Many thought that the Bruins would try to put an ECHL franchise in Worcester but they have elected to send prospects to Duluth, Georgia an Atlanta suburb.
Bruins announce new ECHL affiliate in suburban Atlanta
- Thread starter Fenway
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Read that article this morning. How does the echl work? Echl teams have players from multiple NHL franchises I assume?
Most ECHL teams have a primary. In reality this involves Providence more than Boston.
THEY Did UNTIL this pst July....ECHL NOW moving to a single affiliation model, much like the A eliminating both dual affiliations/independents....
B's had been in N.Charleston, SC (SC Stingrays) but unless specified most are 1 yr contracts.... Gwinnett had served ARI/POR, the last 4 yrs.
it is not always the case, will it when tht league finally goes 30? I've seen where non-affiliated players get signed to AHL PTO's which PRO, (and others have)have used in-season.
Gonzothe7thDman
Registered User
Woo Hockey
@WooHockeyNews
Looks like nothing for Worcester for the next two seasons, hopefully something can be changed down the road.
I think they could be waiting to see if ECHL is accepted in Manchester which could be a tough sell. The ECHL is known for strange homestands.
http://www.manchestermonarchs.com/schedule/2016_schedule/
Woo Hockey
@WooHockeyNews
That's probably true. Monarchs were among the more popular teams when they were in the AHL, hopefully that stays true in the ECHL.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
The ECHL owners recently voted to have a single-affiliation structure put into place for the upcoming season and beyond. Basically, an ECHL team can now only be affiliated with one NHL organization. Thus the Bruins left the South Carolina Stingrays and are now in Gwinnett.
Since there are only 28 ECHL team, a couple of NHL teams won't have an affiliate this year. Since the NHL is going up to 32 teams in the next couple seasons, both the AHL and ECHL are likely to expand to match, 2 teams for the A and 4 for the E, especially now that the E has adopted this new single-affiliate system.
That way all teams would have a 1-1-1 AA-AAA-Major hierarchy structure happening. The ECHL, since it's AA hockey, would probably have a bit harder time expanded to four more markets but I think it could be done, especially since the point of the teams aren't really to make money.
As far as Worcester goes, they have a couple options. They want the AHL, but I don't think they'll get it necessarily. Vegas' AHL team will be out west, but QC will need one. I'm thinking that QC might look to Manchester as well though, they were a better AHL market than Worcester. Might even look to Portland if Portland loses the Pirates when Arizona inevitably moves their AHL team west.
There was never any way that Worcester was going to get a team in any league this season. Too short a turnaround time to make something like that happen. But given the current system in place, a Bruins-affiliated Worcester ECHL team would absolutely succeed IMO. Best-case scenario. The city wants hockey and the Worcester Bruins would be ideal.
What needs to happen is they would need local ownership willing to get an expansion franchise in the ECHL, or for the Bruins to buy their own ECHL team and decide to move it there. More and more teams are owning their AHL teams (it helped a great deal in the recent move to the AHL West) and I think you might see more teams buying ECHL teams too. The Kings own the ECHL Monarchs.
The Bruins could definitely buy the Gladiators (if they were for sale) and move them, that's the easiest solution. But we have no idea if they would even want to do that. Option B is the local Worcester ownership. They'd need to buy a team or get an expansion. That wouldn't happen for a least a few years. If the Bruins bought the team they could move it there next season.
I think Worcester absolutely gets hockey back, it's just a question of what level. I personally think the ECHL is that level, and in that case they need to be the Bruins' affiliate. That would be great.
Since there are only 28 ECHL team, a couple of NHL teams won't have an affiliate this year. Since the NHL is going up to 32 teams in the next couple seasons, both the AHL and ECHL are likely to expand to match, 2 teams for the A and 4 for the E, especially now that the E has adopted this new single-affiliate system.
That way all teams would have a 1-1-1 AA-AAA-Major hierarchy structure happening. The ECHL, since it's AA hockey, would probably have a bit harder time expanded to four more markets but I think it could be done, especially since the point of the teams aren't really to make money.
