crimsonace
Registered User
Portland Press-Herald story about investors in Portland seeking to bring an ECHL team to replace the Pirates in the Maine city mentioned a couple of interesting things : http://www.pressherald.com/2016/07/21/investor-in-the-wings-for-new-portland-hockey-team/
1. Portland is still seeking to purchase and move an existing team, but the ECHL is considering a "relocation tax" that would make the cost of buying & moving a team similar to that of an expansion team (the Portland investors were looking to buy an existing team because of $$).
2. The story quotes one of the Portland investors as stating that representatives from Jacksonville, Fla. are putting together a bid for an expansion team.
Assuming the existing team Portland is purchasing is the mothballed Evansville team AND Jacksonville happens, that would get the league to the magic number of 30 (just in time for the magic number to become 31).
Assuming no other changes (and there likely will be changes, especially with continued movement in the AHL), the new divisional alignment is set up to place Portland and Worcester in the North Division. Jacksonville could easily slot into the South Division & Cincinnati then move back into the Western Conference, creating an 8-team Central Division.
1. Portland is still seeking to purchase and move an existing team, but the ECHL is considering a "relocation tax" that would make the cost of buying & moving a team similar to that of an expansion team (the Portland investors were looking to buy an existing team because of $$).
2. The story quotes one of the Portland investors as stating that representatives from Jacksonville, Fla. are putting together a bid for an expansion team.
Assuming the existing team Portland is purchasing is the mothballed Evansville team AND Jacksonville happens, that would get the league to the magic number of 30 (just in time for the magic number to become 31).
Assuming no other changes (and there likely will be changes, especially with continued movement in the AHL), the new divisional alignment is set up to place Portland and Worcester in the North Division. Jacksonville could easily slot into the South Division & Cincinnati then move back into the Western Conference, creating an 8-team Central Division.
