ECHL Confirms Expansions for Coralville, Iowa & Trois-Rivières, Québec (2021-22)

[hurricanesfan123]

Maybe 210 can shine a little more light but I've been hearing that both Newfoundland and Trois Rivieres might begin their season in Manchester pending on the status of the Canadian border. It helps that its one owner to work out a deal with the arena and I'm sure Maine and Worcester wouldn't complain.

that would be interesting to see

 

[royals119]

"The Wild Corn" just doesn't seem like an inspirational brand.

There is a kernel of an idea there.

Maybe Corn Colonels?

 

[JMCx4]

There is a kernel of an idea there.

Maybe Corn Colonels?

Might get some pushback from this Twitter-er ... @CoolonelCorn

 

[Roadhog]

Children of the Corn (film series) - Wikipedia

The logo could be a Stephen King headshot, with post-game movie nights.

 

[MMC]

 

[Atlantian]

So... no corn?

 

[Atlantian]

New Facebook group for fans of the Heartlanders here

Facebook Groups

 

[mk80]

So... no corn?

You can buy deer corn, so there's a connection!

 

[JMCx4]

You can buy deer corn, so there's a connection!

NEVER feed the deer! Unless you want your lawn & gardens trampled.

 

[mk80]

NEVER feed the deer! Unless you want your lawn & gardens trampled.

I don't have a lawn or a garden... or deer to feed for that matter

 

[JMCx4]

I don't have a lawn or a garden... or deer to feed for that matter

Tuck my advice away for your future, young man.

 

[Flukeshot]

What does this bring the estimated team count for 2021-22 to?

 

[royals119]

What does this bring the estimated team count for 2021-22 to?

Oh, no. Here we go again.

 

[JMCx4]

Oh, no. Here we go again.

I got this, '119 ... More than 0 and less than 32 ...

 

[Atlantian]

What does this bring the estimated team count for 2021-22 to?

27 Active teams with Savannah joining in 22-23

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

27 Active teams with Savannah joining in 22-23

27 pending the announcement of T/R's name

welcome officially Iowa to the ECHL....

 

[Royalsflagrunner77]

Did three rivers give a time frame on when they were gonna announce the team name and colors

 

[Atlantian]

Did three rivers give a time frame on when they were gonna announce the team name and colors

By the end of the month. They’ve been teasing it with Iowa announcement as very soon. Could be this weekend

 

[Roadhog]

By the end of the month. They’ve been teasing it with Iowa announcement as very soon. Could be this weekend

Long weekend for most or all of us up here, expect it between Tuesday and Friday. Then again, the following Monday is May 31st.

 

[Atlantian]

It is now the last day of May and we have yet to see any sort of announcement or even an announcement of an announcement from the Trois-Rivieres team regarding a name. What could be the hold up? We had been told April, then May, now it is looking like June. It is difficult to build a brand when you haven't even announced what it is yet. And TR needs to get their brand out there to be successful in the market.

 

[JMCx4]

It is now the last day of May and we have yet to see any sort of announcement or even an announcement of an announcement from the Trois-Rivieres team regarding a name. What could be the hold up? We had been told April, then May, now it is looking like June. It is difficult to build a brand when you haven't even announced what it is yet. And TR needs to get their brand out there to be successful in the market.

The "market" already knows there's an ECHL team starting play in the fall in Trois-Rivières. They've also known since January that said team will be an affiliate of Les Habitants. Naming this particular team in this particular province is simply the gravy on the poutine for the Mauricie Region's hockey fans & local sponsors. It ain't like they've never seen a hockey game before.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

The "market" already knows there's an ECHL team starting play in the fall in Trois-Rivières. They've also known since January that said team will be an affiliate of Les Habitants. Naming this particular team in this particular province is simply the gravy on the poutine for the Mauricie Region's hockey fans & local sponsors. It ain't like they've never seen a hockey game before.

Le East Coast League as the natives mistakenly refer to it is an unknown entity. The Q is very much preferred. An affiliation with the Habs is a big boost, but the team needs a lot more if they aim to be relevant. Le Rocket needed a few years and a lot of marketing to gain popularity because the AHL was also a fairly unknown entity in the province.

 

[JMCx4]

FloHockey.com: Iowa Heartlanders Taking Nothing For Granted As They Jump Into The ECHL

... "I had been out here to visit probably three or three and a half years ago now, whenever the arena was just in the planning stages at that point, and from meeting the mayor, city administrator, and folks associated with the local business community here, I was really impressed with the vision they had,” (Team President Brian) McKenna told FloHockey.

“And also, just the fact that everybody was pulling in the same direction. It left me with a really good feeling, a good vibe about the whole community here. The arena itself sits on about a 200-acre redevelopment called Iowa River Landing, which is surrounded by shopping, restaurants, condos and apartments. It’s basically its own little village or town, and it’s just a neat vibe. And also, Dean MacDonald, who I got to know when they were coming into the league with the St. John’s franchise, and his partner Glenn Stanford, who I’ve known for years, I’ve got a real good comfort level with those guys. They called, asked if I’d be interested in the opportunity, and I decided to jump back in.” ...

 

[royals119]

FloHockey.com: Iowa Heartlanders Taking Nothing For Granted As They Jump Into The ECHL

That's got to be a change for McKenna. He was the GM/President/CEO/Whatever title with the Trenton Titans before becoming commissioner. Their arena was in a terrible neighborhood, with a train station, prison, and lots of empty buildings for neighbors. What homes and businesses were occupied within walking distance had bars on the windows and metal rolldown doors over the entrances. We went there a couple times for Royals games directly from work, and if you wanted to eat before the game you had to do it several miles away. The only place to eat anywhere close was a nasty Taco Bell.
When he was there the Titans did very well, on and off the ice, in spite of the location. With a nice neighborhood to help draw people in, he should have an easier time in Iowa.

 

[Growlers]

As per their official Twitter and Facebook pages. The Trois-Rivières ECHL team will announce their logo at 12:00 EST this Thursday.