Vegas purchases AHL San Antonio

[GindyDraws]

Silver Knights? Isn't that what they call those athletes in sweats charging all the casino buffets?

No, that's the only Doobie Brothers song that radio stations seem to only want to play on the air... I think.

 

[LadyStanley]

I thought for sure it'd be Vegas buying the Flames affiliate. But I think the Flames should re-locate their affiliate to Salt Lake City, Utah, or Vegas should put their ECHL team there unless Reno decides to build a rink.

Utah is Vegas territory (at least based on the summer bus trips with mascot and players, doing clinics at various locations).

 

[CANADIENSFAN90]

Is a another hockey team going to go to San Antonio?

 

[GrGriffins]

Is a another hockey team going to go to San Antonio?

After this season, I doubt San Antonio will be back in the hockey business. Should be interesting to see what happens next if more moves will be made between now and the end of the season. Will Calgary stay in Stockton, or will someone like the Blues ends up buying Stockton and moves them in KC or somewhere in MO. I'm sure there is more to come. Stay tuned.

 

[Martin Veillette]

I just don't like it when a city put their AHL team in the same city or in the same arena (Win, SJ, Tor, LV).

I guess the ECHL will be the way to go for the big market cities without an NHL team in the future.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Colorado specifically wanted to be in the pacific with the reduced schedule. The 8 fewer games really does make a difference when it comes to travel and scheduling and allegedly development time. I’m not so sure it’s as simple as go to the central division. Things rarely work logically in minor league hockey anyway.

It’s too bad for San Antonio and their fans, it is quite a shock. But the league is moving toward NHL ties and at the very least regional ties. There’s going to be no such thing as independent affiliates some day.

 

[gstommylee]

Colorado specifically wanted to be in the pacific with the reduced schedule. The 8 fewer games really does make a difference when it comes to travel and scheduling and allegedly development time. I’m not so sure it’s as simple as go to the central division. Things rarely work logically in minor league hockey anyway.

It’s too bad for San Antonio and their fans, it is quite a shock. But the league is moving toward NHL ties and at the very least regional ties. There’s going to be no such thing as independent affiliates some day.

Well it made since when there were only 31 teams now with 32 in a couple years AHL is going to have to realign the league. Not sure if they want to have 9/7/8/8

 

[Drake88]

The Texas Stars are clearly the biggest losers out of this deal. At the beginning of the previous decade, they had San Antonio and Houston as regional opponents, providing a nice cushion for travel and rivalries for fans, but now, they are an island amongst themselves. It's not as bad as Abbotsford, but they are in the same awkward position Manitoba and Charlotte have to deal with where their nearest opponents are more than 300 miles away.

and Oklahoma City too for that matter

 

[Agalloch]

Colorado specifically wanted to be in the pacific with the reduced schedule. The 8 fewer games really does make a difference when it comes to travel and scheduling and allegedly development time. I’m not so sure it’s as simple as go to the central division. Things rarely work logically in minor league hockey anyway.

It’s too bad for San Antonio and their fans, it is quite a shock. But the league is moving toward NHL ties and at the very least regional ties. There’s going to be no such thing as independent affiliates some day.

How about going 72 games for all AHL teams ?

 

[GindyDraws]

How about going 72 games for all AHL teams ?

4 games too many for those Pacific teams. They want less, not more!

 

[UticaHockey]

The Texas Stars are clearly the biggest losers out of this deal. At the beginning of the previous decade, they had San Antonio and Houston as regional opponents, providing a nice cushion for travel and rivalries for fans, but now, they are an island amongst themselves. It's not as bad as Abbotsford, but they are in the same awkward position Manitoba and Charlotte have to deal with where their nearest opponents are more than 300 miles away.

I would say that the biggest losers are the fans in San Antonio that are losing their hockey team.

 

[axecrew]

How about going 72 games for all AHL teams ?

Good luck getting the independently owned teams to give up revenue.Those lost games mean lost revenue.

 

[GindyDraws]

I would say that the biggest losers are the fans in San Antonio that are losing their hockey team.

Absolutely. Have you seen the responses to the Facebook post regarding the news? Many fans are saddened, outraged, or angry about what had happened. Sure this team wasn't a winner on the ice, but for the people of San Antonio, it was their team and they rallied behind the Rampage.

I'm just looking beyond the obvious at what other ramifications are there.

 

[WolfKeeper]

Good luck getting the independently owned teams to give up revenue.Those lost games mean lost revenue.

We can just double the school day games to make up for it...

 

[CupInSIX]

With Vegas trademarking the name Silver Knights, good chance their AHL affiliate will go by that name, which I actually like the idea of the Golden Knights/Silver Knights.

Silver Squires would have been perfect.

 

[Centrum Hockey]

I just don't like it when a city put their AHL team in the same city or in the same arena (Win, SJ, Tor, LV).

I guess the ECHL will be the way to go for the big market cities without an NHL team in the future.

The echl is for the most part is not backed by the NHL. A big market echl team would need a solid lease and a billionaire or millionaire who loves hockey. Bigger arenas also can make far more money from concerts WWE etc than echl hockey.

