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 ha
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There weren’t any surprises at the AHL Board of Governors meeting today, and that’s a good thing for local hockey fans.
The Vancouver Canucks were given the approval to move its AHL affiliate from Utica to Abbotsford, beginning with the 2021-22 season.
“One step closer,” the Canucks tweeted in response to the news, though nobody expects the deal to fall through.
Good news for Abbotsford isn’t bad news for Utica, as the Comets will still be in operation next season. The AHL confirmed that the New Jersey Devils’ AHL team would be moving from Binghamton to Utica. That team will still be known as the Utica Comets, despite Comets president Robert Esche previously registering “Utica Devils” as a trademark.
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The Vancouver Canucks are moving their AHL team from Utica to Abbotsford, beginning next season.
Details of a partnership between the Canucks and the City of Abbotsford are being finalized, the team said, and relocation will be subject to AHL Board of Governors approval on May 6 but that’s essentially a rubber stamp.
“With momentum starting to build, we are pleased to confirm our goal to bring our AHL franchise and Canucks prospects home to the City of Abbotsford,” said Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini in a media release. “The move would bring significant opportunities for both our team and the community and it would begin a new chapter, bringing Canucks hockey to even more fans throughout the Lower Mainland.”
Comets NHL Affiliate Vancouver Canucks Will Leave Utica
Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev 04012016 Vancouver Canucks v Anaheim Ducks Photo Credit: Harry How, Getty Images
The Vancouver Canucks have made it official. They will end their partnership with the Utica Comets at the end of this season and will be moving their American Hockey League franchise to Abbotsford, British Columbia. With momentum starting to build, we are pleased to confirm our goal to bring our AHL franchise and Canucks prospects home to the City of Abbotsford, said Francesco Aquilini, Chairman, Canucks Sports & Entertainment. The move would bring significant opportunities for both our team and the community and it would begin a new chapter, bringing Canucks hockey to even more fans throughout the Lower Mainland.
Vancouver Canucks moving AHL affiliate to Abbotsford
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The Utica Comets will no longer be the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks, as the NHL club will instead establish its farm team just down the highway in Abbotsford.
“With momentum starting to build, we are pleased to confirm our goal to bring our AHL franchise and Canucks prospects home to the City of Abbotsford,” said Francesco Aquilini, Chairman of Canucks Sports and Entertainment. “The move would bring significant opportunities for both our team and the community and it would begin a new chapter, bringing Canucks hockey to even more fans throughout the Lower Mainland.”