It was just announced that the Utah Hockey Club has become an affiliate with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners and the ECHL’s Allen Americans. It is a one-year agreement between the two sides. This announcement comes after months of speculation by Utah hockey fans on who the Utah HC affiliate would be. The Americans have been affiliated with the NHL’s Ottawa Senators and the AHL’s Belleville Senators since the 2022-23 season. Previously, the Americans have been affiliated with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, and Seattle Kraken since they joined the ECHL in 2014.
The Americans, in the past, have been a team that they have played well, including when they first joined the league, winning back-to-back Kelly Cups in 2015 and 2016. Allen is a team that has had several players go on to play in the NHL, including Jordie Benn and Aaron Dell. There were also a couple of players who played in the NHL before being on the Americans, including former Stanley Cup Champion Alec Martinez, who was on the Americans during the NHL lockout in 2012-2013. Martinez scored the Stanley Cup clinching goal the following year in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
“We would like to thank Utah Hockey Club for their new affiliation with us,” noted Americans Majority Owner La Sonjia Jack. “We believe this new partnership will help us succeed in delivering an exciting and winning product on the ice in Allen in front of our great fan base. We look forward to strengthening our franchise with the talent our new affiliates have in their pipeline.”- Allen Americans Majority Owner La Sonjia Jack on the affiliation with Utah (Via Allen Americans Press Release)
For the Americans, this hopefully will bring great prospects into the Organization from Utah. The Americans protected several players who have now signed in Europe for the next season, including Spencer Asuchak, Grant Hebert, and Liam Finlay. It will be interesting to see how Allen plays this year and who gets called up to AHL/ NHL. After this announcement, this will leave the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Ottawa Senators without an ECHL affiliation
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