Vancouver Canucks Add Kalamazoo Wings As ECHL Affiliate

Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

The Vancouver Canucks of the NHL and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL announced today that the teams have partnered up for an affiliate deal for the 2023-24 season. This is the first ECHL partnership the Canucks have had since the 2021 season, opting to go without an ECHL affiliate in recent years. Adding Kalamazoo as an ECHL partner team helps to round out the Canucks development pipeline, which also consists of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks team. The current partnership deal between the clubs marks the fourth time Kalamazoo has partnered up to join the Canucks. The Wings first served as an affiliate partner from 1984-87, then again from 2011-15 and 2017-21. In their previous tenure as the Canucks’ affiliate, the Wings won two North Division championships in both 2012 and 2014 and made four playoff appearances.

When announcing the new partnership, Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin had this to say, “Giving our guys every opportunity to grow, improve and succeed on the ice Is extremely important to the hockey club. Having this agreement with Kalamazoo gives our team and our development staff another touchpoint in the long hard journey to becoming a pro hockey player.” Additionally, Abbotsford Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson spoke about the value of having a third team in the Canucks pipeline, saying, “Teaming up with Joel Martin and his staff in Kalamazoo is another key building block in our player development process and will only help make our organization stronger.”

The Canucks season will get started on October 11th, with the Wings season kicking off on October 21st.


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Andrew Willis

Andrew Willis is a freelance hockey reporter covering the ECHL's Jacksonville Icemen for Inside The Rink and the Vancouver Canucks for The Canuck Way. His work has been featured on Hockey of Tomorrow and The Daily Faceoff, and can be found on Twitter/X @FromTheDrewLine.

One thought on “Vancouver Canucks Add Kalamazoo Wings As ECHL Affiliate”

  1. I found this post “Vancouver Canucks Add Kalamazoo Wings As ECHL Affiliate” to be incredibly informative and well-researched. The author’s attention to detail and inclusion of relevant examples truly enhances the content and makes it engaging to read.

Leave a Reply

ECHL: Allen Americans Sign Thomas Caron

The Allen Americans have announced that they’ve signed forward Thomas Caron for the 2025-26 season. Caron, 28, played in 31 games with the Idaho Steelheads, putting up eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points. In January, he would be traded to the Indy Fuel before being suspended by the team just two days later. […]

Read More

Winnipeg Jets Re-Sign Gabriel Vilardi and Parker Ford

The Winnipeg Jets have re-signed forwards Gabriel Vilardi and Parker Ford to contract extensions today. Ford received a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in year one and $850,000 in year two, per Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Free Press. Vilardi received a six-year contract worth $7.5 million annually, avoiding salary arbitration days before the hearing. […]

Read More
Utah Mammoth Extend AHL All-Star

Utah Mammoth Extend AHL All-Star

The Utah Mammoth announced they’ve extended an AHL All-Star to a two-year, two-way contract.

Read More