What a year can make regarding the ever-changing landscape of hockey affiliations. During the summer of 2023, the Carolina Hurricanes lost their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliation with the Chicago Wolves and entered a working agreement with the Norfolk Admirals. The Admirals were their primary ECHL affiliate team before they switched over to become the official team for the Winnipeg Jets. The Hurricanes spent the 2023-24 season loaning their prospects out around the AHL, and ECHL, and even sending them back to Europe so their players could get playing time. That is a huge blow for teams hoping to see their players get the development they need.
However, the 2024 offseason was much more in the corner of the Hurricanes as the minor league landscape changed once again, and thankfully in their favor. Where do the Hurricanes stand now in their minor league hockey pipeline as the ultimate goal is to get to Raleigh, NC, and be in the NHL?
Bringing the Band Back Together
One of the main things that the Hurricanes needed to regain their pipeline for their own players was getting an AHL affiliate back under the umbrella. The previous offseason the Wolves went independent leaving the Hurricanes without an AHL team. Thankfully on May 2, that all changed. It was announced that the Hurricanes and Wolves would reunite on a new three-year affiliation deal. At the time of the announcement, then-general manager of the Wolves Wendell Young stated, “We’re looking forward to being affiliated again and moving forward. It’s for the benefit of the Chicago Wolves, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the American Hockey League that we have 32 NHL teams and 32 AHL affiliates. It’s good to be partnered with the Hurricanes.” Once that was taken care of and we are in the middle of the offseason, we have already seen the Hurricanes bolster the AHL squad with veterans and the incoming prospects who hope to one day play for the team in Raleigh.
Related: Hurricanes Reunite With Chicago Wolves for AHL Affiliation
In July, the Hurricanes added AHL veterans Josiah Slavin, Riley Stillman, Joakim Ryan, etc. to help the future young guys get ready to play professional hockey at the AHL level. Furthermore, bringing back former Wolf Ryan Suzuki will go a long way in developing the prospects. Getting the AHL affiliation back will pay off in dividends for both the Wolves who want to get back into the Calder Cup Playoffs. Even more so for the Hurricanes who want all of their top prospects in one place to be coached by Cam Abbott so they can be ready for the next level of their careers.
While the Hurricanes did have a working agreement with the Admirals for the 2023-24 season, they decided to change course for the 2024-25 campaign. Carolina announced on Wednesday, July 24 that they will be in a working agreement with the Bloomington Bison of the ECHL. However, just like how the Admirals became the Jets’ official ECHL club, the Bison announced an affiliation agreement with the New York Rangers in May. Despite that, the Hurricanes can assign prospects to the franchise because there are only 29 organizations in the ECHL as of July 2024.
When asked about the announcement, Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke stated, “We are excited to partner with the Bloomington Bison and Hallett Sports & Entertainment. Hallett Sports & Entertainment already has an outstanding reputation in operating the Indy Fuel and we are confident that the same standard will apply in Bloomington. This past year, our prospects had success in the ECHL and we wish to continue those development efforts in close proximity to our AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves.”
Related: Chicago Wolves Weekly: 2024-25 Schedule Release & Team’s Latest Signings
Bison general manager and head coach Phillip Barski stated on the agreement with the Hurricanes, and the ECHL squad, “There is true excitement in the city of Bloomington in anticipation of our inaugural season.”
The proximity between the ECHL Bison and the AHL Wolves will play a key part in this alignment for the Hurricanes pipeline. It is only 137 miles from Bloomington, IL to Rosemont, IL and it only takes around two hours and 15 minutes when driving between the two cities. In case of a call-up, it will be quicker to go in-state rather than having to possibly travel from the coastal city of Norfolk to Chicago. All in all, this is a huge win for the organization having all of their prospects within a good distance between the different levels of the minor hockey pyramid.
The Future of the Pipeline
While the news of the ECHL agreement is exciting, for now, it is only set for the 2024-25 season. It is not clear if it will extend past this season with the duel NHL prospects going to the Bison from the Rangers and Hurricanes. The ECHL has 29 teams as of now with the potential of adding more within the next couple of seasons. However, there is no timeline on that so the hockey world is still in limbo of eventually getting 32 teams from the NHL to the ECHL level. It will be interesting for the Hurricanes when the next offseasons rolls around if they will try to keep the agreement going or maybe get their own ECHL affiliate.
But we will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, it is something to celebrate that the organization’s prospects will be in close proximity in Illinois at the ECHL and AHL levels. It will be fun keeping tabs on those two teams to see how the young guys are doing in their development and how the individual teams are doing in their seasons as well.
