Report: Sharks moving AHL affiliate from Worcester to San Jose for 2015-16 season
The San Jose Sharks will reportedly relocate their top minor league affiliate to the West Coast next season.
From Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News:
The Sharks will move their minor league Worcester franchise in Massachusetts to SAP Center for the 2015-16 season, this newspaper has learned. The team will play between 30 and 40 games in downtown San Jose, filling up currently vacant dates at the arena.
The move is an unconventional one. No other National Hockey League team shares a building with its minor league affiliate, although the Toronto Maple Leafs’ minor league team, the Marlies, plays in the same city at a different arena.
It's a major domino to fall in what's expected to be a mass migration of AHL teams to the west coast in the coming years.
"There have been talks for a number of years about a Pacific division for the AHL," Sharks COO John Tortora said. "The AHL and NHL are working cooperatively to find a solution. But there are still many steps to take and many issues remain unresolved."
- with h/t to Pro Hockey Talk