As far as Worcester goes, they have a couple options. They want the AHL, but I don't think they'll get it necessarily. Vegas' AHL team will be out west, but QC will need one. I'm thinking that QC might look to Manchester as well though, they were a better AHL market than Worcester. Might even look to Portland if Portland loses the Pirates when Arizona inevitably moves their AHL team west.
There was never any way that Worcester was going to get a team in any league this season. Too short a turnaround time to make something like that happen. But given the current system in place, a Bruins-affiliated Worcester ECHL team would absolutely succeed IMO. Best-case scenario. The city wants hockey and the Worcester Bruins would be ideal.
What needs to happen is they would need local ownership willing to get an expansion franchise in the ECHL, or for the Bruins to buy their own ECHL team and decide to move it there. More and more teams are owning their AHL teams (it helped a great deal in the recent move to the AHL West) and I think you might see more teams buying ECHL teams too. The Kings own the ECHL Monarchs.
The Bruins could definitely buy the Gladiators (if they were for sale) and move them, that's the easiest solution. But we have no idea if they would even want to do that. Option B is the local Worcester ownership. They'd need to buy a team or get an expansion. That wouldn't happen for a least a few years. If the Bruins bought the team they could move it there next season.
I think Worcester absolutely gets hockey back, it's just a question of what level. I personally think the ECHL is that level, and in that case they need to be the Bruins' affiliate. That would be great.
H. Larue Renfroe might be inclined to bring the ECHL to Worcester.
San Jose was at least honest with Worcester fans who were burnt by the St Louis Blues.
San Jose was at least honest with Worcester fans who were burnt by the St Louis Blues.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
I hope so too Wally. I was at the Centrum all the time for the Sharks (and the IceCats before them). Can't beat the entertainment value for the price. Love going to games there.
I think an issue is though that there are some people in Worcester who feel like they are too good for the ECHL (much like Manchester is feeling). Problem is with the AHL teams moving west to be closer to their parents, some eastern cities are going to lose. If they have an option to get hockey back at all, they should take it.
Worcester also, unfortunately, had very low attendance for the last several seasons, which is not something that a prospective AHL team is going to be inclined to overlook. It also plays into...
...this. You're right, they were honest in the sense that they did not bull**** the city when they knew they were going to move. It was a tough call but the right one and they were honest about it. What Worcester fans take issue with is the competitiveness of the club for the past several seasons. To wit: they sucked. Now I didn't care about that I just liked going to see hockey, but the die-hard Worcester fan base had a serious problem with the way San Jose wasn't really "committed" to making Worcester successful.
Now that can go two ways. One the one had, the AHL club exists to help the NHL club win. That's its reason for being, and its record is irrelevant. On the other hand, no one generally likes coming out and paying to watch a team that sucks consistently, at any level. So fan support suffers.
There are some people in Worcester (not a ton I don't think, but some) who feel the ECHL is beneath them and that it couldn't work if it weren't affiliated with the Bruins because the quality is too low. There are a lot of people in Manchester feeling the same way.
I myself think those people should get over themselves and be happy they have any team to cheer for given the alternative, or that they should check the attitude because they don't have a team at all.
The ECHL in Worcester will be fine if there are a few new Northeast teams added with expansion/relocation. And even more so if the team is the Worcester Bruins.
There are die-hard fans in San Jose who feel the Sharks are not committed to winning the Cup.
Replicator
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- Jan 1, 2014
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Having been to Worcester, Manchester, and of course, Providence games, my sense is that Manchester will do ok with an ECHL team, but Worcester won't unless it is associated with the Bruins. Attendance has been consistently weak there - there is a small hardcore fanbase, but it's just that, small, and I have to believe that it will drop significantly transitioning from the AHL to the ECHL with a couple of years off in between.
Manchester has had a consistently larger fan base, and from talking to some of them, they seem to already have interest in the new team, and frankly, they have a captive audience since there are a lot fewer places to go for entertainment in the Manchester area than the Worcester area.
Losing so many regional AHL teams breaks my heart, and Worcester in particular was the easiest for me to get to. Maybe Renfroe will bring something back. I've been to his Marlboro sports complex - he isn't going to bring a team there - no seating - so the DCU center would still be the place.
