New Affiliate Fresno Falcons

sounds like they have a good staff in Fresno from what I’ve heard so looks good.

San Diego Gulls. The current ECHL is the top “AA” league in Pro Hockey. There are other “AA” leagues, but this league is still a ‘developmental’ league. The other “AA” leagues feature good hockey — but those teams are usually stocked with players who will never make the NHL. That’s not a bash — I love minor league hockey, and I’ve seen some great games over the years.

Many teams in the ECHL have dual affiliations. There are players who may not be good enough for AAA without a bit more work — or, a team’s AAA affiliate just has too many players.

So, the AA team can get some good players, that they are not responsible to pay. However, those players can be yanked at will. I believe there are still some independents in the ECHL, but they then become responsible for most of their players. Dual affiliations are even better for a minor league team, but again — the same spector looms….all of the guys you are ‘holding’ could be gone in an instant. So, those teams are always keeping their eye out for replacements in other AA leagues, if it comes to that.

Fresno has been up and down, since their inception, but seems to be on the rise again.
They play in a brand new arena, and, with Bakersfield — are the top draw in their division.

For a bit of trivia, until the team was put ‘on hold’ — the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the ECHL were an affiliate of the Canadians. (How far away from Montreal can you get?)

That team may reappear in the ECHL when a new building is completed in Ontario. (California) The Long Beach Arena may be the worst building you could possibly play ANYTHING in.

It’s unfortunate that hockey has vanished from SD — in the IHL, the WCHL, and ECHL — the Gulls were always in the top 5 in attendence. This is a good town for the sport. It’s possible that the Ducks may move their AHL affiliate to this market in 2010, rumor has it. The decripit 41-year-old SD Sports Arena would be their home.