Discussion of Robert Esche‘s trademark application brings Utica Comets’ history into question. That plus the ongoing war between Binghamton and the AHL Devils coming to a head right now makes for an obvious conclusion. Not that anyone’s officially saying so yet, of course.
AHL Roulette and the Utica Comets
In any other week, this would be a big story. For a day (or so) it was. Then the Vancouver Canucks came back – in every sense – to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs and everything else was pushed aside. But it’s still a big deal.
In the previous two years, the Canucks were affiliated with the Chicago Wolves. This must have been fun for the farm players, as the Chicago Blackhawks and the Canucks were at it hammer-and-tongs during that stretch. In 2013, the Wolves and Canucks agreed not to renew their contract, and the St. Louis Blues moved in. So… better? Vancouver bought St. Louis‘ former AHL team from the Blues and everyone was happy. Or confused about their enmity. Or both. Probably both.
The Canucks were actually very close to having an inactive AHL team when they bought the Peoria Rivermen. There was obvious speculation that they would be moving the Rivermen to Abbotsford when the Calgary Flames‘ farm club moved out. Only catch was that the Heat didn’t leave. Speculation at the time was they would be going to Utica, who hadn’t had an AHL team for a decade. It had been the home of the New Jersey Devils farm club, who were bought by the Flames and moved to St. John.
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Everything Old is New Again
Since Abbotsford had the Heat, St. Louis had the Wolves, and Peoria was out of luck, it meant Utica was short a team. Fortunately, there was one looking for a home. The Comets started their existence in 2013 after a bit of a mad scramble with Robert Esche and his Mohawk Valley Garden Inc. owning the club and naming Travis Green as their first coach. They didn’t make the playoffs in that first season but had a respectable 35 wins in 76 games.
More importantly, they had 17 sellouts and THAT’S what makes a franchise owner smile. When the team hit over 200 sellouts in a row, it’s a surprise their heads didn’t fall off.
The team wasn’t hugely successful in graduating players to the Canucks, but the parent club was still pushing for a return to the Stanley Cup. That meant dealing away prospects and draft picks. It was going to take a while to re-stock their farm. The Comets’ most successful season was their second when the team was stocked with AHL veterans. They made it to the Calder Cup, but couldn’t quite finish the deal. They made the playoffs twice more in four years, but that’s as good as it got.
As for the prospects, the best are – ironically enough – showing up now. The very best never make it to the AHL, and the ones who need just a bit of seasoning are frequently gone quickly.
Wagons West!
The Utica Comets have quite an extensive history – looking through the ownership and name changes, that is. They were founded as the Quebec Beavers in 1932, and frankly, that’s pretty amazing. They’ve moved from Quebec to Utica with just four moves in between, and should now be heading West. Where exactly is still a bit of a question.
We’ve gone over what should happen to the Canucks’ farm before. Most recently we discussed what to do with the quarantine affecting border crossings and travel. Our conclusion then was to move them North: difficulty crossing the border was neutralized and the AHL squads could mirror their NHL counterparts. When the subject of moving the team permanently came up, we concluded that leaving the Utica Comets in place was probably the better option. Yes, they were a long way away, but the excellent support from fans, higher number of games, and ease of travel compensate.
Looks like that’s not going to happen, though. The deal signed in 2018 was for “up to six seasons” with an opt-out year in seasons two and four. This is season two, and the year has been rough for calling players up. So they’re on the move to…
The Nearby Land of Faraway
There are a few options for a landing place for the soon-to-be-former Utica Comets. Abbotsford remains an option, though the Heat was a financial failure. It could certainly be that having a farm team of the local club instead of a hated rival (the Blues had their farm in Chicago? REALLY?) would help their box office. And obviously, the proximity anywhere in or near Vancouver is a plus for scouting and communication. The farm club could well play in the Canucks’ former home, the Pacific Coliseum.
But not every option is in Vancouver, or even in Canada.
The two Albertan NHL team have both moved their affiliates to California, joining the three Californian NHL teams. Should Vancouver join them, then travel will be eased both inside the league and being called up to the Canucks. Add in Seattle’s farm in Palm Springs starting the 2022-23 season, the Tucson Roadrunners and the Colorado Eagles, and that’s a pretty reasonable distance for travel. That’s the obvious division for the Canucks to join, even if they were in British Columbia. But If they stay with their parent club North of the border, they’ll be the only outliers.
Conclusion
We suspect that the former Utica Comets won’t be coming to Vancouver. If the objective was proximity it would be a great destination. Ticket sales would probably be very good, sharing a fan base with the parent club. But if it was about ticket sales, well, 200+ sellouts is pretty tough to beat.
The biggest advantage of having the team in Utica – easy travel – is mitigated by a move to Southern California. Yes, it’s a bit worse, but just a bit. Going to BC would exacerbate it, and have a border in the way to boot.
Having the farm across town would be fun, but is, alas, unlikely.
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