AHL to move 5 teams to California; 3 ECHL teams shift

Mike Brehm | USA TODAY Sports

The American Hockey League is creating a California-based Pacific Division next season, creating a major boon for western NHL teams.

The new cities for the NHL's top developmental league will be in San Jose (Sharks), Stockton (Calgary Flames), Bakersfield (Edmonton Oilers), Ontario (Los Angeles Kings) and San Diego (Anaheim Ducks).

The first four teams already own their AHL franchises while the Ducks will purchase the Norfolk (Va.) Admirals and move them west.

"Relocating five teams is a complex process, and we are very excited to have brought this to a successful outcome," said AHL President Dave Andrews.

The plan had been in the works for several years.

"As competitive as we (NHL general managers) are, for that to happen is an amazing thing," Ducks GM Bob Murray said in a news conference in San Jose.

Having the teams in California will ease travel costs and help teams keep a better tab on their prospects.

San Jose's previous affiliate was in Worcester, Mass., more than 2,600 miles away. It now will be in the Sharks' arena, SAP Center.

"The ability to have our top development team located in the same city, playing on the same ice surface and practicing in the same ice rink as the NHL players under the daily watch of our Sharks management will help expedite the development of our younger players," Sharks chief operating officer John Tortora said at the news conference.

The Ducks will go from having an affiliate 2,340 miles away to one 95 miles down the road. The Kings' affiliate will be 2,535 miles closer to home than Manchester, N.H. The Oilers (currently Oklahoma City) and Flames (currently Glens Falls, N.Y.) will have their development teams much closer.

"Instead of going to watch our team practice, I can drive down the coast and go to San Diego and watch our minor-league team practice," Murray said. "That is just so valuable."

It will also be valuable during call-ups. The Ducks once had to hire emergency goalie Rob Laurie to cover part of a game when Jonas Hiller was ill and Igor Bobkov didn't show up by game time.

Said Flames GM Brad Treliving: "Those cross-country fights, even with a different time zone, when you play a game on a Friday night and you need a guy on Saturday, there's a lot of challenges."

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly noted that such a California division would have been unlikely 10 to 15 years ago. But hockey has grown in the state since Wayne Gretzky joined the Kings in 1988, the Sharks and Ducks joined the league soon after and the teams began youth hockey programs.

Californians Matt Nieto (Sharks), Emerson Etem (Ducks) and Alec Martinez (Kings) are playing in their home state.

Division alignments and schedules for next season still have to be worked out.

The downfall is that five cities lost professional hockey teams, although that didn't last long for three of them.

The Flames on Friday purchased the ECHL's Stockton Thunder and will move them to Glens Falls.

Also Friday, the ECHL announced that the Bakersfield Condors will move to Norfolk and the Ontario Reign will move to Manchester.

The Las Vegas Wranglers ECHL franchise, on voluntary suspension this season, is withdrawing from the league.

A group looking to bring the NHL to Las Vegas is starting a ticket drive this month.

The new Sharks and Oilers affiliates are debating franchise names while the Kings will keep the Ontario Reign and Manchester Monarchs names for their AHL and ECHL affiliates.

PHOTOS: 2014-15 NHL season