AHL announces 2018-19 divisional alignment

[Dr Pepper]

So I guess schedule is leaking somewhere?

Am I reading that right, or is there actually a schedule that includes the same teams meeting 14 times?

I mean I get that they're state rivals at all, but how can you not venture even once over to Arizona to play Tuscon? 14 games against one team is a bit much, no?

 

[tony d]

14 games vs. the same team in what is a 76 game season is a bit much IMO. To me they have the same teams as the NHL. Do a schedule based upon that. Makes more sense to me that meeting a team 14 times.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

14 games vs. the same team in what is a 76 game season is a bit much IMO. To me they have the same teams as the NHL. Do a schedule based upon that. Makes more sense to me that meeting a team 14 times.

wrong, Pacific is 68, and was mandated as 68

 

[Dr Pepper]

....Ok?

68, 76, 82 games, whatever it is, 14 regular season matchups is overkill.

Imagine Boston and Montreal meeting 14 times the 18/19 regular season. The fans would be sick of eachother, possibly even more so than they are now.

 

[Avsrule2022]

wrong, Pacific is 68, and was mandated as 68

Texas and San Antonio are no longer in the Pacific and will play 76 games this season, just like they always have.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

....Ok?

68, 76, 82 games, whatever it is, 14 regular season matchups is overkill.

Imagine Boston and Montreal meeting 14 times the 18/19 regular season. The fans would be sick of eachother, possibly even more so than they are now.

no, why you're seeing 14 games, in all honesty, is certain teams will not reciprocate like you're seeing in the NHL where it's a minimum home and home series in each arena.... One team will agree to do that by hosting teams from the opposite conference, but those franchises won't return the engagement it rarely mattered which fanbase or where the league was in a given year.... the League is the final arbiter..... Portland fans asked the team to submit several different teams to fit in, even when the league played 78 or 80 in a given season. AL East plays each other 19 times in a season double to that of hockey, EVEN THE Minors in Baseball average 140, so that point is irrelevant.... Fanbases league-wide have asked, and are still asking as those 31 teams set the upcoming league schedule..... what recourse do you have when the plan is set by asking the team to modify the schedule, that gets forwarded into the annual matrix....

the other major issue is financial.....

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Texas and San Antonio are no longer in the Pacific and will play 76 games this season, just like they always have.

Texas and SA have always played 76, even in the Pacific, correct, it's the Pacific, and that mandate which it was created in 2015, all they did was realign them as they probably have been asking since then.

 

[Dr Pepper]

no, why you're seeing 14 games, in all honesty, is certain teams will not reciprocate like you're seeing in the NHL where it's a minimum home and home series in each arena.... One team will agree to do that by hosting teams from the opposite conference, but those franchises won't return the engagement it rarely mattered which fanbase or where the league was in a given year.... the League is the final arbiter..... Portland fans asked the team to submit several different teams to fit in, even when the league played 78 or 80 in a given season. AL East plays each other 19 times in a season double to that of hockey, EVEN THE Minors in Baseball average 140, so that point is irrelevant.... Fanbases league-wide have asked, and are still asking as those 31 teams set the upcoming league schedule..... what recourse do you have when the plan is set by asking the team to modify the schedule, that gets forwarded into the annual matrix....

the other major issue is financial.....

So what you're saying is, Texas and San Antonio fans requested for their teams to meet 14 times in one season?

I don't know why the league doesn't just step in and generate a schedule that sees an equal or fair number of matchups for all teams in the league.

One that isn't as ridiculously top-heavy or flawed as this one clearly is.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

So what you're saying is, Texas and San Antonio fans requested for their teams to meet 14 times in one season?

I don't know why the league doesn't just step in and generate a schedule that sees an equal or fair number of matchups for all teams in the league.

One that isn't as ridiculously top-heavy or flawed as this one clearly is.

it's computer generated, just as you've seen posters who do that sort of thing..... it may be because of the close proximity of the teams, listen to what other posters tell you, and throw in Houston up till 2013 the same applique applied....

 

[royals119]

So what you're saying is, Texas and San Antonio fans requested for their teams to meet 14 times in one season?

I don't know why the league doesn't just step in and generate a schedule that sees an equal or fair number of matchups for all teams in the league.

