Buffalo Rick Posted October 24, 2016 Share Posted October 24, 2016 I am in disbelief that Bakersfield has an AHL team. Out there in California and named after the protected large birds that are now rarely seen but fly down the steep cliffs to feed on dead whale or seal carcass's that wash ashore. I was hoping to see one. I did go by Bakersfield while in California andI a pretty shocked they have a team. I am sure the only way they could play the Rochester Americans is if they both made it to the Calder Cup finals. That is the case with many AHL teams that are geographically very far apart. The AHL is very spread out now days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Yep the NHL teams have been trying to move their AHL affiliates closer every year, which makes sense. The San Jose Barracuda are there next to the Sharks for instance, The Grand Rapids Griffins are just across state from the Wings, ect... it makes sense from a logistic standpoint to have your AHL team close in case of injuries and so the coaching staff can keep an eye on their top prospects. Toronto has been doing it for I don't know how long with the Marlies as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 1 hour ago, yave1964 said: Yep the NHL teams have been trying to move their AHL affiliates closer every year, which makes sense. The San Jose Barracuda are there next to the Sharks for instance, The Grand Rapids Griffins are just across state from the Wings, ect... it makes sense from a logistic standpoint to have your AHL team close in case of injuries and so the coaching staff can keep an eye on their top prospects. Toronto has been doing it for I don't know how long with the Marlies as well. I remember when the Oilers had their farm team based on Cape Breton for about 10 or so years. Due to travel (Edmonton had very few direct flights in the 80s and 90s) it could sometimes be several days before a recalled player could make his way into the NHL lineup. As you say, it also made scouting and visiting the team a royal pain the ass as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Don't forget the Flyers had there AHL team in Hershey for years (only 2 hrs away). Then they literally played next door in Philly right across the street. The team moved to Adirondack for a few years until the arena in Allentown, PA (Lehigh Valley) was ready. Allentown is only 90 minutes up the PA Turnpike. That was goal a few years ago for all the AHL teams to be closer to their parent teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 The Minnesota Wild moved their AHL affiliate from Houston, TX (Houston Aeros) to Des Moine, IA (Iowa Wild). Pretty much a straight shot, 250 miles, 3.5 hour trip from Des Moine to St. Paul, MN. I haven't done it yet, but I've been wanting to drive out to see an Iowa game. Just not a huge fan of driving down icy roads in winter time in the upper Midwest... But errr, I'll attempt it one day... On the flip side, the Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate has moved FURTHER away from parent club. For a few years, they had the Norfolk Admirals in Virginia, but now have their top minor club based out of Syracuse, NY (The Crunch). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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