Today the Allen Americans of the ECHL and the Ottawa Senators of the NHL announced that they have extended their partnership for a second season. The teams will now be affiliated through the end of the 2023-24 season, providing the Senators with one more stop on the team’s development pipeline. The Senators and the Americans first partnered together back in August of 2022 after the Americans served as the ECHL affiliate to the NHL’s newest expansion franchise, the Seattle Kraken, during the 2021-22 season.
“We are thrilled to extend our affiliation with the Allen Americans,” said Belleville Senators GM and Ottawa Senators Assistant GM Ryan Bowness. “Tommy (Daniels), Chad (Costello), and the rest of the organization have been nothing but great to work with and we look forward to seeing more of our players develop effectively in the great environment the Americans provide”
Allen Americans Press Release
Last season as a first-year affiliate of the Sens, the Americans ended the year with a 37-32-2-1 record, finishing in second place in the ECHL’s Mountain Division. The Americans then knocked off the Kansas City Mavericks in six games during the first round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs before falling victim to the Idaho Steelheads in round two. Previously in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, the Americans were back-to-back Kelly Cup winners.
The addition of Allen to the Ottawa development pipeline provides the organization with a competitive hockey club at the ECHL level that can help to service the Belleville Senators, Ottawa’s AHL affiliate team. There was limited movement from Ottawa down to the Allen team last year, however, the Senators bringing in copious amounts of fresh talent for the upcoming season, fans could see a bit more shifting around at the development level.
The Ottawa Senators are back in action on Wednesday, October 11th, while the Allen Americans will take to the ice on Friday, October 20th, to start their 2023-24 season.
