While the headlines surrounding the Calgary Flames are all about their Battle of Alberta playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers, the organization does have some major unrelated news as well. The American Hockey League announced today that its Board of Governors has approved the relocation of the Flames’ affiliate, the Stockton Heat, from Stockton, California to Calgary. The league’s official announcement read as follows:
American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson announced that the AHL Board of Governors, convening last week for its Spring Meeting, has approved the relocation of the franchise owned by the Calgary Flames from Stockton, Calif., to Calgary, Alta., beginning with the 2022-23 season.
Details relating to the transfer are in progress and the AHL and the Flames will provide more information when finalized. Division alignment for the 2022-23 AHL season, which will begin October 14, will also be finalized at a later date.
There is no word on yet on where the Flames’ affiliate will be playing in Calgary, but this move comes as part of a larger trend towards moving AHL affiliates closer to their NHL parent clubs. The Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks are all teams that have moved their AHL affiliates closer to their home markets in the past.
The Canucks example is particularly relevant for the Flames because of the success of their move from an established AHL market in Utica, New York to Abbotsford, British Columbia. Patrick Williams of TheAHL.com notes that the success of the Canucks’ move to Abbotsford gives confidence that the Flames’ move will prove a success. Because optimizing for easier travel and smaller travel costs is so important for the health of minor league sports, the fact that the success of the Canucks and their move can serve as a blueprint for the Flames’ move is no small factor. At the very least, this relocation will make it so the logistical challenge of the Flames calling up AHL-ers on short notice will be significantly reduced.
Plus it makes sense to have all the resources behind the scenes a team has for both levels of players
even before the last few years calling up players from a different country has to be a headache for everyone involved. seems like fredericton nb would be easier for them over stockton
edmonton next?
Bakersfield should officially be on watch. Next stop western Canada.
Would be kinda cool, IMO, if Edmonton moved the Condors to Saskatoon. I’d like that.
The evolution of the AHL from a primarily Northeastern US league to a Continental US and Canadian league over the past decade is remarkable. By my count, only 12 teams are in the same city with the same NHL affiliation as in 2012.
Here were the teams in 2012:
Atlantic:
Manchester Monarchs
Portland Pirates
Providence Bruins
St. John’s IceCaps
Worcester Sharks
East:
Binghamton Senators
Hershey Bears
Norfolk Admirals
Syracuse Crunch
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Midwest:
Chicago Wolves
Grand Rapids Griffins
Milwaukee Admirals
Peoria Rivermen
Rockford IceHogs
North:
Abbotsford Heat
Hamilton Bulldogs
Lake Erie Monsters
Rochester Americans
Toronto Marlies
Northeast:
Adirondack Phantoms
Albany Devils
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Connecticut Whale
Springfield Falcons
South:
Charlotte Checkers
Houston Aeros
Oklahoma City Barons
San Antonio Rampage
Texas Stars
Kinda sucks for minor league fans, though, knowing that there’s no real point to coming out and supporting a team that’ll be gone in a couple years anyway.