Reading affiliation changes
The Reading Royals will no longer be affiliated with the Kings and will now be the ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Kings will turn to the new Ontario Reign as their sole ECHL affiliate. AEG owns a part of the Royals and in March, Luc Robitaille said the Royals would remain the Kings' primary ECHL affiliate, despite the addition of Ontario. At the same time, however, the Royals' general manager, Gordon Kaye, said somewhat cryptically, ``(W)e are always going to look out for what is best for our team, our organization and our fans.'' It would seem that, with the emergence of the Reign right in the Kings' backyard, the Royals saw this move as being best for the organization.
UPDATE: The Royals' press release indicates... ``The Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, who have served as the Royals' affiliates for the past seven seasons, will continue in a participating affiliation relationship with Reading.'' Sounds as though there might be a few Kings-related players still in Reading.
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About Rich Hammond
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Is it just me or does this seem like an incredibly short-sighted move? Considering all of the shuffling that the organizations normally do between the AHL and ECHL, does it make ANY sense to have them 2,500 miles apart?
...and for the record, AEG co-owns the Royals, so it wasn't like they didn't have any input in the decision.
Rich,
Can you tell how many player will the Kings provide to Reign because the Kings only provide about six players to Reading.
Seems like an unusaully smart move for this organization, for the first time they can keep close tabs on their youngest minor leaguers (as can we fans, it's too bad our AHL affiliate couldn't be in the backyard). It's also a short hop for veteran rehab assignments, not unlike what the Angels do with their Cal league affiliate in Ranch Cuc. Curious about ticket price scales for Reign, might be more fun than watching lousy parent club, plus at reasonable prices. Still wonder what California and Alaska teams are doing in So called East Coast League!
Thanks for getting that info Rich. I asked about this during one of your open forums. You're the man!
Please excuse my ignorance, but can someone please tell me what players would play for the Reign. I was asked to buy season tickets at the new facility and was thinking about doing it. How do the steps in the organization work. I know players that are a step away from the NHL play in Manchester, so who would play for the Reign out of this years draft? If someone understands what I'm trying to say, I would appreciate your input.
thank god some people have brains.
of course its a good move. PR wise etc.
the idea is with the reign, players will skip the ahl on short term assignments and go straight from the nhl to the echl, while long term assignments would still be sent to the ahl
Zambonidude
Glass or VIP run for 1100
Upper levels end 400- middle 500
Middle levels I think from 600-800
Looks like I'll be buying tickets for the Wranglers when the Royals come to town... Any guess on who I'll be rooting for while praying they don't boo me out of the arena???
Um, for someone living in Saskatchewan, are we talking about Ontario Canada, or Ontario California? Is there an Ontario California? And if so , where is it? And dont go laughing, I'm sure there are a lot of people wondering, but they are smart enough not to ask.
Good point, Ryan. That's Ontario, Calif., about 40 miles directly east of downtown L.A.
Ryan Oliver,
It's Ontario, California. Gateway to the beautiful San Bernadino Valley. Home to the Ontario Mills shopping mall. Basically a place where Caviar Wishes & Champagne Dreams do come true!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario%2C_California
Sammy Farha, Are the Kings building a hockey franchise or a PR firm? Why is it smart to have your 2 levels of minor league teams 2,500 miles apart?
Good find, Rich (grin.)
But seriously, the ECHL (no longer dubbed the East Coast Hockey League) is a developmental league akin to AA baseball. You will not find a lot of "prospects" in the ECHL, but the list of players who have come into the NHL and have spent time in the "E" is growing.
The real issue is, as PSP said, the distance between Manchester and Ontario. There is far more movement between ECHL and AHL teams than there is ECHL and NHL, and the Kings organization (and virtually all NHL organizations) know that to put an AHL worthy player in the E just because of geography would be to retard that player's growth. You want the prospects to play in competitive circumstances, and it would be a gross injustice to a player to put him in a weaker league just to keep a closer eye on him.
Goaltenders get a lot of work in the E, and so a number of NHL clubs have not had a problem feeding their secondary goaltenders to that league, and that's why you've seen Brust, Fukufuji, Quick, Taylor and the like all wear Royals garb within the past few seasons. Still, defensive coverage and specialty teams are often laughable on the overall. The ECHL all-star game is usually fun to watch, but game in and game out, it's very frustrating to watch if you are accustomed to NHL standards... then again... the product we've watched in LA for the past ...four decades (LOL)... not so much :)
A couple of points:
First, the Kings (and Manchester) will still have an affiliation with Reading. From the Reading press release:
"The Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, who have served as the Royals’ affiliates for the past seven seasons, will continue in a participating affiliation relationship with Reading."
This allows the Kings to put fringe Manchester guys in Reading and call them up to Manchester when needed. It may also allow them a goalie spot in Reading. Ontario will have the more important "developing" players at the ECHL level.
Second, the Kings want to move all their affiliates out west. I suspect that Ontario is first being tested out at the ECHL level. If it works out, then they may move the team into the AHL and put another ECHL team in the area (or use one of the other West-coast ECHL franchises).
this plan should come as no real surprise, as both clubs (Ontario and Reading) had been hinting at it for some time. especially the marketing folks with the Reign who outright claimed they were the Kings affiliate way before it was ever officially announced.
