You know it’s a slow day when AHL and ECHL affiliate announcement are worthy of a post but with a new season on the horizon, it won’t be this way for much longer.
With that said, solidifying these agreements was an important step for the organization and great news for hockey fans in Binghamton, New York and Evansville, Indiana.
This morning the Ottawa Senators announced that they’ve extended their agreement with the Binghamton Senators for another four seasons. The deal will keep the team in Binghamton up until the 2018-2019 season. Having had the chance to go to a few Binghamton games over the last few seasons, I can tell you this is great news for the organization. The fans in that city are incredibly passionate about their hockey team and provide a great environment for this team’s prospects.
That wasn’t the only piece of affiliate news today either as the Senators also announced they have picked up a new ECHL affiliate, reaching an agreement with the Evansville IceMen.
The Evansville IceMen are proud to announce their affiliation with the Ottawa Senators beginning in the 2014-15 season.
— Evansville IceMen (@EvvIceMen) September 9, 2014
Evansville, Indiana is relatively new on the ECHL scene but to hear Assistant GM Randy Lee describe it, they are a perfect fit for the organization. Ottawa has been in the market for an ECHL team since Tim Murray and the Buffalo Sabres took over the Elmira Jackals.
Interestingly enough, IceMen Head Coach Dwight Mullins was the bench boss in Elmira the last couple seasons so he should have some familiarly with the Ottawa prospects that end up in Evansville.
-Nothing new on the Ryan and Methot negotiations and as we’ve heard over the last couple days, there are no talks scheduled with either player at this point. The people I have spoken with on the subject are still telling me there’s nothing to worry about. The organization has sort of portrayed a quiet confidence about these negotiations from the beginning. Hopefully Ryan and Methot feel the same way.
