2020-2021 season. Start now pushed to February 5, 2021

[Growler]

It will be interesting to see what they do. The ECHL has already released their schedule, with a normal start date of mid October. Typically the NHL season starts a week or two before the AHL, and the ECHL a week or two after that, so players can trickle down for camp at each level as rosters are finalized. With the NHL likely to start the next season much later it may be a reverse situation, where players start in the AHL or ECHL and "trickle up" - or both minor leagues might be much more reliant on free agents and not getting NHL contnracted players, or players signed to AHL deals by the NHL club. Or maybe they end up revising and starting later too.

How on earth can the ECHL survive this? Honest question.

 

[JMCx4]

How on earth can the ECHL survive this? Honest question.

Your honest answer will eventually be posted in the "other Minor Pro Leagues" forum.

 

[Growler]

Your honest answer will eventually be posted in the "other Minor Pro Leagues" forum.

OK, I am going to riff here then.

People talk about how teams near the cap like Toronto, Vancouver and Tampa are going to handle the flat cap, when in reality people should be asking how is 50%+ of the NHL teams are going to survive even if they hug the salary floor for the next few years.

But assuming that the NHL does not lose several teams in the next few years, can many of them still afford to keep their AHL affiliates going with 0 attendance? 11 of them do not even own their AHL affiliates. The pandemic is affecting the lower income earners the most and they are the ones who fill the AHL stands primarily (even when there isn't the risk of death from being in attendance).

And then there is the ECHL. Only Toronto and maybe a couple more NHL franchises even look to the league as part of their development system.

I think we will see half the NHL double-down on their minor league systems (including the ECHL), while the other half will not have the means to do so and will scrabble something together. I think the ECHL will contract to ~18 teams - maybe, at most.

Minor junior leagues? I can see as many as 30% in the USA fail and a handful of Canadian junior teams as well.

 

[royals119]

Teams in both leagues are signing players, so apparently they have some plan for what they intend to do. A lot of ECHL teams normally only fill thier building to 50% on many nights. They do typically try to sell lots of groups on certain nights with big promotions. I imagine they will modify their marketing to try to spread the attendance out and attempt to maximize each game at whatever cap is in place.

 

[tarheelhockey]

How on earth can the ECHL survive this? Honest question.

My guess is they simply don't start back up until they're able to have normal attendance. They can't lose a lot of money if they're not spending a lot of money.

Arena operators are the ones that are really squeezed right now. At least the ECHL teams can suspend most of their liabilities temporarily. Capital liabilities don't work that way, and the arenas have absolutely nowhere to go for revenue for now. What are they going to do, kick their tenants out if they don't pay rent? Then what?

 

[JMCx4]

... Arena operators are the ones that are really squeezed right now. At least the ECHL teams can suspend most of their liabilities temporarily. Capital liabilities don't work that way, and the arenas have absolutely nowhere to go for revenue for now. What are they going to do, kick their tenants out if they don't pay rent? Then what?

I'll start by saying: I **really** wish a Moderator would break off the ECHL content of this AHL thread & move it where it belongs. That said ...

Some number of municipal arenas might just lose their funding (or at least suffer serious cuts) so the cities/counties can divert budget to more pressing needs. This could drive some proportional number of hockey teams (not naming League names) to seek hometowns elsewhere.

 

[LadyStanley]

Delayed from normal start early October

 

[LadyStanley]

What we're hearing about the 2020-21 NHL season

Looks at what AHL (and NHL and ECHL) 2020-21 season might look like. All AHL teams might be playing 60+ games (not just the Pacific Division). In addition, there are some border concerns with the 4 Canadian franchises, and in some cases, recalls that have to happen from US to their Canadian parent. Could be a very regionalized schedule, minimizing flights and hotel stays.

Many comments from Howson. Only 19 (20 with Seattle) AHL teams are NHL owned, so about 1/3rd are independent and can only survive with fans in the stands.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

What we're hearing about the 2020-21 NHL season

Looks at what AHL (and NHL and ECHL) 2020-21 season might look like. All AHL teams might be playing 60+ games (not just the Pacific Division). In addition, there are some border concerns with the 4 Canadian franchises, and in some cases, recalls that have to happen from US to their Canadian parent. Could be a very regionalized schedule, minimizing flights and hotel stays.

Many comments from Howson. Only 19 (20 with Seattle) AHL teams are NHL owned, so about 1/3rd are independent and can only survive with fans in the stands.

