An NHL franchise can have players playing in the AHL, but they are still property of the NHL club.  So take Jake Allen for example.  Jake Allen is signed to an entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues, but has played the majority of his career in the AHL.  Allen may have suited up for the Peoria Rivermen, but he was never their property.  Since the St. Louis Blues had an agreement with the Rivermen to be an affiliate of the team (and in this case the Blues owned the Rivermen) Allen was able to switch back and forth.

AHL franchises can also sign players to contracts.  In this scenario, a player can be signed to an AHL only deal.   If they excelled in the AHL and wanted to move up to the NHL, and NHL club would have to offer them a contract.  The player would be the property of the AHL club alone and not have the ability to switch between the AHL and NHL.

Although this is a simplistic explanation of how things work, it should help to clear up some of the questions fans have since the St. Louis Blues are now affiliated with the Chicago Wolves.  All of the Blues prospects which have been drafted and signed to entry-level deals will now be playing for the Wolves, but any players signed only to an AHL contract will stay with the Rivermen.

The changing of an AHL team just means that you should expect your prospects to be wearing a different sweater.

Hope this helps those who have questions.

LET’S GO BLUES!

-Alex Hodschayan

Recently the St. Louis Blues sold the Rivermen to the Vancouver Canucks who plan to move the team to Abbotsford this upcoming season.  The Canucks had previously had an agreement with the Chicago Wolves making them the likely candidate for the Blues to partner with.

Doug Armstrong seems pleased with the transition and had this to say, “They’re a top American Hockey League franchise and to be associated with such a winning organization is going to be very beneficial for the Blues.  Peoria is a great hockey market and we’ve been there for a number of years, but our belief is from a hockey operations standpoint moving forward, the organization in Chicago, the ownership group, the facility they play in … it just seemed like the right time to make the move for us.”

When Tom Stillman and company purchased the St. Louis Blues they made it clear that their goal was to cut costs within hockey operations to try and get the team to a point where it can earn money and become financially stable.  The sale of the Rivermen has created a cost-saving solution to the Blues AHL concerns, plus the Chicago Wolves are owned by Don Levin allowing the Blues to save on operating costs.

The Wolves joined the AHL in 2001 and has one two Calder Cups since then (2002 and 2008).  Throughout the franchise’s 12 seasons they have qualified for the postseason eight times and have never had a losing season.  The home of the Wolves is located in Rosemont, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.  Some critics would be concerned with the prospects playing in the suburbs of a major city, but others would argue that it is an atmosphere that will help players adjust to what life will be like in the NHL.

Chicago Wolves GM Wendell Young said, “There was a view from Vancouver that they were going to move on and Doug called and sat down with my owner and we had a conversation, and it just went from there.  Just knowing the reputation of Doug and the management here, the organization, and knowing that it was a good fit for us, we knew what we wanted.”

Let’s hope that this partnership is one that will serve the Blues well in upcoming seasons.

LET’S GO BLUES!

-Alex Hodschayan