Zac Electrifly

The ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) is the third tier of pro hockey. It is two steps away from the National Hockey League. Majority of the teams are also affiliated with NHL teams. From the ECHL players move up to the AHL (American Hockey League) then to the NHL. Right now there is only one ECHL team without an NHL or AHL affiliation. There are three NHL teams without ECHL affiliates. The Arizona Coyotes, the St Louis Blues, and the Winnipeg Jets are all without ECHL teams. I think the Arizona Coyotes are the front runners to become affiliates at the moment. However I do think that the St Louis Blues, and the Winnipeg Jets are real contenders despite not having ECHL affiliates. I also think the San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights are up there with the Arizona Coyotes as front runners. I think that the Anaheim Ducks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings and the Seattle Kraken could all be contenders as far as affiliates go because their AHL teams are in California. ECHL affiliations change every season. Things could change before the Lake Tahoe team hits the ice.

The Lake Tahoe team will be the 29th team in the league. They will start play for the 2024-25 season. They will be playing their home games at the newly built Lake Tahoe Blue Center which is on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe making it a Nevada team.

It has been a long time coming to get another team in our area. The ECHL has wanted to move to the Reno Tahoe area since at least 2008 or so. There have been a couple of attempts to bring a team to our area. It is finally happening. I have no doubt that this will be good for the growth of hockey in the Reno Tahoe area. The question I have now is when will Reno get a pro hockey team? I think a Reno Tahoe rivalry would be great for the sport. The other question I have with that is will this stop Reno from getting a team? I fear at this point Reno will be unable to attract an ECHL team with potential owners not wanting to come to the area because there is already a team in Lake Tahoe. Along with that the Lake Tahoe team may try to block a Reno team or the ECHL may say that a team in Reno would be inside the Lake Tahoe market and not allow it. I hope I am wrong about that. I hope Reno will see a pro hockey team soon. I hope this can be the fire that gets the city to become serious about bringing in a pro hockey team.

The team name has not been announced yet but I have some ideas. There was a junior team in Lake Tahoe named the Lake Tahoe Blue. I feel like the name is ok but where they stood out was when they used of the old California Seals colors that were used from 1974 to 1976. I would love to see those colors make a return even if it is as alternate colors. The name that is at the top of my list is the South Lake Tacos. That is a play on South Lake Tahoe. Other name ideas I have are the Tahoe Tessies or Lake Monsters. (named after the monster of Lake Tahoe), the Lake Tahoe Huskies, the Lake Tahoe Ski Patrol (named after the ski resorts), Lake Tahoe Yeti, and the Lake Tahoe Mountaineers, The Lake Tahoe Olympians (named after the 1960 olympics which took place in Squaw Valley where USA won their first gold medal in ice hockey), the Lake Tahoe Blizzard, the Lake Tahoe Strike, the Lake Tahoe Voyagers, the Lake Tahoe Admirals, and the Lake Tahoe Thunderbirds.

If they are affiliated with the Vegas Golden Knights they could be the Lake Tahoe Blue Knights or Lake Tahoe Bronze Knights. If they are affiliated with the San Jose Sharks they could be the Lake Tahoe Cutthroats (named after a fish found in Lake Tahoe) or the Tahoe Lake Sharks. If they are affiliated with the Arizona Coyotes they could be the Nevada Coyotes or the Lake Dogs or the Lake Tahoe Howlers. If they are affiliated with the St Louis Blues they should just be the Lake Tahoe Blues but Blues as in music but Blues as in the color of the lake. If they are affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets they could be the Lake Tahoe Moose, the Lake Tahoe Thrashers, the Lake Tahoe Blizzard, or the Lake Tahoe Jets (named after the Nevada Air National Guard). If they are affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks they should be the Mighty Ducks of Lake Tahoe. If they are affiliated with the Edmonton Oilers they could be the Lake Tahoe Barons or Lake Tahoe Drillers. If they are affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings they could be the Lake Tahoe Monarchs, Tahoe Lake Kings, or the Lake Tahoe Blades. If they are affiliated with the Seattle Kraken they should be the Tahoe Tessies.

The ECHL team in Lake Tahoe will be the furthest west of any ECHL team. With the team in Lake Tahoe is the ECHL ready for another western expansion? Maybe. I think they could put teams in Reno and Sacramento. Stockton lost their AHL team to relocation so it is another market that the ECHL could move into. Las Vegas could probably support an ECHL team again along with their NHL and AHL teams. San Fransisco is another market I think they should try again. They could also put one in a different spot of the bay area. Colorado Springs could support an ECHL team. Albuquerque New Mexico and Prescott Arizona would be solid markets that had a Central Hockey team before. They could bring back the Alaska Aces. I think Tacoma Washington could be good market for a team. Put a team in Eugene Oregon as well. The reason for it not to be Portland Oregon is because Portland already has the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League which is part of the Canadian Hockey League which is a junior league at the same level as the American Hockey League.