ECHL Announces Standing With Market Changes

As the American Hockey League has added some western conference teams, at the expense of the ECHL, the move is essentially affecting three leagues; the AHL with their new markets, the National Hockey League with calling up players closer to their affiliates, and the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) who will have to change their markets.

The Stockton Thunder, formerly of the ECHL, will now be the AHL club of the Calgary Flames. The Adirondack Flames will now be an ECHL club.

"“Brad [Rowbotham] has been a passionate owner and an active member of our Board. We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors” ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna said. “We welcome the Flames ownership group to our League as they add an ECHL team to their impressive list of teams at various levels.”"

The Bakersfield Condors will now be an AHL club and it was just recently announced that they will keep the same name they did in the AHL. That roster and club will now be the Norfolk Admirals as the Edmonton Oilers affiliate moves from Oklahoma City.

The Los Angeles Kings move their team in the AHL from Manchester, New Hampshire, to Ontario, California. The Ontario Reign, formerly of the ECHL, keep their name. The Manchester Monarchs will now be the Kings ECHL club.

In more news with the ECHL, the league announced that the Las Vegas Wranglers have withdrawn their membership in the league. The team decided to suspend their franchise before this year, and have now decided not to continue. This move might be the clearest indicator that the Double A league wants to stay on the east coast from here on out.

"“We are disappointed that the Wranglers will not play in the 2015-16 season,” McKenna said. “The team had developed a strong following over the past decade at the Orleans Arena, which is an outstanding facility. We would like to thank the fans for their support and thank Gary Jacobs for his efforts on behalf of the Wranglers and the ECHL.”"

The league’s board of governors also announced that there will now be a cap of 30 teams for the league. There are currently 28 active teams with the demise of the Las Vegas franchise.

With the loss of the California teams, the farthest west teams in the league will be Alaska, Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. The league will help their northeast presence with Manchester and Adirondack added to what is currently just Reading.