The ECHL was actually relatively successful in Victoria - that franchise moved because the WHL moved in.
As a Canadian, I disagree with the notion that support for a team has to do with the league. For instance, in many Canadian cities there is only a Jr. A franchise (e.g., Vernon, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie) - a league that is far below both Major Junior and the ECHL - and those markets fully support their teams.
I have no idea about the Vipers in Vernon as I don't keep close tabs on the BCHL. But I do follow the AJHL and I am curious how attendance that tops out at 1,500 in Grande Prairie and Fort Mac translate into those markets fully supporting their teams? I agree that CJHL cities do have good support in the West. But saying they support these teams like Major Junior or the ECHL puzzles me.
Also, I would say the CJHL is probably just as skilled as the ECHL. One has to remember that top players from the CJHL play NCAA hockey following their stints and many end up being drafted. I know the USHL supplies a good number of NCAA players, but every team in the AJHL has at least a couple players committed with NCAA teams every year. I suspect that is the same in Western Canada (I say that as Quebec and Ontario are totally different beast with Junior A hockey).
Would Vernon, Fort Mac or Grande Prairie draw well enough to support Major Junior or ECHL? Of course not. They would be drawing about what they do now.
As far as the ECHL being successful in Canada, it definitely could if given a chance and not forced out by predatory Major Junior Leagues. It just takes the right market to play in. But that is the same anywhere, who knew that Saskatoon would be a basketball hotbed in the 90s? (If there was a league that wasn't the ABA nearby, it could be again.) The problem is for the ECHL to be successful you need a decent sized rink. I am not sure of any arena of ECHL size that isn't occupied by a NHL, AHL or CHL team. Chilliwack might be the only one and the fiasco over the Bruins moving to Victoria, likely killed any enthusiasm from the community over big time hockey there.
The other problem the ECHL faces in Canada, is Canadians in larger communities expect that some of the players they are watching will move up. Aside from goaltenders, few ECHL players that play any length of time in the league will move up. Plus, at least in some Major Junior markets, the cities in that league sell better than having Reading or Rapid City in town. Saskatoon/Regina would sell better than Saskatoon/Manchester.
For me personally, I am sick of the garbage teams the Blades ice year in and year out and I would much prefer the AHL to the WHL. I know several people who will go to the odd Blades game as it is the only game in town, but would be first on the list for AHL season tickets. What the ECHL and AHL would need to play up is the professional aspect of the leagues. Some markets would ooh and aah over having professional hockey over the amateur Major Junior.
You also market it as the Baby Leafs vs. the Baby Jets or whatever. That way you tap into the local fans preference of NHL teams. Would this work in all markets? No. The ideal market is one far enough away from a NHL city that the fans in the area are not cheering for one NHL team as a majority. So places like the Maritimes, Saskatchewan, the Okanagan and Northern Ontario are the best places for AHL and ECHL because there is no NHL team looming.
Take my elementary school class for example in Saskatoon as a sample size, I was the lone LA Kings fan, we had a Jets fan, an Oilers fan, a Lightning fan, a Flames fan, a couple Penguins fans, a Flyers fan, a Stars fan and I believe an Islanders fan. It is a small sample size, but it shows you that no team dominated the market, which would in turn help sell the Baby Kings vs. the Baby Jets. This is why Abbotsford did not work well and why a Quebec City Habs team would not work. Fans in areas with close proximity to a NHL franchise are usually fans of that franchise (or in the case of Quebec City hate the nearest NHL team) and thus don't support the AHL affiliate of another NHL team.
So Canada is a tricky place to try and place an ECHL or AHL team. It would be similar to if the NFL had a minor league and you put a Redskins franchise in Fort Worth, TX. NHL allegiances run deep in Canada and if the local team is an affiliate of someone other than the dominant NHL franchise (especially if it is an intra-division rival), the NHL allegiance wins out. I would have mixed feelings about an AHL affiliate of the Ducks being in Saskatoon. While I would support the local AHL team, seeing them do well just means that the Ducks drafted well and my Kings will have problems with the players I cheer for now. If you get the majority of fans having these issues, you won't draw well and the team will move.
It actually surprises me that Hamilton draws as well as it does being that from what I've always gathered it is Leaf territory. Thus, cheering for the Baby Habs should be sacrilege to Leaf fans. Yet, Hamilton has managed to stay afloat all these years.