Zac Electrifly

Meet The New Affiliate Of The Bloomington Bison: A Game-Changer For The Team

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Zac Electrifly

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There are two new teams entering the ECHL for the 2024-25 season. The ECHL also lost a team earlier this year when the Newfoundland Growlers folded. The Arizona Coyotes have also moved to become NHL Utah since then. This is a big year for changes in the hockey world. Part of that is the inevitable realignment of the ECHL. The first team to announce a new affiliate is the Bloomington Bison. They are one of the newest ECHL teams. They just announced their first ever affiliate. This announcement brought with it the loss of an affiliate for another team.

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The Bloomington Bison announced their first ever National Hockey League affiliate. They will be affiliated with the New York Rangers. The Bison will be the Rangers secondary affiliate. The Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League will remain the primary affiliate of the New York Rangers. The New York Rangers have been affiliated with the Hartford Wolf Pack since 1997. The New York Rangers ECHL affiliate was the Cincinnati Cyclones last season. Prior to that the Jacksonville Icemen (2021-23), Maine Mariners (2018-21), Greenville Swamp Rabbits (2015-18), Greenville Road Warriors (2010-15), Charlotte Checkers (1996-2010) and Erie Panthers (1991-94) have all been the Rangers secondary affiliate in the ECHL. This move does leave the Cincinnati Cyclones without an affiliate.

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The New York Rangers are the first team to get a new ECHL affiliate for the upcoming season. They will likely not be the last. There are still two ECHL teams without affiliates for the upcoming season. The Tahoe Knight Monsters and now the Cincinnati Cyclones. There are four NHL teams without ECHL affiliates. NHL Utah, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the St Louis Blues, and the Toronto Maple Leafs do not have ECHL affiliates. The Carolina Hurricanes share an affiliate with the Winnipeg Jets. In total five NHL teams are in need of ECHL affiliates. That could all change before the season starts.

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The Tahoe Knight Monsters are yet to announce an affiliate. There are plenty of options on the table. I think they will end up being affiliated with the Vegas Golden Knights. all signs point to that as the strongest possibility. The Cincinnati Cyclones will likely be affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets. I also think the Utah Grizzlies will ditch the Colorado Avalanche to be affiliated with NHL Utah. I think the Utah Grizzlies have a solid chance of eventually going back up to the AHL as NHL Utah’s primary affiliate. I think it would be interesting if all of the AHL and ECHL teams were affiliated with whoever their closest NHL team is.

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2 responses to “Meet The New Affiliate Of The Bloomington Bison: A Game-Changer For The Team”

  1. Unforgettable Moments From The 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs – Zac Electrifly Avatar
    Unforgettable Moments From The 2024 Kelly Cup Playoffs – Zac Electrifly

    […] leagues thirty sixth season. Next season will see the addition of the Tahoe Knight Monsters and the Bloomington Bison. Going into the season there was five affiliation changes. The Atlanta Gladiators, Cincinnati […]

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  2. The ECHL Affiliations For The 2024-25 Season: A Quick Guide – Zac Electrifly Avatar
    The ECHL Affiliations For The 2024-25 Season: A Quick Guide – Zac Electrifly

    […] In the ECHL Western Conference Central Division the Toledo Walleye are affiliated with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL and the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL. The Indy Fuel are affiliated with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. The Kalamazoo Wings are affiliated with the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL and the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL. The Fort Wayne Komets are affiliated with the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL and the Edmonton Oilers of the NHL. The Cincinnati Cyclones are affiliated with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL. Last season the Cincinnati Cyclones were affiliated with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL and the New York Rangers of the NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs were left without an ECHL affiliate last season after the NEwfoundland Growlers folded. The Iowa Heartlanders are affiliated with the Iowa Wild of the AHL and the Minnesota Wild of the NHL. The Bloomington Bison are affiliated with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL and the New York Rangers…. […]

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