AHL announces new alignment
By Cory Buck
The NHL’s primary minor league affiliate — the American Hockey League — is undergoing a makeover in its standings to better accommodate the regional travel demands of a tiny professional feeder league. They announced such changes on their website this week.
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The constantly rotating affiliations between NHL and AHL teams are partially to blame for the need for a new re-alignment, but in general travel concerns are always at the fore in a league that must scrape by year by year. The changes detailed below can also be found at the link above.
"Changes from last season include:• Calgary’s affiliate relocating from Abbotsford, B.C., to Glens Falls, N.Y., and playing in the North Division• Philadelphia’s affiliate relocating from Glens Falls, N.Y. to Allentown, Pa., and playing in the East Division• Syracuse moving from the East Division to the Northeast Division• Lake Erie moving from the North Division to the Midwest Division• Iowa moving from the Midwest Division to the West Division"
Calgary and Philadelphia have changed affiliated clubs as Abbotsford folded, but aside from that, the moves in the standings are merely meant to keep each team in a close region to its division mates. Bear in mind that this is the league in which teams can play games on three consecutive days, any of which could take place at noon on a Wednesday. Anything to get travel costs down is a big boon for the AHL.
The AHL playoffs will remain largely unaffected by the new alignment. Eight teams from each conference will still advance in a tournament that is re-seeded after each playoff round.