I asked David Franke today about some of Hit Somebody's questions on the Evansville affiliation.
* There's nothing to prevent another IHL team from picking up a player from Evansville unless that player is on a two-way contract with the Komets. Two-way contracts have not been discussed but could be a possibility.
* That said, there's nothing to prevent the Komets from picking up a player from Battle Creek, even though that team is affiliated with Muskegon. There's no gentleman's agreement to leave each other's affiliates alone, either, as that would be collusion and illegal. The IHL teams have not discussed among themselves the possibility of two-way contracts, but they have similar agreements with the AHL so it wouldn't be that difficult to do.
* Players on professional tryout contracts (in other words, temporary) would not have to clear waivers before being sent down. If the Komets sign a player to a regular contact, he'd have to clear IHL waivers first.
* The main benefit of the affiliation is the ability to get a player to town the same day if the Komets call. They won't have to fly a player in, hope a team from another league is willing to work with them and they can ask for a specific player. Franke said he plans on scouting Evansville several times during the season to keep up to date on the Icemen's talent.
"The intent is to make it easier for us to get a player if we are in a pinch," Franke said. "It will save time and money and we should be able to get the player here the same day if we ask for him early enough."
