Report: Senators looking to move AHL affiliate closer to Ottawa

Like many teams in the NHL, the Ottawa Senators are looking to bring their farm team as close to the parent club as possible.

With their AHL affiliate currently located in Binghamton, N.Y., the Senators are looking to relocate their franchise to the Yardmen Arena in Belleville, Ontario, for the start of the 2017-18 campaign, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reports.

The Yardmen Arena boasts an Olympic-sized ice surface, and there are current talks for the rink to undergo a renovation in an attempt to bring hockey back to the city after its OHL club left for Hamilton in 2015.

According to Garrioch, the Senators aren't considering to move their farm club to anywhere other than Belleville, which is located just a three-hour drive from Canada's capital.

Meanwhile, it's believed Ottawa doesn't want to leave Binghamton without an AHL franchise, and another NHL team may relocate its minor-league club to the city.

Any relocation would need approval from the AHL's Board of Governors.

The Senators join the Coyotes as teams reportedly looking to move their AHL affiliates, as Arizona announced plans earlier this month to move its farm club to Tucson for the start of next season.