I am pretty sure some of the 12 independently own teams can get by just fine without fans in the stands. The ones with close ties to a popular local NHL teams like the Phantoms,Griffins and P-Bruins should be fine.

 

[royals119]

I Am pretty sure some of the 12 independently own teams can get by just fine without fans in the stands. The ones with close ties to a popular local NHL teams like the Phantoms,Griffins and P-Bruins should be fine.

Are you implying that the NHL partner would pay those teams to operate for the season? Otherwise I'm not sure how being close to the NHL team would help an independent AHL owner with income if there are no fans. sponsors certainly aren't going to pay to put their ads in empty buildings, so there is no other significant income source for those teams.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I Am pretty sure some of the 12 independently own teams can get by just fine without fans in the stands. The ones with close ties to a popular local NHL teams like the Phantoms,Griffins and P-Bruins should be fine.

Rhode Island might not, Centrum..... if Massachusetts doesn't allow the NHL Team or the NBA Team, it's unlikely Providence will exist, whether it's independently owned or Delaware North has that control.... it's why Boston hasn't bought the franchise outright because of the RI Convention Authority which controls the Dunkin'Donuts Center and only allows DN concession rights, you keep forgetting Providence College also uses that arena, in addition to Schneider Arena on campus....

 

[Centrum Hockey]

Are you implying that the NHL partner would pay those teams to operate for the season? Otherwise I'm not sure how being close to the NHL team would help an independent AHL owner with income if there are no fans. sponsors certainly aren't going to pay to put their ads in empty buildings, so there is no other significant income source for those teams.

I assume they will still get a cut of merchandise sales and subsidy's for expense's such as player housing.

 

[JMCx4]

I assume they will still get a cut of merchandise sales and subsidy's for expense's such as player housing.

Doesn't sound like much of a business plan, even for a shortened season.

 

[royals119]

Doesn't sound like much of a business plan, even for a shortened season.

Especially considering players on NHL and AHL contracts pay for their own housing. The only housing expense for AHL teams is players on PTO contracts, and I doubt the NHL team would pay for that.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Especially considering players on NHL and AHL contracts pay for their own housing. The only housing expense for AHL teams is players on PTO contracts, and I doubt the NHL team would pay for that.

what real control/say/suggestion does the PHPA Have in this pandemic, since they are the defacto unions for both the AHL/ECHL.... outside of the typical labor contracts

 

[210]

Especially considering players on NHL and AHL contracts pay for their own housing. The only housing expense for AHL teams is players on PTO contracts, and I doubt the NHL team would pay for that.

Hmmm...that might be worth looking into. I think that housing costs for PTO players might be a hockey expense, and generally all hockey expenses are covered by the NHL club through their affiliation agreement. Although the counter-argument to that is bussing costs to games aren't usually considered a hockey expense and are covered by the AHL club.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

This thread is a great example of why, in my opinion, HFBoards should have a board to discuss the hockey industry as a whole (Yes, there is Business of Hockey, but that is only for the business of the NHL.). Sometimes, these issues are interconnected across leagues and might cut across multiple boards and thus not have a home on HFBoards.

 

[LadyStanley]

Yes BOH does emphasize NHL, but it covers all leagues, business-wise.

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

Yes BOH does emphasize NHL, but it covers all leagues, business-wise.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[JMCx4]

Yes BOH does emphasize NHL, but it covers all leagues, business-wise.

And in the proud tradition of HFB, it occasionally covers non-hockey business topics.

 

[LadyStanley]

And in the proud tradition of HFB, it occasionally covers non-hockey business topics.

Plus there's an entire subforum dedicated to the business of (non-hockey) sports

 

[LadyStanley]

Utica, Stockton and Bakersfield may have an interesting season if the US-Canada border remains "closed".

 

[axecrew]

Utica, Stockton and Bakersfield may have an interesting season if the US-Canada border remains "closed".

Not as interesting as Belleville, Toronto,Manitoba and Laval will.

 

[LadyStanley]

Not as interesting as Belleville, Toronto,Manitoba and Laval will.

If the NHL decides to play with an "all Canada" division, I'm guessing the AHL might do the same.

Could be a team comes in for a week and plays 3-4 games to help with travel costs.

 

[210]

If the NHL decides to play with an "all Canada" division, I'm guessing the AHL might do the same.

Could be a team comes in for a week and plays 3-4 games to help with travel costs.

The NHL gets a higher percentage of revenue from fans than any of the other four major sports, so they probably aren't going to play without fans in 2020-21.