The NHL Affiliation Situation

If you've ever wondered about the status of the various affiliation agreements between NHL teams and their AHL and ECHL partners, look no further. This page has it all. (But if something's missing, let me know!)

This page was last updated on June 17, 2018.

NHL AHL   ECHL  
Anaheim Ducks San Diego Gulls affiliated since 2012;
owned since 2015		 Utah Grizzlies affiliated since 2013;
multi-year ext. signed 2016
Arizona Coyotes Tucson Roadrunners affiliated since 2015;
owned since 2016		 Fort Wayne Komets affiliated since 2017;
thru 2017-18
Boston Bruins Providence Bruins affiliated since 1992;
long-term ext. signed 2014		 Atlanta Gladiators affiliated since 2015;
thru 2018-19
Buffalo Sabres Rochester Americans owned since 2011 Cincinnati Cyclones affiliated since 2017;
term unknown
Calgary Flames Stockton Heat owned since 1993 Kansas City Mavericks affiliated since 2017;
term unknown
Carolina Hurricanes Charlotte Checkers affiliated since 2010;
term unknown		 Florida Everblades owned since 1998
Chicago Blackhawks Rockford IceHogs affiliated since 2007;
thru 2021-22		 Indy Fuel affiliated since 2014;
thru 2018-19
Colorado Avalanche Colorado Eagles affiliated since 2018;
thru 2027-28		 —  
Columbus Blue Jackets Cleveland Monsters affiliated since 2015;
multi-year deal signed 2015		 —  
Dallas Stars Texas Stars owned since 2009 Idaho Steelheads affiliated since 2003;
thru 2017-18
Detroit Red Wings Grand Rapids Griffins affiliated since 2002;
thru 2021-22		 Toledo Walleye affiliated since 2009;
thru 2017-18
Edmonton Oilers Bakersfield Condors owned since 1984 Wichita Thunder affiliated since 2017;
thru 2018-19
Florida Panthers Springfield Thunderbirds affiliated since 2015;
thru 2018-19		 —  
Los Angeles Kings Ontario Reign owned since 2001 Manchester Monarchs affiliated since 2008;
term unknown
Minnesota Wild Iowa Wild owned since 2003 Rapid City Rush affiliated since 2017;
thru 2017-18
Montreal Canadiens Laval Rocket affiliated since 1969;
owned since 2015		 Brampton Beast affiliated since 2015;
thru 2017-18
Nashville Predators Milwaukee Admirals affiliated since 1998;
thru 2021-22		 —  
New Jersey Devils Binghamton Devils owned since 2006 Adirondack Thunder affiliated since 2017;
thru 2018-19
New York Islanders Bridgeport Sound Tigers affiliated sinced 2001;
owned since 2004		 Worcester Railers affiliated since 2017;
thru 2019-20
New York Rangers Hartford Wolf Pack affiliated since 1990;
owned since 1997		 Maine Mariners affiliated since 2018;
term unknown
Ottawa Senators Belleville Senators affiliated since 2002;
owned since 2016		 —  
Philadelphia Flyers Lehigh Valley Phantoms affiliated since 1996;
thru 2018-19?		 Reading Royals affiliated since 2014;
multi-year ext. signed 2016
Pittsburgh Penguins W-B/Scranton Penguins owned since 1999 Wheeling Nailers affiliated since 1999;
thru 2017-18
San Jose Sharks San Jose Barracuda owned since 2001 Allen Americans affiliated since 2014;
thru 2017-18
St. Louis Blues San Antonio Rampage affiliated since 2018;
thru 2022-23		 Tulsa Oilers affiliated since 2017;
thru 2018-19
Tampa Bay Lightning Syracuse Crunch affiliated since 2012;
thru 2021-22		 —  
Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Marlies owned since 1978 Newfoundland Growlers affiliated since 2018;
term unknown
Vancouver Canucks Utica Comets owned since 2013 Kalamazoo Wings affiliated since 2017;
thru 2017-18
Vegas Golden Knights Chicago Wolves affiliated since 2017;
thru 2021-22		 —  
Washington Capitals Hershey Bears affiliated since 2005;
thru 2019-20		 South Carolina Stingrays affiliated since 2014;
thru 2019-20
Winnipeg Jets Manitoba Moose affiliated since 2011
owned since 2004		 Jacksonville IceMen affiliated sine 2017;
term unknown
— —   Greenville Swamp Rabbits TBD
— —   Norfolk Admirals Independent
— —   Orlando Solar Bears TBD

Affiliation News

2018

  • Jun 14: Toronto Maple Leafs announce ECHL affiliation with Newfoundland Growlers for an unknown term.
  • May 31: New York Islanders extend ECHL affiliation with Worcester Railers through 2019-20.
  • May 31: St. Louis Blues extend ECHL affiliation with Tulsa Oilers through through 2018-19.
  • May 24: New Jersey Devils extend ECHL affiliation with Adirondack Thunder through 2018-19.
  • May 23: SPHL will expand to Moline, IL (Quad City). Contest is underway to name the new team.
  • May 18: Edmonton Oilers extend ECHL affiliation with Wichita Thunder through 2018-19.
  • Apr 9: New York Rangers announce ECHL affiliation with Maine Mariners, ending 8-year affiliation with Greenville Swamp Rabbits. 
  • Mar 15: Washington Capitals extend ECHL affiliation with South Carolina Stingrays through 2019-20.
  • Mar 13: Quad City Mallards (ECHL) cease operations after 2017-18 season, ending affiliation with Vegas Golden Knights.

2017

2018 Key DAtes

  • Jun 14: Marks end of 2-year affiliation agreement between Dallas Stars and Idaho Steelheads announced June 15, 2016.
  • Jun 18: Marks end of 1-year affiliation agreement between Minnesota Wild and Rapid City Rush announced June 19, 2017.
  • Jul 11: Marks end of 1-year affiliation agreement between Vancouver Canucks and Kalamazoo Wings announced July 12, 2017.
  • Jul 30: Marks end of 1-year affiliation agreement between Arizona Coyotes and Fort Wayne Komets announced July 31, 2017.
  • Aug 16: Marks end of 2-year affiliation agreement between Pittsburgh Penguins and Wheeling Nailers announced Aug. 17, 2016.
  • Aug 29: Marks end of 2-year affiliation agreement between Detroit Red Wings and Toledo Walleye announced Aug. 30, 2016.
  • Sep 13: Marks end of 1-year affiliation agreement between Montreal Canadiens and Brampton Beast announced Sept. 14, 2017.