The ECHL’s Worcester Railers have solidified their future, partnering with the St. Louis Blues to streamline player development and logistics alongside their nearby AHL affiliate in Springfield until 2031.
Today the Worcester Railers announced their new NHL partnership to be the St. Louis Blues. This makes their AHL affiliate the Springfield Thunderbirds, which makes sense and will be easier for players bumping up and down between leagues.
This news does not come as a surprise since the New Jersey Hammers (formally Utah Grizzlies) announced their new NHL affiliate to be the New York Islanders back in May.
It was left to ponder who Worcester would find a new home with, since it had not been previously said by the Railers HC (they would come out with a statement later).
When speaking about the affiliations in Massachusetts, Tim Taylor, St. Louis Blues Assistant General Manager and Co-General Manager of the Springfield Thunderbirds said
“For the development of St. Louis Blues prospects, Worcester truly is an ideal location for our ECHL affiliate and we look forward to launching this partnership with their organization and community...Having Springfield and Worcester located within 50 miles of each other will maximize the competitive opportunities for our young players and introduce some unique efficiencies for our player development and pro scouting teams.”
Worcester is not a stranger to the Blues organization, as it has had players assigned to from the St. Louis Blues in the past. This will be their return to Central Massachusetts. Worcester was home to the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Worcester IceCats from 1994-2005. This is fitting as the Railers have yearly IceCats Weekends to celebrate their history.
A celebratory Worcester Hockey History Blanket was given out to fans on their IceCats Weekend. Photo: Worcester RailersAs for the future, this is an excellent plan for development for players in the ECHL and AHL and hopefully will lead to call-ups between the teams easier for members of the teams.
