of an O&O, even in the days of Baltimore and Cincinnati, that's how the ECHL Condors got transformed into the Admirals to allow the Ducks to acquire the AHL Admirals for San Diego, why was it an easier switch to flip Manchester and Ontario back then under the same ownership, not as easy to do since, that's the primary difference.
 

royals119

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I believe that Spectra owns the ECHL team in Portland for the purpose of filling dates at the arena. As the arena manager it is beneficial for them to have people going to events there. By owning the team they have control over all aspects of the operation, and can structure the income and expenses to their own advantage. Since they are a division of the same parent company that owns the Flyers, and they needed someone to manage the team, they put experienced hockey people (Holmgren and Briere) in charge. Why spend the time and money on an outside search when you already have connections within your corporate structure?

They did not purchase the team with the intention of developing prospects. Two clear signs that point to this. 1) They have said repeatedly they are going to continue the affiliation with the Royals. 2) The Flyers organization doesn't use the ECHL for player development. They use it to have some spare players for the AHL team to call up when they get shorthanded. Maybe that will change as they continue to sign more of their own draft choices to contracts, but they rarely send NHL contracted players to the ECHL and when they do it is a sign that they don't believe that player has a real NHL future.
 

Big Z Man 1990

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Jun 4, 2011
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Don't say anything at all
Another, somewhat more plausible move is the Stars buying the Allen Americans and moving the AHL Texas Stars to Allen as the AHL Allen Americans and the ECHL Americans to Cedar Park as the ECHL Texas Stars. This would make the Stars' AHL affiliate even more local than it is now as Allen is part of the Metroplex.
 

CHRDANHUTCH

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Another, somewhat more plausible move is the Stars buying the Allen Americans and moving the AHL Texas Stars to Allen as the AHL Allen Americans and the ECHL Americans to Cedar Park as the ECHL Texas Stars. This would make the Stars' AHL affiliate even more local than it is now as Allen is part of the Metroplex.

Dallas owns Texas only, Z, THE ECHL affiliate is Idaho, Allen is affiliated with SVSE (Sharks/Barracuda)
 
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VikingAv

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Dallas owns Texas only, Z, THE ECHL affiliate is Idaho, Allen is affiliated with SVSE (Sharks/Barracuda)

Which matters absolutely diddly squat if the Stars want to make that happen.

Not that there's anything suggesting the Stars actually want to make such a move. Their affiliate would be closer to home, but further away from their only close AHL team in San Antonio.
 

CHRDANHUTCH

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Which matters absolutely diddly squat if the Stars want to make that happen.

Not that there's anything suggesting the Stars actually want to make such a move. Their affiliate would be closer to home, but further away from their only close AHL team in San Antonio.
why would Gagliardi do that, Viking?
 

GrGriffins

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Jan 30, 2017
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Another, somewhat more plausible move is the Stars buying the Allen Americans and moving the AHL Texas Stars to Allen as the AHL Allen Americans and the ECHL Americans to Cedar Park as the ECHL Texas Stars. This would make the Stars' AHL affiliate even more local than it is now as Allen is part of the Metroplex.

Do you have an article regarding this? I can not find a recent article on this (it was first talked about in 2011 but nothing happened). Thanks.
 

go comets

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Spectra or Comcast Spectacor in essence does, according to the ECHL, I wouldn't think you'd hire someone not affiliated with a Spectra venue in the front office, and both Briere and Holmgren are connected and it was the Flyers who started pro hockey in Portland.... YOU also likely don't get the transfer of territory from Alaska to Portland if it was a private ownership, like the 2 previous franchises were.

They just bought the old Alaska franchise and moved it to Portland. Probably because they wanted a hockey team in the building they manage. And if it goes the same way the other teams went they will dump said team in 2 years to whomever will take it off their hands....
 

CHRDANHUTCH

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They just bought the old Alaska franchise and moved it to Portland. Probably because they wanted a hockey team in the building they manage. And if it goes the same way the other teams went they will dump said team in 2 years to whomever will take it off their hands....

nope, it is not an accurate statement, maybe Utica shouldn't have gotten the rights to the Comets, then, dude, did you forget Spectra runs Hartford and they just got renewed with the same arena operator that the Wolf*Pack have had for much of their 20 year run in Hartford.... at one point Spectra ran the arena in Binghamton, as well.... they run a few other markets past or present markets, but you seem to ignore that fact, go, stop being so defensive.... the Portland fans as well as the Worcester fans have suffered long enough and/or fought harder to attract interest in the ECHL to avert those decisions made previously..... Philadelphia/Spectra, by your correlation then, should drop the PPL Center in Allentown, then, huh... All Philadelphia did there is recreate what they started in 1977 in Portland and had the Spectrum (which just happens to be the model for Cross) for what they had built in South Philadelphia, remained there, why move the Phantoms twice while PPL Center was built, name another 8 sided arena built into a peninsula, as Portland is, much less where Cross sits... Snider himself said, if he had his way, the Spectrum would still be in Philadelphia, it's his vision that got hockey started, and All AHL Fans should be indebted for a visionary legend....

