As the lack of activity would indicate, I totally forgot about this thread until an unrelated one jogged my memory.
I'd rather see the minor leagues continue to consolidate and create a streamlined development system like minor league baseball.
Honestly, if there is any benefit to an independent minor league it is not apparent to me.
Baseball is a bit different because their prospects go from the bottom up rather than the top down. An MLB team will draft a prospect, sign him, then send him to rookie ball. If he looks good, short season single-A is his next destination. Then it's on to long season single-A, then double-A, then AAA, then MLB.
Hockey goes in reverse. If a top prospect doesn't make the NHL team and is no longer junior eligible, he goes to the AHL. If he really struggles, only then does he see the ECHL. And, barring something totally crazy, he'll never see the UHL, SPHL, or anything else like that.
What baseball teams are able to do is sign their own guys that play alongside the prospects who are on the way up; maybe they catch the eye of a scout and get another chance to climb the ladder. But with hockey, older players are extremely limited on their chances at the higher levels and are pretty much at the mercy of a parent club that has no interest in whether they ever see the ice or not. This forces them into lower levels or overseas, although I'm sure there are quite a few who could crack an NHL lineup if they had the chance.