Manchester has had a consistently larger fan base, and from talking to some of them, they seem to already have interest in the new team, and frankly, they have a captive audience since there are a lot fewer places to go for entertainment in the Manchester area than the Worcester area.
Losing so many regional AHL teams breaks my heart, and Worcester in particular was the easiest for me to get to. Maybe Renfroe will bring something back. I've been to his Marlboro sports complex - he isn't going to bring a team there - no seating - so the DCU center would still be the place.
Remember when the 1996 World Juniors played games in Marlboro?
Worcester is the second largest city in New England but it lost its identity decades ago. That started when Boston politicians deliberately bypassed Worcester when the Mass Pike was built in the 1950's and it took decades to finally build a decent interchange for Worcester. DCU Center (Centrum) has aged badly which doesn't help attracting a team.
I miss the AHL in Lowell ( The Lock Monsters gave the good fight but when New Jersey bought the team it died ) Right now I would say Portland is on very shaky ground on keeping an AHL team. The AHL will be expanding IF the NHL expands but I think the fix is in to give Newfoundland a new franchise for Quebec and Montreal will finally move their AHL team to Laval.
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https://210sports.wordpress.com/201...t-wrong-things-in-search-for-new-hockey-team/
Adding onto this discussion, take a read.
Adding onto this discussion, take a read.
Shaun
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- Oct 12, 2010
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I was just thinking about the lock monsters. time to bring em back.Remember when the 1996 World Juniors played games in Marlboro?
Worcester is the second largest city in New England but it lost its identity decades ago. That started when Boston politicians deliberately bypassed Worcester when the Mass Pike was built in the 1950's and it took decades to finally build a decent interchange for Worcester. DCU Center (Centrum) has aged badly which doesn't help attracting a team.
I miss the AHL in Lowell ( The Lock Monsters gave the good fight but when New Jersey bought the team it died ) Right now I would say Portland is on very shaky ground on keeping an AHL team. The AHL will be expanding IF the NHL expands but I think the fix is in to give Newfoundland a new franchise for Quebec and Montreal will finally move their AHL team to Laval.
Thanks good read.
I moved out here, Grafton, in 1998. Been to tons of IceCats/Sharks games. Some nights crickets. But boy whenever they played BabyBs that was. Circle on the calendar. What an opposite. The crowd would be big and electric.
Great value too for families. Also great for spur of the moment decision to go.
Not having a succesful team or one with a tie to the Bruins does hurt. I dont have an answer. Just hope that someday a club will return.
I honestly think the best possible outcome for Worcester is getting a team in the QMJHL (Quebec League) and that may also be the case for Manchester and Portland in the future.
Winning IS important in junior hockey just like college hockey. The Quebec League did move into Lewiston, Maine for a few years and the team did 'OK' at the gate but ownership did not have deep pockets. That said New England could still work for that league especially if you had 2 or 3 teams involved.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
I think the ECHL would be well served to look to New England for potential expansion now that they've opted for this single-affiliation structure, and because we're losing AHL teams right now.
Minor hockey always operates on a budget, and if you could provide a handful of teams in New England that are easy to travel to, they could develop rivalries quickly and be cost-effective for the ECHL as a league.
Lowell would be a good place to start I think, along with Worcester. The Lock Monsters used to do decently well, then the Devils took over, bought the team, cratered it and moved them to Albany. The Devils are notorious for being a difficult/****** organization to deal with as a minor league city. Albany isn't thrilled with them at all.
Also some scuttlebutt that there might be a CT/NY domino effect upcoming when the Islanders move to Brooklyn for good. Rumor was that they were going to take Bridgeport and move them to Nassau to the old building. That would then lead the Rangers to move the Wolf Pack to Bridgeport and leave Hartford without a team.
I misspoke earlier when I said that AZ might move their team from Portland. Florida is actually in Portland right now, which is a much better situation for them than I had thought. Arizona is in Springfield, which means those concerns I mentioned just shift to the 413. Springfield is the HQ of the AHL, so you'd think they'd want a team there, but AZ is going to move their team west when they get the chance. Unless another team comes in to SPR there's a void there too.