Ontario, Calif, home of ONT aka "LA / Ontario" international airport (since it is owned/operated by the city of LA even though it is in San Bernadino county)... pop 172,701 (2007). third biggest town in the county after S.B. and Fontana (home of California Speedway), and yes Ontario claims the biggest mall in Southern Cal. I guess you can blame a couple of Canadian engineers for naming it after their home province in the early 1880's
I think what Sammy and others are referring to, and probably not far off in some respects, it's good to have SOME affiliate nearby instead of two that are nearly 3,000 miles away. and in a smaller, cheaper market with a brand new arena and few other pro sports teams they are bound to garner a good following. but I guess it is fair to say when they were running with the IHL LB Ice Dogs, pre-Lowell, Manchester, Reading it didn't necessarily work all that well.
true, JD and Marc
PSP...the Monarchs probably aren't long for the east coast either, and on top of that, it isn't often a kid out of the ECHL actually makes it to the NHL. Their chances are about 1 out of 900 or somewhere around there.
Not just the Kings, but the Ducks, Coyote's, Stars, Avalanche and Canucks have already begun looking into moving their AHL franchises west for logistical reasons when calling up players. The only reason why Manchester is where it is, is because the AHL is more or less an Eastern based league.
It's going to happen eventually. Don't be shocked if Kansas City isn't the new home of the Monarch's (just taking a guess there).
The problem really IS geographical. With the demise of the old IHL and failure of Western AHL teams like Utah & Kansas City, it's tough for NHL teams on the West Coast to find a close affiliation. Most every AHL team (29 of them) is in the Northeast, New England or upper Midwest. The closest AHL teams to California are Houston Aeros (Wild) and San Antonio Rampage (Coyotes). The next closest team is the Iowa Chops (Ducks).
Any western NHL team is geographically challenged with their AHL affiliates at least 1000-2500 miles away. Until the AHL expands out west or relocates franchises west of the Mississippi, it's going to be this way. Travel is the killer.
Btw, the Bakersfield Condors are Anaheim's ECHL affiliate. So the Kings using Ontario doesn't shake the landscape at all, distance wise. Vancouver has the Victoria BC Salmon Kings, just a ferry boat away.
Pat McGroyn said:
Ryan Oliver,
It's Ontario, California. Gateway to the beautiful San Bernadino Valley. Home to the Ontario Mills shopping mall. Basically a place where Caviar Wishes & Champagne Dreams do come true!!!
What the heck are you smokin'??? Smog, brown hills, smog, hundreds of housing developments that all look the same, smog, oppressive heat. Did I mention the smog?
In fact the new arena in Ontario is on the land which once housed the Ontario Motor Speedway. I had the "honor" of working just north of the arena location for seven years before moving my work location three miles from Manhattan Beach (where Rob Blake likes to hang out).
mrbrett7, your guess that Manchester might move to Kansas City isn't a bad one. It makes sense for both maketing purposes and logistics. Brings young Kings players half a continent closer to L.A. Only snag is that Manchester has a devoted following. But this IS a business and AEG is involved with both KC arena and Manchester ownership.
Other guess is a relocated NHL franchise to K.C. But NHL hasn't moved franchises since Winnipeg, Hartford and Quebec moved in the 90s.
wtf? people find a reason to bitch about everything don't they? who cares if the affiliates are 2k miles apart. Uncle Phil is paying the tab, not you.
Im just happy that more hockey is heading our way. I'm gonna be making lots of short trips to ontario soon.
EJ,
sar·casm
Pronunciation Key [sahr-kaz-uhm]
–noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.
I'm just happy to be able to go to games with kings prospects in them. I've never seen a hockey game live that wasn't high school or the nhl, so I'm stoked to see the echl, even if it is waaay below the nhl pace. Pretty close and damn cheap, works for me.
Like I said, I'm only guessing, but if the NHL fails to re-locate a team to Kansas City, it makes sense (although the arena is probably too large).
As you said, Bakersfield is Anaheim's ECHL affiliate, so it's not like other teams don't do this (although their AHL team is in Iowa), but it used to be in Maine, did it not?
I'd be shocked if in the next 10 years, you didn't see a Western expansion in the AHL simply due to the Western franchises in the NHL.
"(although their AHL team is in Iowa), but it used to be in Maine, did it not?"
yes Portland, I think. previously Cincinnati...
Thanks Rich
Mike said:
wtf? people find a reason to bitch about everything don't they? who cares if the affiliates are 2k miles apart. Uncle Phil is paying the tab, not you.
Congratulations on entirely missing the big picture.
What was one of the first things that everyone points to as a sign that the Kings are doing it "the right way"? It's having your own minor league teams, not just a secondary agreement for a couple of players on someone else's roster with another organization's coaches. There are tons of moves between the ECHL and AHL teams - many more than between the AHL and NHL. Is it more likely or less likely that ANY orgaanization is going to transfer players between clubs for short stints if they are 300 miles away or 3,000 miles away?
Until the Kings can arrange for the westward expansion of the AHL, this is going to hurt the development program.
Respectfully disagree PSP, and I will tell you why. Until Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Colorado, Anaheim, San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and to a lesser extent, every team in the midwest find a way to deal with this, it will hurt the development pro...oh wait, it hasn't with them.
Get the picture? You deal with it.
@ PSP. That's obviously not something that the management is worried about, so I wouldn't fret about it. I'm sure you'll see just as many transactions between our ahl/echl affiliates as previous years.
Duckhunter - Check Marc Nathan's description of the ECHL, basically akin to AA baseball. Ironically I live in Birmingham for awhile and we had both. The ECHL Birmingham Bulls and the Southern League Birmingham Barons (Tony Francona managed, Michael Jordan played one year, very entertaining....). The Bulls were fun to watch, very physical, you could guarentee a fight every night. Not like juniors, the league lacks a lot of skill but the play was fun to watch. A lot of the players are inbetween leagues, can't quite make the AHL or they need more seasoning. I don't think you'll see too many blue chip prospects there unless the parent club has someone that needs rehab. Then Ontario makes sense, very similar agreement to what the Angels have with Rancho Cuco....