Movement Abound In The AHL

As a sports fan with a big soccer background, the idea of a team just flat-out moving is weird. It doesn't happen very often. The last few that I can think of are the Montreal Expos moving to Washington, DC, and Wimbledon FC's complete overhaul/move to Milton Keynes, where they now play as MK Dons. 

But in the minor leagues, it's somewhat more of a common occurrence. I'm here to guide you through what's going on with the AHL this offseason, as a lot of teams are being switched around. 

Let's start with the simple move. The Wild have moved the Houston Aeros from Texas to Des Moines, IA. They will now be playing as the Iowa Wild.  

The moves involving the Blues and Canucks franchises are little more complicated, and this also involves Calgary, whose AHL affiliate is located just outside of Vancouver. The Canucks were previously with the Chicago Wolves, but dropped affiliation, hoping to move their team to Abbotsford, BC and outing Calgary. Utica, NY had been talked as a potential relocation option for Calgary. 

Long story short, almost none of that ended up happening, and Vancouver is now moving their AHL team to Utica, where they will play as the Utica Comets. This is a pretty cool name, harkening back to days of yore, when teams like the Clinton Comets and the Mohawk Valley Comets called the Utica Memorial Auditorium home. These new Comets will share the Aud with Utica College, one of division 3's best drawing teams. This also creates some brand new rivalries in the area, with Utica being only 40 miles away from the Syracuse Crunch, and about an hour west of the Albany Devils. Binghamton, Rochester, Adirondack, Springfield, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are also within about 2 and a half hours of Utica, so expect some heated battles next season. 

So what about the Chicago Wolves, you ask? And St. Louis? You mentioned them a few paragraphs ago. Indeed I did. St. Louis swapped teams with Vancouver, and is taking over the Chicago Wolves. But don't fret, Peoria hockey fans. The Rivermen name is being picked up by the 4th-tier SPHL, which will keep hockey in town for at least another season. Just don't expect AHL quality, because it isn't. 

And as most people I'm sure have already seen, the Connecticut Whale aren't moving, but are reversing direction, taking back the old Hartford Wolf Pack branding for next season.

So there you have it. The Houston Aeros are now the Iowa Wild, the Chicago Wolves switched NHL affiliation, the Peoria Rivermen are now the Utica Comets, and the Connecticut Whale are now the Hartford Wolf Pack, again. If you trace the club's history back through Peoria, Worcester, and Springfield, the Comets actually date back to the original Springfield Indians, who began play in 1927, making them the oldest team in the league.

And just to wrap up moves, the Grand Rapids Griffins won the Calder Cup earlier this week, beating the Syracuse Crunch 3 games to 2. Syracuse had previously swapped squads between Anaheim and Tampa Bay, fielding a team this year that had won last season's Calder Cup as the Norfolk Admirals.