Potential teams in Worcester, Lowell, Hartford, and Springfield along with Manchester is an instant division that could succeed. Lot of moving parts there and "ifs" but it could work IMO. The ECHL is going to have to expand, they should be looking at New England for that. Proximity mainly matters for NHL/AHL b/c of the salary cap. It doesn't have that problem in the minors between the A and the E.
Minor hockey always operates on a budget, and if you could provide a handful of teams in New England that are easy to travel to, they could develop rivalries quickly and be cost-effective for the ECHL as a league.
Lowell would be a good place to start I think, along with Worcester. The Lock Monsters used to do decently well, then the Devils took over, bought the team, cratered it and moved them to Albany. The Devils are notorious for being a difficult/****** organization to deal with as a minor league city. Albany isn't thrilled with them at all.
Also some scuttlebutt that there might be a CT/NY domino effect upcoming when the Islanders move to Brooklyn for good. Rumor was that they were going to take Bridgeport and move them to Nassau to the old building. That would then lead the Rangers to move the Wolf Pack to Bridgeport and leave Hartford without a team.
I misspoke earlier when I said that AZ might move their team from Portland. Florida is actually in Portland right now, which is a much better situation for them than I had thought. Arizona is in Springfield, which means those concerns I mentioned just shift to the 413. Springfield is the HQ of the AHL, so you'd think they'd want a team there, but AZ is going to move their team west when they get the chance. Unless another team comes in to SPR there's a void there too.
Potential teams in Worcester, Lowell, Hartford, and Springfield along with Manchester is an instant division that could succeed. Lot of moving parts there and "ifs" but it could work IMO. The ECHL is going to have to expand, they should be looking at New England for that. Proximity mainly matters for NHL/AHL b/c of the salary cap. It doesn't have that problem in the minors between the A and the E.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
From what I understand, there has long been a gentlemen's agreement between the AHL and the QMJHL that prevented expansion/relocation into New England by the Q. Lewiston was an exception, and it failed. Not spectacularly, but it failed.
Maybe that would change with teams leaving NE in the AHL, but I doubt it. I think you'd have more luck getting more ECHL teams up here than Q teams. They are another minor pro league but at a different level.
Portland is very shaky as an AHL market right now. The move back to Portland after a year in Lewiston did not bring the expected attendance jump as they averaged 2,900 last season. The NBA D-League team has hurt the Pirates without question.
Lowell is out of the equation as UMass Lowell now owns the arena and does not want a pro hockey team competing with the school. That was a main reason the Devils moved back to Albany.
Worcester AHL and to a lessor extent Manchester got nice attendance bumps with Providence came in to play. An ECHL team won't have that.
Lowell is out of the equation as UMass Lowell now owns the arena and does not want a pro hockey team competing with the school. That was a main reason the Devils moved back to Albany.
Worcester AHL and to a lessor extent Manchester got nice attendance bumps with Providence came in to play. An ECHL team won't have that.
BigBadBruin8
@rsox1221
Every AHL team in New England got/gets an attendance boost every time Providence came/comes to play. It's been that way since Providence was founded. You're right any new ECHL teams wouldn't have that, but look at it this way: if one new ECHL team in New England is the Bruins affiliate, that team would help boost attendance at every other ECHL rink in New England (if they existed).
UMass-Lowell does really, really well. I have a hard time believing a AA hockey team would hurt them. But if they're going to be Richards about it, then I don't know what to say. I think the ECHL could work up there.
Portland could take a team if they end up losing the AHL. With an eastern team as the affiliate they'll be better off, they'll have to see where their attendance is at this season before anything else.
It's sad to think that New England, which used to have its own division of 8 teams back in the day, is facing such an exodus of clubs. There is support, but will it have a team?
UMass-Lowell does really, really well. I have a hard time believing a AA hockey team would hurt them. But if they're going to be Richards about it, then I don't know what to say. I think the ECHL could work up there.
Portland could take a team if they end up losing the AHL. With an eastern team as the affiliate they'll be better off, they'll have to see where their attendance is at this season before anything else.
It's sad to think that New England, which used to have its own division of 8 teams back in the day, is facing such an exodus of clubs. There is support, but will it have a team?
Here is the Worcester Telegram article the blogger was referring to.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20150809/SPORTS/150809351
