AHL realignment

[Big Z Man 1990]

Well, AHL realignment could be dictated by when the NHL expands. Once the NHL adds two more (likely in Houston and Kansas City), the AHL would be obligated to do the same.

I have proposed a 4-conference structure, similar to what the NHL had initially planned to do for realignment. Each conference would consist of 8 teams.

The playoff format would see the top 5 teams in each conference advance, with 4 playing 5 in a play-in round for the right to face #1 (2 would play 3). I'd also like to see the NHL just send the top 5 teams in each division to the playoffs.

The conference playoff champions would then be seeded 1-4 based on regular season record, with 1 playing 4 and 2 playing 3.

This is the alignment I proposed:

Atlantic Conference:
Bridgeport
Hartford
Manchester
Portland
Providence
St. John's
Springfield
Worcester

Eastern Conference:
Albany
Binghamton
Hershey
Lehigh Valley (formerly Adirondack)
Rochester
Syracuse
Utica
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Central Conference:
Atlanta*
Charlotte
Grand Rapids
Hamilton
Lake Erie
Norfolk
Orlando*
Toronto

Western Conference:
Abbotsford
Chicago
Iowa
Milwaukee
Oklahoma City
Rockford
San Antonio
Texas

Each team would still play 76 games - 28 against conference rivals (4 against each team), and 48 against the rest of the league (2 against each team).

Ideally, no teams in the AHL would relocate ever again.

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[CHRDANHUTCH]

Well, AHL realignment could be dictated by when the NHL expands. Once the NHL adds two more (likely in Houston and Kansas City), the AHL would be obligated to do the same.

I have proposed a 4-conference structure, similar to what the NHL had initially planned to do for realignment. Each conference would consist of 8 teams.

The playoff format would see the top 5 teams in each conference advance, with 4 playing 5 in a play-in round for the right to face #1 (2 would play 3). I'd also like to see the NHL just send the top 5 teams in each division to the playoffs.

The conference playoff champions would then be seeded 1-4 based on regular season record, with 1 playing 4 and 2 playing 3.

This is the alignment I proposed:

Atlantic Conference:
Bridgeport
Hartford
Manchester
Portland
Providence
St. John's
Springfield
Worcester

Eastern Conference:
Albany
Binghamton
Hershey
Lehigh Valley (formerly Adirondack)
Rochester
Syracuse
Utica
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

Central Conference:
Atlanta*
Charlotte
Grand Rapids
Hamilton
Lake Erie
Norfolk
Orlando*
Toronto

Western Conference:
Abbotsford
Chicago
Iowa
Milwaukee
Oklahoma City
Rockford
San Antonio
Texas

Each team would still play 76 games - 28 against conference rivals (4 against each team), and 48 against the rest of the league (2 against each team).

Ideally, no teams in the AHL would relocate ever again.

wishful thinking, but highly unlikely, Big Z, Houston just lost their team to Iowa, and really there's little interest in dealing w/ Les Alexander, who's likely got control of that territory after the handshake agreement he had w/ the Aeros, who were a legendary franchise in their own right, not to mention his financial stakes are in questionable circumstances....

as for Kansas City, haven't they shown that you don't need a prime tenant to have a successful arena, ie the Sprint Center, nor have they shown previously they can have a successful hockey franchise, that's thrived, a lot of leagues have attempted KC, and the longest tenured was the Blades, as IHL Fans well remember...

I also don't see Atlanta getting another chance after the Flames flight to Calgary, and then how the Thrashers existence under ASG backfired into a PSA which returned the NHL to Winnipeg....

I think this is what you'll have now that Phoenix is now settled under IceArizona, and our league is as stable unless there are leases not agreed to/or existing AHL Teams are bought and relocated...

Orlando is successful now in the ECHL, BUT IT TOOK 11 years for the Solar Bears to return, and you'd have to lose Iowa to get Orlando, since both are affiliates currently.