From an ECHL press release:
The ECHL will make a major announcement tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 30) at 3 p.m. ET regarding League Membership and its roster of teams for the 2015-16 season. The League will have no further comment on the announcement at this time.
Likely to do with this: http://theahl.com/ahl-approves-formation-of-pacific-division-p196033
Comments
According to Alaska Aces Facebook site, they just signed for more years in ECHL.
Teams leaving plus ave attendance:
Stcokton 4438
Bakersfield 4648
Ontario 7235
ECHL teams not mentioned (presumed staying) plus ave attendance:
Colorado 5289
Alaska 4165
Idaho 3887
Utah 4739
Abandoned AHL teams plus attendance:
Adirondack 3586 (Glens Falls N.Y.)
Ok. City 3443
Manchester 5571
Worcester 3355
So here are the most obvious questions I have. San Jose will be joining the AHL (but San Francisco was a failure in the old IHL and the ECHL).
Where does Las Vegas fit in? 13-14 attendance was 4581, now with a remodeled or new building. You'd like to think that it would be attractive in either league.
You'd have to assume that the ECHL would be real interested in the markets of Glens Falls, Manchester, Worcester, and Oklahoma City. Oklahoma city would fit very nicely in the "CHL" division. By taking out Brampton and placing it in another division (east or midwest) the "CHL" division would remain at 7. However Glens Falls, Manchester (New Hampshire), and Worcester are all in the northeast.
So just when the ECHL got everything in a symmetical fashion, the AHL comes in and messes it up.
Without any further adjustment, the AHL has taken three ECHL markets, abandoned four markets and left the ECHL to scramble.
(With all of this going on, I can't see why the Avalanche wouldn't leave Lake Erie and place a team in Colorado...and that's just one of the prospective changes that makes geographical sense).
There has just got to be more things forthcoming.
OK - Per the league, Vegas is out, Stockton moves to Adirondack, Bakersfield to Norfolk, and Ontario to Manchester
Possible divisional alignments - none of which are optimal
West: Alaska, Allen, Colorado, Idaho, Rapid City, Tulsa, Utah
Central: Komets, Indy, E'ville, Quad City, Wichita, Missouri, K'zoo
East: Elmira, Reading, Adirondack, Manchester, Toledo, Wheeling, Brampton
South: Norfolk, Florida, Greenville, Gwinnett, Orlando, South Carolina, Cincinnati
Presumes all the other teams survive to next season
Ron, keep phone handy. I think you will be getting a call from the league. Your the new league divisional setter-up- er. Blake should takke bets on that line up. Looks spot on to me.
Yeah, they"ll probalby play Toledo 10 times a year once the teams are in different divisions.