Chicago Wolves intend to return to independence (upd: only lasted one year before reaffiliating)

[GKJ]

Damn.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

lmao almost like trying to be the last hold out of 'independence' in a league wholly remade around the idea of developing prospects for the big club, exclusively, is going to win out no matter how much you try to puff out your chest.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Wonder if that's due to the Wolves wanting it or the AHL forcing them back into the fold.

Truth be told, the Canes prospects probably developed better away from the Wolves than they did with them. They're famously less inclined to care about parent prospect development and were a main reason I was actually stoked as a Blackhawks fan when the Nucks and Blues affiliated with them.

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[Brodie]

The Wolves need to just give up on the idea of being an IHL team, and if they can’t cut it in this market as a minor league team in this market there’s dozens of AHL tier midwestern cities

 

[Chrispy]

Wonder if that's due to the Wolves wanting it or the AHL forcing them back into the fold.

Truth be told, the Canes prospects probably developed better away from the Wolves than they did with them. They're famously less inclined to care about parent prospect development and were a main reason I was actually stoked as a Blackhawks fan when the Nucks and Blues affiliated with them.

It simply failed for the Wolves. Second worst record by points in the AHL. Fewest wins in the AHL.

Any talented veteran AHL players want at least an option to be called up to an NHL team. An NHL team can offer that along with being assigned to their affiliate; the Wolves couldn’t.

Chicago needs an affiliation to provide talent, and Carolina found no sellers at the AHL level. So this awkward reunion occurs.

Most of Carolina’s prospects remained in or returned to Europe this year, with a few bouncing from one AHL affiliate to another. It was actually worse in many cases because another teams affiliate has less reason to play your prospects than the Wolves.

A few Hurricanes prospects ended up back with the Wolves midseason because Chicago was desperate for talent and the prospects wanted more ice time.

 

[MMC]

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

It simply failed for the Wolves. Second worst record by points in the AHL. Fewest wins in the AHL.

Any talented veteran AHL players want at least an option to be called up to an NHL team. An NHL team can offer that along with being assigned to their affiliate; the Wolves couldn’t.

Chicago needs an affiliation to provide talent, and Carolina found no sellers at the AHL level. So this awkward reunion occurs.

Most of Carolina’s prospects remained in or returned to Europe this year, with a few bouncing from one AHL affiliate to another. It was actually worse in many cases because another teams affiliate has less reason to play your prospects than the Wolves.

A few Hurricanes prospects ended up back with the Wolves midseason because Chicago was desperate for talent and the prospects wanted more ice time.

it just proves for the third time that the AHL WAS right when they passed the no independent rule in 1994/95 which the Wolves knew the rule existed in 2001 when the I/AHL merged/expanded which is why Atlanta(Winnipeg) aligned there upon the contract... actually, Baltimore and Binghamton had worse seasonal marks than the Wolves did this past season.

 

[StreetHawk]

The Wolves need to just give up on the idea of being an IHL team, and if they can’t cut it in this market as a minor league team in this market there’s dozens of AHL tier midwestern cities

If it can't work in Chicago under the AHL model, then yes, it's time to move them somewhere that it can succeed on that model. The other IHL clubs have accepted the AHL model and it's time for Chicago to follow suit.

 

[Yukon Joe]

If it can't work in Chicago under the AHL model, then yes, it's time to move them somewhere that it can succeed on that model. The other IHL clubs have accepted the AHL model and it's time for Chicago to follow suit.

Who said Chicago can't succeed? They're the 4th highest in attendance this past year.

Most teams wished they had Chicago Wolves problems.

AHL 2023-24 team attendance at hockeydb.com

Attendance for the American Hockey League for the 2023-24 season

www.hockeydb.com

It's interesting looking at this list though - perhaps predictably most of the teams at the bottom are the ones where the AHL team is owned by the NHL team and either plays out of the NHL facility (Manitoba, San Jose, Calgary), or is very close by (Belleville, Henderson, Bridgeport).

But anyways - the "independent team" model like Chicago is following definitely works from a business perspective.

 

[WarriorofTime]

If it can't work in Chicago under the AHL model, then yes, it's time to move them somewhere that it can succeed on that model. The other IHL clubs have accepted the AHL model and it's time for Chicago to follow suit.

