Utica Comets AHL Discussion - Part XIX

[The Stig]

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[arsmaster*]

Hey guys, long time no talk.

Really happy about the Utican All Stars.

 

[PhilMick]

Hey guys, long time no talk.

Really happy about the Utican All Stars.

Months behind bro.

 

[lush]

I want more goals from Shinkaruk

 

[go comets]

Looks like the western movement is a go... Word is Norfolk to be sold to the ducks.......

 

[The Stig]

Looks like the western movement is a go... Word is Norfolk to be sold to the ducks.......

Its an interesting idea. Shame their doing that after the Abbotsford fiasco. Also hoping we DO NOT join in. I like our boys in Utica.

 

[VC]

Its an interesting idea. Shame their doing that after the Abbotsford fiasco. Also hoping we DO NOT join in. I like our boys in Utica.

Seems like a great market in the heart of the A.

 

[vanuck]

Sanguinetti deserves to play an NHL game

Hell, any of the D we've called up deserve to play. Particularly interested to see what Biega and Sanguinetti can do but WD doesn't seem like he'll give them a look if he can help it.

 

[Baby Pettersson]

I wouldnt worry about getting a new AHL team. We literally have the AHL dream team. Great team, great fanbase, community, literally everything about Utica is awesome. We would be fools to relocate. Although we are in contract with them for a few more years I believe. So that's great.

 

[Verviticus]

abbotsford is by far and away the best location in the long term, though i dont think theres any practical difference from a team perspective if they move it next year or five years from now

 

[Luck 6]

abbotsford is by far and away the best location in the long term, though i dont think theres any practical difference from a team perspective if they move it next year or five years from now

Not really... It subjects our prospects to a huge amount of travel since there are very few franchises even remotely close to Abbotsford. You can call up players easily enough, sure, but that's not a huge advantage. We'd have a good fan base here too to watch our prospects, but we already have that in Utica. I don't really see what the point of moving would be.

 

[Verviticus]

Not really... It subjects our prospects to a huge amount of travel since there are very few franchises even remotely close to Abbotsford. You can call up players easily enough, sure, but that's not a huge advantage. We'd have a good fan base here too to watch our prospects, but we already have that in Utica. I don't really see what the point of moving would be.

proximity to the big club. travel is travel. everyone will have to deal with it.

having prospects go through it in the ahl only means the transition to the nhl will be less jarring

 

[Butcher]

proximity to the big club. travel is travel. everyone will have to deal with it.

having prospects go through it in the ahl only means the transition to the nhl will be less jarring

Travel in the AHL means less practice and development time. That far outweighs getting used to the western schedule.

 

[racerjoe]

Travel in the AHL means less practice and development time. That far outweighs getting used to the western schedule.

This. Although we will see what happens if they do get a western league going. Would love no matter what if Utica keeps a team. They have been great.

 

[Verviticus]

Travel in the AHL means less practice and development time. That far outweighs getting used to the western schedule.

we dont really know this

 

[iceburg]

abbotsford is by far and away the best location in the long term, though i dont think theres any practical difference from a team perspective if they move it next year or five years from now

for proximity but not practically. Costs a lot more to run a team out of the west.

 

[Wilch]

proximity to the big club. travel is travel. everyone will have to deal with it.

having prospects go through it in the ahl only means the transition to the nhl will be less jarring

What does proximity to the big club offer?

 

[Peen]

What does proximity to the big club offer?

Pros:
4 hours less travel time to get to team

Cons:
everything else, because that's the only pro.

Utica seems great. Unless Canucks management believes they can get a lot of money out of a franchise here, I do not understand moving here.

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

What does proximity to the big club offer?

Not having to call on Levesque.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Utica is great to me but if they sell it off for one out west I hope the fans get a good replacement.

We'll see I guess, love all the Utica fans though.

 

[Vankiller Whale]

Pros:
4 hours less travel time to get to team

And even that's only when the Canucks aren't playing road games at places closer to Utica than to Abbotaford.

 

[opendoor]

And even that's only when the Canucks aren't playing road games at places closer to Utica than to Abbotaford.

And only if Abbotsford isn't across the continent. In 13-14 for instance, Abbotsford was only on the west coast for 23 of Calgary's 41 home games.

All in all, the Flames were only close to Abbotsford while the Heat were in town for 27 of their 82 games (23 home games and 4 games in Vancouver and Edmonton). The other 55 games either the Flames or the Heat were on the road. That's really not many more games than the Canucks play within a similar proximity to Utica in a given season.

 

[Verviticus]

Pros:
4 hours less travel time to get to team

Cons:
everything else, because that's the only pro.

Utica seems great. Unless Canucks management believes they can get a lot of money out of a franchise here, I do not understand moving here.

we actually get to watch it which is kind of the point of the sport: enjoy being a fan

 

[UticaHockey]

With the pending shift of many AHL teams out west one can only assume that Vancouver will do the same. The question is when and where. The popular notion is Abbotsford or even possibly Vancouver. If so, travel is an issue since all of the other teams appear to be destined for central and southern California so your closest rival will be about 1,000 miles away compared to 50 like it is currently in Utica.

Yes, there are advantages to having your farm team next door but there are disadvantages to having your rivals so far away. The AHL is primarily a bus league and I doubt the baby Canucks will have the luxury of chartered flights like the parent team does. When AHL teams do fly it is most always commercial airlines dealing with the same travel mess in airports as the general public. This is why Calgary apparently will move to Stockton, CA and Edmonton to Bakersfield, CA and not place their farm teams in Alberta.

So the Canucks will have to make a decision whether to place their farm team in BC which will make the local fans happy or somewhere in California for more practical reasons. If they do elect to place the team in BC to keep travel expenses lower you will likely see extended road trips where you fly into Stockton for example and then bus around and play the rest of the California teams and then fly home and play 5 or 6 games in a row. You can bet the most of the 76 game schedule will be played within the 5 or 6 team division so that the travel cost does not sky rocket for the rest of the league. The same extended road trip will repeat over and over again all season long which isn't the best scenario for practice time and development.

Yes on the surface it sounds great to have your prospects in Abbotsford or even Vancouver for a quick call up but think about it. How may times in the the past year and a half did the Canucks play shorthanded because they couldn't get a guy in from Utica? The only time that I can think off was last year when Luongo couldn't play in Anaheim and the Canucks had to dress an emergency back up goalie. Since teams only carry two goalies that can happen to any team if a goalie becomes ill or tweaks something just before game time. I think the problem of having your farm team far away is more perception than reality.

Realistically the best location for a Vancouver farm team is probably somewhere in the middle of the new California teams once the AHL Pacific Division is formed. It is the best compromise between easier west coast call ups and reasonable travel times for the team and better practice opportunities. But this doesn't solve desire of some Canucks fans to have the AHL team in their backyard and will they see the same type of support in California that they currently have in Utica?

 

[arsmaster*]

And only if Abbotsford isn't across the continent. In 13-14 for instance, Abbotsford was only on the west coast for 23 of Calgary's 41 home games.

All in all, the Flames were only close to Abbotsford while the Heat were in town for 27 of their 82 games (23 home games and 4 games in Vancouver and Edmonton). The other 55 games either the Flames or the Heat were on the road. That's really not many more games than the Canucks play within a similar proximity to Utica in a given season.

Thanks for posting this.

Only half or each teams schedule is at home. It's just as likely you on an eastern road trip and the farm team is west.

I don't see the AHL being attended as much as people think in the Fraser valley. Even with Canuck prospects.