Quote:
Originally Posted by sureLoss
http://www.howlings.net/2014/08/21/c...est-was-built/
Article says the Avalanche and Coyotes have recently bought AHL teams. The Ducks are the last team needing to buy an AHL franchise.
6 teams for the AHL west divison is
LA -> Ontario, Cali
San Jose -> Fresno, Cali
Colorado -> Denver, Colo
Phoenix -> Prescott Valley, Az
Anaheim -> San Diego, Cali
Winnipeg -> Thunder Bay (doesn't really seem to make sense, in terms of being part of this division)
Article also says that the Oilers, Canucks, and Flames are expected to move their franchises out West in the next 2 years
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I think Thunder Bay being part of that division is pure speculation which leads me to wonder how much else in that article is also speculation.
(a) Thunder Bay is in the Eastern Time Zone and very far from California. Putting them in this division makes absolutely no sense, especially with teams much much closer in the AHL like OKC, Austin, San Antonio. Heck, off the top of my head I can name 9 existing AHL teams closer than Thunder Bay (San Antonio, Texas, OKC, Chicago, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Rochester, Cleveland, Iowa).
(b) The Thunder Bay relocation is dependent on them getting a new arena and that's currently going nowhere.
(c) Assuming it would be a very unbalanced schedule, how does Winnipeg benefit from having the majority of its farm team's road games out on the coast in California? It's extra ridiculous when you consider that Winnipeg is in the Central Division and it would be much better to have a Winnipeg AHL affiliate in a division a 90-minute flight away with the likes of Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Chicago, etc.