The Gwinnett Gladiators up in Duluth have changed affiliations. They were formerly affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers, but that has now changed. Their parent club will now be the Phoenix Coyotes. This means they are also paired up with a new AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates.
In a press release from the Gladiators:
"Phoenix becomes the fourth NHL organization that the Gladiators have had an affiliation agreement with to develop prospects of an NHL team. Gwinnett served as the ECHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers for eight seasons from the Gladiators inaugural 2003-04 season until the 2010-2011 season before the Thrashers organization was sold and relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba for the start of the 2011-12 season. Gwinnett has also had dual affiliates with the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2008-09 season and the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2009-2010 season in addition to the Thrashers in those respective seasons."
"I think that there were really two key factors that made this affiliation a natural fit," Gladiators President Steve Chapman said. "The first is a common commitment to player development. The Phoenix Coyotes organization is committed to developing players through their system."
"The second factor is simply respect. Brad Treliving and I have known each other for a long time. Ray Edwards (head coach, Portland Pirates) was a long-time ECHL player and coach that I have known for years. They both spent considerable time in the ECHL and have a similar background in minor league coaching and administration. They have quality reputations and they have a solid understanding of our place and our importance in this relationship and they value it. We are looking forward to working with them and the other members and coaches of the Coyotes organization, as well as the Portland Pirates, as we seek to develop quality players and quality men."
The Winnipeg Jets are affiliated with the newly created AHL St. John's Ice Caps, who have a really nice looking logo. They have yet to name an ECHL affiliate, though that may not happen. It is rare, but not every NHL Team has an ECHL affiliate. In fact, four additional teams in the NHL do not have an ECHL team at the time of this post including the Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, and the Colorado Avalanche. Two ECHL teams do not have a parent NHL team, the new Colorado Eagles and the Las Vegas Wranglers.
It is possible that things will change and their might be a marriage between some more ECHL teams and NHL teams, but who knows. It is possible that some ECHL teams will have more than one NHL partner, so don't be shocked by that.
Let me show you that new Ice Caps logo.
What makes this neat is the hidden map in it. The ice on the mountains forms the outline of the Newfoundland and Labrador area in Canada, the very region this team is located in and serves.
Nice design. Kudos
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