Pielmeier assigned to Elmira.

The Ducks assigned Timo Pielmeier to ECHL affiliate Elmira on Sunday, mainly because it was more practical than assigning the goalie to AHL affiliate Syracuse.

The Crunch don’t play again until Friday. The Elmira Jackals will be playing Tuesday in Las Vegas, and Friday through Sunday in Ontario. Pielmeier served as the backup to Curtis McElhinney on Saturday in Denver while Jonas Hiller was dealing with fatigue symptoms. If Hiller is still ill by the time of the Ducks’ next game Wednesday (at Vancouver), Pielmeier will be closer to the West Coast – just in case.

If he’s still a Jackal by Friday, Pielmeier might face the Ontario Reign again for the first time since last season, when he regularly visited Ontario as a member of the Bakersfield Condors. The 21-year-old has appeared in 27 games for Syracuse this season, going 10-14-1 with
a 3.33 goals against average and .901 save percentage

(An out-of-court) Jason Bailey update.

In a very random turn of events, Jason Bailey is back with the Ducks’ ECHL affiliate.

The right wing recently sued the Ducks, claiming he was the target of discrimination while playing for their then-ECHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors in the 2008-09 season. It’s not that Bailey couldn’t wait to get back – this season, the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals happen to be a shared affiliate of both the Ducks and Ottawa Senators, Bailey’s current NHL organization. So when Bailey was demoted from the AHL’s Binghamton Senators on Thursday, he just happened to be headed to Elmira.

The Jackals’ head coach, Malcolm Cameron, isn’t the same coach who had Bailey two seasons ago and was named in the suit against the Ducks (though like Marty Raymond, Cameron isn’t an employee of the Ducks).

Ducks tap Elmira as new ECHL affiliate.

The Ducks have identified their new ECHL affiliate, agreeing to an affiliation with the Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals. Elmira is two hours south of Syrcause, making it the closest ECHL team to the Ducks’ AHL affiliate.

“We are thrilled to be entering into a formal affiliation agreement with Elmira,” Ducks GM Bob Murray said in a statement. “With ideal proximity to Syracuse and a premier facility in First Arena, Elmira will be a key partner in the development of our young players.”

Under head coach Malcolm Cameron, the Jackals scored a league-leading 275 goals last season and captured the East Division championship with a 37-26-9 record.

The Jackals will play three games in Southern California this season, visiting the Ontario Reign on February 11, 12 and 13 at Citizens Business Bank Arena.