btw, how did the Devils work out for Utica in 1987 GC, because obviously they left at the first sign of adversity, and a bigger NY Market.
 

royals119

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nope, it is not an accurate statement, maybe Utica shouldn't have gotten the rights to the Comets, then, dude, did you forget Spectra runs Hartford and they just got renewed with the same arena operator that the Wolf*Pack have had for much of their 20 year run in Hartford.... at one point Spectra ran the arena in Binghamton, as well.... they run a few other markets past or present markets, but you seem to ignore that fact, go, stop being so defensive.... the Portland fans as well as the Worcester fans have suffered long enough and/or fought harder to attract interest in the ECHL to avert those decisions made previously..... Philadelphia/Spectra, by your correlation then, should drop the PPL Center in Allentown, then, huh... All Philadelphia did there is recreate what they started in 1977 in Portland and had the Spectrum (which just happens to be the model for Cross) for what they had built in South Philadelphia, remained there, why move the Phantoms twice while PPL Center was built, name another 8 sided arena built into a peninsula, as Portland is, much less where Cross sits... Snider himself said, if he had his way, the Spectrum would still be in Philadelphia, it's his vision that got hockey started, and All AHL Fans should be indebted for a visionary legend....

btw, how did the Devils work out for Utica in 1987 GC, because obviously they left at the first sign of adversity, and a bigger NY Market.
Actually, neither Spectra or the Flyers own the Phantoms. The team is owned by the Brooks group, and the Flyers ECHL affiliate (Royals) are owned by a local businessman, and the arena is operated by SMG. So there is no reason the ownership of the NHL team, the ownership of the AHL or ECHL team, or the ownership of the management group that runs the arena has to be the same. If a local business owner in Portland decides he wants to buy the team from Spectra, that could happen. Just as the Royals were bought from SMG by Jack Guilati.

I don't know why you have such a hatred for Utica and their fans. As a fan from a city who has lost their team I would think you would be more sympathetic instead of bringing up past failures and saying a city doesn't deserve to get a team back again, for really no reason at all. Go Comets said nothing derogatory about Portland.
 
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CHRDANHUTCH

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Actually, neither Spectra or the Flyers own the Phantoms. The team is owned by the Brooks group, and the Flyers ECHL affiliate (Royals) are owned by a local businessman, and the arena is operated by SMG. So there is no reason the ownership of the NHL team, the ownership of the AHL or ECHL team, or the ownership of the management group that runs the arena has to be the same. If a local business owner in Portland decides he wants to buy the team from Spectra, that could happen. Just as the Royals were bought from SMG by Jack Guilati.

I don't know why you have such a hatred for Utica and their fans. As a fan from a city who has lost their team I would think you would be more sympathetic instead of bringing up past failures and saying a city doesn't deserve to get a team back again, for really no reason at all. Go Comets said nothing derogatory about Portland.

uh, Lehigh Valley was done the same way Portland was done, royals, tbth.... 20 years apart but same premise, the Flyers controlled all aspects of the franchise, including the arenas in both cities, the Flyers realized by 1997, they made a mistake when they sold the affiliate franchise to NJ in 1983, which eventually led to the Devils exit by 1988- 89....hence why the Phantoms were formed and placed in the Spectrum.... the issue I have is the comments about Spectra exiting the market within 2 years of the existing or soon to exist tenant at Cross.... the only time that would be an impact is if Spectra spun the arena out from their control.... I do not believe Spectra would've gone that route if that were a possibility since they already control Cross, and were not eliminated in the search a la what was attempted in 2016/17... when private owners began the process to replace the franchise now in Springfield....

had the Spectrum not been deemed for implosion, would the transition to the Brooks group(who owned in state rival WB/S, BTW), occur and would the Phantoms not have to be transferred to Adirondack, while the intention was to return the franchise in PA, Which was honored when both PPL Center/Allentown renewed that commitment...

Portland is indebted, and always will be to Spectra, the Flyers for their foresight for selecting the city in 1977, remember Quebec SUBMITTED A BID, Rhode Island Reds wanted to split games and attempt to claim Portland as a territory... but Philadelphia had that commitment to start and build a franchise from scratch, and the rest is history, as they say.... just as they are doing with LV, that commitment shown over 4 decades was renewed.
 

CHRDANHUTCH

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Mar 4, 2002
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Auburn, Maine
But on all his posts centers on Spectra, Spectrum, & Portland.
Spectra, last I checked, GR, controls in some ways more than just Portland, Binghamton has used them, Abbotsford still is under their operation, Hartford just renewed theirs, Lehigh Valley (see the Flyers connection there, along w/ PPL), in fact, even Colorado's venue and tenant that's coming in 2018/19 is under their operation...

in fact where did you think Adam Goldberg was hired from when Spectra was in the running to complete the transfer of territory to return hockey to Cross? HARTFORD
 
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