Utica Comets President Robert Esche confirmed on Wednesday that as of right now, Utica does not have an AHL team for the upcoming 2021-22 season. Esche appeared on WIBX's Keeler in the Morning Show on Wednesday.
"As of right now, we don't know," Esche said. The Comets President said he learned that Vancouver would be pulling out of their agreement with Utica in December. He said he's been looking for a new team affiliation ever since.
The news comes amid rumors of a change over the last few weeks and Tuesday's announcement from the Vancouver Canucks that they are exiting Utica and moving their farm team closer to home in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Vancouver partnered with Esche 8 years ago to reintroduce AHL hockey to the area with the Utica Comets in 2013. Since then, the Comets have seen a significant expansion at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, now the Adirondack Bank Center, a team run for the Calder Cup and an active record for the most consecutive sell out games, which has only been interrupted by the pandemic restrictions by New York State.