One that isn't as ridiculously top-heavy or flawed as this one clearly is.

The league is made up of the teams, and run by the board of governors, who are the representatives of the teams. Obviously this schedule is what the teams want, or at least the best compromise they can all agree on. "The league" isn't going to over-rule the teams because the league is the teams. Fans don't get any direct input on the scheduling. You can complain to the league office or a team owner, but what the fans want is only a part of the process of making a schedule.

The AHL doesn't have the financial resources of the NHL, so as much as fans would like to see an NHL-like balanced schedule where ever team plays every other team, and there are an equal number of games vs each divisional team, that isn't likely to happen. Teams are generally going to play more games against teams that are close to them, and less vs teams farther away. For geographically isolated teams like Texas and San Antonio, that means a lot of games vs each other. 7 home dates vs the same team over a 38 game home schedule is still only once every five-six games, or one game every three weeks. It's not perfect, but it isn't the end of the world either.

 

[Theoriginalalex]

Why is this news now? The Texas teams have been playing each other 14 times since 2015-16. A few New England teams have done the same in recent years.

 

[tigervixxxen]

So what you're saying is, Texas and San Antonio fans requested for their teams to meet 14 times in one season?

I don't know why the league doesn't just step in and generate a schedule that sees an equal or fair number of matchups for all teams in the league.

One that isn't as ridiculously top-heavy or flawed as this one clearly is.

Yes it was annoying to watch (my team was affiliated with San Antonio) that matchup 14x a year but the rest of their schedule was very balanced. They played every other team in the Central. All the Pacific teams now don't do this, they play select games vs. central but might play several divisional opponents 12x-10x.

Texas and SA are like 1.5 hours apart, it is the only away team they could each get to without flying somewhere. So I get why they meet so many times. They certainly could stand to cut a few games out and reduce the schedule but some teams want the revenue and don't want to give it up.

The AHL isn't set up to balance competition as their number one priority. The California teams wanted less travel, fewer games and allegedly more development time. There's financial and political considerations, they don't want a complete balanced schedule as much sense as it would make, the minor leagues don't make sense.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

So where will the AHL have their potential Seattle AHL affiliate at?

Hard to say, but I would think since the Pacific spot is now open and it will save travel, the Canucks will want to move to Abbotsford/Chilliwack or closer. Seattle could take on Utica unless a team in the east does so, in which I hope New Jersey does, but it's hard to tell where Seattle would be. The Chicago Wolves would be a no-brainer if Vegas wants to put an AHL team in Reno or closer. Seattle is a tough one, but I could see Seattle bringing an AHL affiliate in the Seattle area if hockey is too popular to Everett or Kent.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

....Ok?

68, 76, 82 games, whatever it is, 14 regular season matchups is overkill.

Imagine Boston and Montreal meeting 14 times the 18/19 regular season. The fans would be sick of eachother, possibly even more so than they are now.

That's how it was in the original 6. 70 games, six teams, five opponents. 14 games against each opponent.

The purpose of the AHL is to develop players for their NHL team. Having as minimal travel and still keeping fans interested in coming to games....always a balance that sometimes doesn't work

 

[axecrew]

Hard to say, but I would think since the Pacific spot is now open and it will save travel, the Canucks will want to move to Abbotsford/Chilliwack or closer. Seattle could take on Utica unless a team in the east does so, in which I hope New Jersey does, but it's hard to tell where Seattle would be. The Chicago Wolves would be a no-brainer if Vegas wants to put an AHL team in Reno or closer. Seattle is a tough one, but I could see Seattle bringing an AHL affiliate in the Seattle area if hockey is too popular to Everett or Kent.

Vegas is tied into Chicago for another 4 seasons and by all accounts the relationship is working well.
But stranger things have happened.

 

[go comets]

14 game seems like a lot, but if scheduled properly it's 2 games a month. One home and one away... Too bad they seem to bunch those games up though.....

 

[LadyStanley]

Foley has had enough on his plate getting NHL team up and running, with new arena and built-from-scratch practice facility.

Now, in four years, it might make sense to consider relocation. Fresno and Reno as well as Sacramento and Long Beach are potential "nearby" locations (that aren't out of bus range from the existing California AHL teams).