Quote:
Originally Posted by DionTheDman
Is it normal for minor league teams to move around so frequently? It seems like our affiliate is on the move every two or three years to somewhere new.
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Yes, it's pretty common for teams to switch affiliations and/or relocate their minor league teams every few years.
A few teams have had their minor league team in one city for a long time, but many see a lot of movement. The Bruins have been in Providence since 1992. The Rangers have been in Hartford since the Whalers moved to Carolina.
If you go back to after the lockout in 2005, the Flames are in their 5th AHL city, but those numbers are skewed by being in Omaha and Quad Cities for only 2 years each.
Adirondack was only one season, but that was planned to be a stopgap year from the beginning. The city of Abbotsford no longer wanted to provide the level of compensation that made the team viable when there were no other teams west of Texas, and there was still a year's wait for all the other teams to move to California.
They were in Abbotsford for 5 seasons, and if they remain in Stockton next year, it will be their 6th season. If this new arena deal happens, the Stockton affiliation will likely continue for many years to come.
6 seasons will tie with Salt Lake for the second-longest affiliation the Flames have had. Only the 10 seasons in Saint John was longer.
Looking at a few other teams since 2005:
The Blues are switching affiliates again next season, which will be their 4th since 2005. Also, they didn't have an affiliate for a year in 2017-18.
The Oilers had a split affiliation between Hamilton and Iowa in 2005-06 and no affiliate the following season. Bakersfield is their 3rd different city since 2007.
The Coyotes are in their 4th city since 2005.
The Ducks are in their 5th city since 2005 and had no affiliate for one season.
The Sharks are in their 3rd city since 2005.
Vancouver had a very long partnership with Winnipeg until the Jets moved in. Now, they seem happy in Utica. They had a couple of seasons in Chicago, so they're in their 3rd city since 2005.
The Kings were in Manchester for a very long time until they made the move to California, so they're only in their second city post-lockout.