AHL Shakeup Coming?

At this year's annual state of the league address, AHL Commissioner David Andrews addressed a number of issues facing the AHL right now, including NHL affiliations and the possibility of franchise relocation. One of the topics discussed was Carolina's desire to have an affiliate closer to Raleigh, as their current affiliate, Albany, is isolated to the Northeast.

Canes Country was on the story and decided that if there is a move, Charlotte will be the likely destination. The thinking, according to Canes Country:

...having an AHL affiliate in Charlotte would bridge the gap between the state's two biggest cities. Despite being the "Carolina" Hurricanes, the organization has been Raleigh's team, not the Carolinas' or even the state's. If interest in the AHL team blossomed — and a city as big as Charlotte should have no problem supporting a Triple A-level minor league hockey team — there would be an immediate connection between Charlotte and the Hurricanes, helping to further grow the fan base.

The Raleigh News & Observer picked up the story and agreed that Charlotte was the likely destination, but River Rats owner Walter Robb denied reports, as he would like the franchise to stay in Albany. Puck Daddy came late to the party with news that the Rangers may be interested in filling the Albany market should the River Rats end up in Charlotte.

Also on the agenda for Commissioner Andrews was Edmonton's intent to move their affiliation to Oklahoma City. Andrews said that nothing was set in stone, but that the likelihood of a move was eight on a scale of ten. The Copper & Blue was on the case in December, interviewing Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett about a new lease agreement between the city and future AHL franchise owners Prodigal Hockey, LLC. A week before the league meetings, The Copper & Blue found that the Oilers were conducting surveys of potential season ticket holders in Oklahoma City to gauge their interest in the new team. And days before the meeting, it was discovered that Prodigal Hockey had already reserved six domains for their new team, tipping their hand to the name of the new team. Andrews did say that Edmonton wanted to ensure a soft landing for Springfield.

The commissioner also addressed the Iowa situation -- after the Iowa Chops ceased operations, Anaheim was left without an affiliate and has been forced to divide their AHL team between Manitoba, Texas and Toronto.  "They are not happy," Andrews said. "They very much want to have their (own) team." The Chops are for sale and new owners could activate the franchise and re-affiliate with the Ducks if an owner can be found in time. The Texas Stars are also temporarily associated with the Dallas Stars and Commissioner Andrews said that if the affiliation isn't made permanent, the league will not exempt the franchise and they may cease operations.

The meetings also brought the rumor-mongers out of the woodwork as someone floated that Ottawa would be moving their affiliation from Binghamton to Cornwall. But the Senators quickly addressed those rumors: "Mr. Melnyk has no interest and has never indicated any interest in operating an American Hockey League team, and no one from Senators Sports & Entertainment has had any discussion with Cornwall."

Five or six affiliation agreements expire at the end of the season, one temporary affiliation agreement must be made permanent, three teams may be on the move and the Ducks still need to find an exclusive affiliate -- the AHL is about to undergo a serious facelift.

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Special thanks to Jennifer Bock for the photo of Nicholas Blanchard in action.