The ECHL's newest franchise, the Bloomington Bison, will announce its NHL affiliation at the end of the month

The Bloomington Bison are planning to formally announce their NHL affiliation at a special event on May 30, the team announced on Monday. The event will take place at Grossinger Motors Arena at 11:00 a.m. CT, where the Bison will also introduce the franchise's new head coach.

“We’re beyond excited to unveil this partnership with our NHL affiliate,” said Jim Hallett, Chairman of Hallett Sports, and the Bloomington Bison. “This collaboration represents a tremendous opportunity for us to further elevate the caliber of hockey in the community and provide our players with unparalleled resources and support.”

The Bison were introduced as the ECHL's 30th member in January and will officially begin league play in the 2024–25 season.

Bloomington is the second ECHL expansion team to be announced during the 2023–24 season, joining the Tahoe Knight Monsters, who were introduced as the league's 29th member at the end of November.

At the beginning of the 2023–24 season, 28 of the 32 NHL franchises held ECHL affiliations, leaving only the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, and Arizona Coyotes without league ties.

However, a fifth team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, was left without an ECHL affiliate after the Newfoundland Growlers ceased operations in early April due to bankruptcy.