You're being foolish. They are one of the league's best teams financially. The AHL has no reason to yank the franchise out from under the current owners and go move them somewhere else. Their financial success is the whole reason this all came about to begin with. The Canes/Wolves couldn't make nice, there aren't many independently owned teams left anymore so they were both left holding a bag. Chicago had no NHL contract players so their talent was bad, the Canes had no AHL affiliate so they had to loan players out/send them to Europe/put them in the ECHL. Neither side had a sustainable thing going here. Both sides eventually realized it's better to put Canes prospects on the Wolves anyways, so after a bunch of huffing and puffing, they managed to make nice. Now the Canes can go back to having somewhere to put players and the Wolves can go back to building a Calder Cup contending team even if they occasionally have to give more ice time to NHL prospects that they'd prefer not to.

Who said Chicago can't succeed? They're the 4th highest in attendance this past year.

But anyways - the "independent team" model like Chicago is following definitely works from a business perspective.

They also have a local tv deal in a large market, which I'm not sure how common that is.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

he also kinda killed the Q LEAGUE for Lewiston back in the day ....

 

[GKJ]

Well, they're definitely in for the AHL model. The question will be if after 3 years, the Hurricanes decide they want their affiliate to be closer to home.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Well, they're definitely in for the AHL model. The question will be if after 3 years, the Hurricanes decide they want their affiliate to be closer to home.

doubtful the AHL will abandon the no independent rule being a prerequisite for member clubs..... that'll also depend on if there's an affiliate closer to Raleigh than Charlotte if that ship/bridge has been burned....

 

[GKJ]

doubtful the AHL will abandon the no independent rule being a prerequisite for member clubs..... that'll also depend on if there's an affiliate closer to Raleigh than Charlotte if that ship/bridge has been burned....

Well, we're also talking about going into an expansion phase in around that time. Someone on here told me that if they couldn't work this out, they were looking at buying a team and putting it in Baltimore.

Who said Chicago can't succeed? They're the 4th highest in attendance this past year.

Most teams wished they had Chicago Wolves problems.

AHL 2023-24 team attendance at hockeydb.com

Attendance for the American Hockey League for the 2023-24 season

www.hockeydb.com

It's interesting looking at this list though - perhaps predictably most of the teams at the bottom are the ones where the AHL team is owned by the NHL team and either plays out of the NHL facility (Manitoba, San Jose, Calgary), or is very close by (Belleville, Henderson, Bridgeport).

But anyways - the "independent team" model like Chicago is following definitely works from a business perspective.

Yeah, so how exactly do those teams make money? I saw some shots of Calgary games and it was looking like they couldn't draw flies. I know the purpose behind what they're doing, but at the end of David Andrews' tenure, they were big on franchise values, and that can't be good for them. It's easy to say that it's best for the NHL team, but this has to be bad business.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Well, we're also talking about going into an expansion phase in around that time. Someone on here told me that if they couldn't work this out, they were looking at buying a team and putting it in Baltimore.



Yeah, so how exactly do those teams make money? I saw some shots of Calgary games and it was looking like they couldn't draw flies. I know the purpose behind what they're doing, but at the end of David Andrews' tenure, they were big on franchise values, and that can't be good for them. It's easy to say that it's best for the NHL team, but this has to be bad business.

as for Baltimore to me that market's been done two or three times and most likely you might have issues w/ Monumental being there.... and there have been rumblings that they might want to own a team... much like what Comcast did starting Portland in 1977 AND restarting them in 2018.... even those were totally two separate eras but the model's the same even if the Flyers choose elsewhere to affiliate like they do w/ Reading.... that's where those rumors about Baltimore come from.... like I said, if it's the Capitals you might have a better chance of succeeding there.... what that does to Hershey or South Carolina down the road bears watching... but Hershey simply is affiliate only... due to its corporate structure of being a trust.... that's why you never see that franchise brought up seriously as a relocation or transfer like Arizona/AM was w/ SEG.... Baltimore metro outside of Camden Yards is fine, but it is inadvisible to be in any other part of Baltimore for Entertainment purposes

 

[PCSPounder]

The Wolves need to just give up on the idea of being an IHL team, and if they can’t cut it in this market as a minor league team in this market there’s dozens of AHL tier midwestern cities

Or (in deference to baseball’s “partner independent leagues”) recreate the IHL. Though probably on a smaller geographic scale, simply for the cost.