Jeff Marek, on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts The Podcast, theorized the possibility of three current ECHL clubs that could move to the AHL as an affiliate for the Hurricanes.
Could a current ECHL club find its way into the American Hockey League?
Jeff Marek, responding to a fan question on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts The Podcast, theorized the idea of moving a current ECHL team to the AHL rather than starting a new franchise, in what he called a “call up” as opposed to an expansion.
Referencing the move of the former ECHL Colorado Eagles to make 31 AHL franchises for 31 NHL teams, and with the Chicago Wolves deciding to go independent in 2023-24 – resulting in the Hurricanes having to disperse their players, as Marek puts it, “all over the place” – Marek was responsive to the idea.
He named the Fort Wayne Komets, Toledo Walleye, and Savannah Ghost Pirates as viable teams that make sense for the move.
Admitting that he believed this “wouldn’t be the preferred way for this to happen,” Marek cited the Ghost Pirates as a particularly intriguing market for Carolina.
“Beautiful rink. They put 7,600, that’s their average, 7,600 fans. Savannah is a wonderful place to live. I wonder if there’s going to be one, and you look at the proximity for the Carolina Hurricanes, if that would be the one,” Marek remarked. “If you could call up an ECHL team, that would be the one that I’d wonder about.”
He speculated that, due to the strong size building and the thriving Georgia market, if it was in the minds of those involved in the club that Savannah would be a lock for a future AHL team.
For his part, Marek’s co-podcaster Elliotte Friedman dismissed the idea. “You can’t just call a team up,” he jests.
The pair shared that, in theory, you would have to fold a current franchise and the parent NHL team would have to try to bring them in as an expansion club in an effort to make the league whole.
What do you think ECHL fans? Solid idea or wishful thinking?