Coyotes May Bring AHL Affiliate To Arizona

Yep, the Arizona Coyotes are being linked to relocation talk yet again. Although this time, it’s not what you may think. In a time when there is constant speculation concerning a hockey team leaving Arizona, we may actually be seeing a hockey team come to Arizona.

On Jan. 29 2015, the American Hockey League’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the creation of a Pacific Division within the AHL. The new division is set to be ready for the upcoming 2015-16 season.

With the creation of the new division, there will be some AHL teams that are going to be relocated.

• The Anaheim Ducks will purchase the Norfolk Admirals and move them to San Diego, California.
• The Los Angeles Kings will move the Manchester Monarchs to Ontario, California.
• The San Jose Sharks will move the Worcester Sharks to San Jose, California.
• The Edmonton Oilers will move the Oklahoma City Barons to Bakersfield, California.
• The Calgary Flames will move the Adirondack Flames to Stockton, California.

With those five teams moving, that leaves only the Coyotes and Vancouver Canucks out of the new division. Both teams are in the same boat though. The five teams above all own their AHL affiliates. The Canucks and Coyotes do not, but that may soon change for Arizona.

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The Coyotes have expressed interest in bringing their minor league affiliate closer to “home”. Salt Lake City, Albuquerque and San Antonio have all been mentioned as possible locations. The ideal location though, is Arizona.

Craig Morgan of Fox Sports Arizona reported that the Coyotes are interested in purchasing an AHL franchise with the intent of bringing them to Arizona.

If that happens, that would be great for the Coyotes organization and hockey in Arizona. Arizona is no stranger to minor league hockey. Up until last year, Prescott was the home of the Arizona Sundogs, the Coyotes Central Hockey League affiliate. Before that, the Phoenix Roadrunners called Arizona home (off and on) from 1967 to 2009. Tucson has also been home to multiple teams.

Tucson makes the most sense for an in state location as it would allow the Coyotes ownership to extend hockey and their product to the second largest market in Arizona. There is already an arena that would be a good home if the organization were to bring a team. The Tucson Civic Center is home to the University of Arizona’s hockey team and just recently underwent a major renovation.

Bringing their AHL affiliate offers a few bonuses. Team leadership would be able to go and check in on the prospects more often. In the event of an injury or call up, the player could be with the NHL club within an hour or two. From a fan’s perspective, it continues the momentum of growing hockey in Arizona. Fans would be able to go and watch the up and coming prospects whenever they wanted.

With all the recent news surrounding the Coyotes efforts with hockey in Arizona, this just adds to the momentum if it were to become a possibility. We should have some definitive answers soon as the Coyotes agreement with the Portland Pirates will be ending this year.