 

[LadyStanley]

Golden Knights’ new AHL team could be called Silver Knights

VGK owner Foley confirms trademark of "Silver Knights" (which was high on the list for the NHL team name).

After this season, I doubt San Antonio will be back in the hockey business. Should be interesting to see what happens next if more moves will be made between now and the end of the season. Will Calgary stay in Stockton, or will someone like the Blues ends up buying Stockton and moves them in KC or somewhere in MO. I'm sure there is more to come. Stay tuned.

San Antonio Rampage sold, will relocate this summer
Sounds like they are (very?) interested in continuing the "hockey legacy" of San Antonio.

Perhaps an ECHL team?

I just don't like it when a city put their AHL team in the same city or in the same arena (Win, SJ, Tor, LV).

And Montreal/Laval.

 

[Coach Nate]

Turn Off The Lights, The Rampage Are No More

 

[GrGriffins]

Golden Knights’ new AHL team could be called Silver Knights

VGK owner Foley confirms trademark of "Silver Knights" (which was high on the list for the NHL team name).



San Antonio Rampage sold, will relocate this summer
Sounds like they are (very?) interested in continuing the "hockey legacy" of San Antonio.

Perhaps an ECHL team?

RampageNate would have a better answer to that question than I. Would the Spurs invest their money on an ECHL team considering how much money they must have lost throughout the years in AHL hockey? If not the Spurs, who would step up and take over the hockey void in San Antonio.

It would be a great fit for San Antonio in the ECHL as you have Allen, Wichita, Tulsa close to them.

 

[210]

Turn Off The Lights, The Rampage Are No More

We've lived this a couple of times here in Worcester...it's not an easy thing.

 

[ek93]

Turn Off The Lights, The Rampage Are No More

I’m from Binghamton and even for me, that was a tough read. All of us here dread the day this happens to our team, but to be completely blindsided by it makes it even worse.

 

[bsens35]

I feel for the San Antonio fans , as a kid i grew up watching the icecats who had a nhl team the blues who moved them to Peoria. Hockey in Worcester mass hasnt been the same since

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Very likely the case. Vegas scrambling around looking to buy an AHL franchise Vegas showed just how limited/nonexistent the options are.

Especially for St. Louis. They tried convincing Kansas City's and Indianapolis' ECHL owners to upgrade to the AHL on their own dime and team up with them ala Colorado Eagles and they both told them to eat dirt. St. Louis has been looking for a relationship that requires less effort than buying and owning the team like the teams in the Pacific Division and more control than the Wolves would offer. But, like Vegas showed, alternative options are nonexistent.

Considering that they won the cup because of the players developed in Chicago, maybe they changed their mind....

Didn't Norfolk threaten to do that and was met with "That's fine, we just won't schedule you in any games?"

But the norfolk owner is not a bunch of petty multi millionaires who would just as soon as sue the AHL as anything. They would constantly ridicule the Blackhawks and their owner in the early from inception until $Bill died.

Since no one would ideally want to be with Chicago though, they would be the only realistic option?

Is that your opinion? What do you base it upon? Vancouver left Chicago and havent been a good team since. Atlanta moved to Winnipeg and starts making the playoffs with Chicago developed talent and the former GM of the Wolves.

Silver Squires would have been perfect.

Golden Squires would have been the best!! Knaves probably would not have been good.

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Considering that they won the cup because of the players developed in Chicago, maybe they changed their mind....

Of the entire Blues cup winning roster, Chicago Wolves alumni were a minority of the roster. Only a handful of players like Binnington, Dunn, and Barbashyov spent a respectable amount of time in Rosemont. Parayko (half a season after finishing college) and most of the claimed alumni ever played less than a full season total for the Wolves. Most of the big names on the cup winning roster were free agent and trade acquisitions, and most of the younger players spent much more time in San Antonio than Chicago. Not nearly enough to repair the damage with most of the comments and potshots that were called a few years ago. It was a bad marriage that ended badly.

But unless St. Louis manages to find an owner willing to sell their AHL franchise, which Vegas showed is incredibly unlikely, they won't have much of a choice. They'll both need to swallow their pride.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Of the entire Blues cup winning roster, Chicago Wolves alumni were a minority of the roster. Only a handful of players like Binnington, Dunn, and Barbashyov spent a respectable amount of time in Rosemont. Parayko (half a season after finishing college) and most of the claimed alumni ever played less than a full season total for the Wolves. Most of the big names on the cup winning roster were free agent and trade acquisitions, and most of the younger players spent much more time in San Antonio than Chicago. Not nearly enough to repair the damage with most of the comments and potshots that were called a few years ago. It was a bad marriage that ended badly.

But unless St. Louis manages to find an owner willing to sell their AHL franchise, which Vegas showed is incredibly unlikely, they won't have much of a choice. They'll both need to swallow their pride.

Yeah, most of the drafted players like Schwartz, Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, Perron, Thomas, etc. didn't play there. Binnington really didn't develop until he went to Providence.

The Wolves care more about Calder Cup than prospect development. Nothing wrong with that, but NHL clubs don't like it.