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Jagged Jim
Sep 26, 2013

I... I can only look though the window...
So here we are again with another year and another mostly recycled OP. This thread is for discussing North American minor leagues (AHL, ECHL), Junior leagues (WHL, OHL, QMJHL, USHL), as well as European leagues (KHL, SHL, etc.) and the NWHL. This thread does not cover NCAA Hockey. If you wanna talk about that, the NCAA thread is here.

National Women's Hockey League

Website: http://www.nwhl.zone/
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFwEggLD91IcxpZvGqltJvw

The NWHL is the first professional women’s hockey league in North America to pay its players. The inaugural season began October 11, 2015 with the Founding Four: Boston Pride, Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale and New York Riveters. The Boston Pride became the first team in NWHL history to raise the Isobel Cup on March 12, 2016.

American Hockey League

http://www.theahl.com
The American Hockey League (AHL) is the top-flight minor league in the US and Canada. Over 80% of the players currently in the NHL played in this league at one point. Sufficed to say, this is the league to watch if you want to see your team's future players.

With the NHL expanding to 31 teams it means that the expansion Golden Knights St. Louis Blues will have to make do without a direct AHL affiliate for a season or two.

Relocations
-Binghamton Senators fled north of the border to become the Belleville Senators (OTT).
-Binghamton then did a cross state raid to make the Albany Devils into the Binghamton Devils (NJ).
-The Habs got tired of sending their minor leaguers to the rear end end of nowhere and moved the St. John's IceCaps to Laval, Quebec to become the Laval Rocket (MTL).

Affiliation Changes
-The Chicago Wolves changed affiliates from St Louis to Las Vegas. St. Louis can still send players to the Wolves since otherwise they won't have an AHL affiliate, but who knows how that will turn out.

Division Alignment


ECHL

http://www.echl.com/

If the AHL is AAA Hockey, the ECHL would be AA. Few players who wind up in the ECHL have much chance of ever making the NHL, and those that do usually are backups and 4th liners. The ECHL used to stand for East Coast Hockey League until 2003, when it absorbed the remaining teams from the West Coast Hockey League. Prior to the 2014-15 season, it also absorbed the remaining Central Hockey League teams. As a result, the ECHL spans from Alaska to South Florida. The ECHL, however, is known for having the greatest logo in professional hockey.


Canadian Hockey League

The main prospect development league in North America, the CHL is composed of three leagues. Each league holds its own NHL-style playoffs with the winners of each league along with the host city playing in the prestigious Memorial Cup tournament. The CHL is considered a "major junior" league and is sometimes referred to this way.

Players in the CHL are aged 16-20 (with an occasional 15 year old permitted in the OHL via "exceptional player status"). 20 year olds are considered "overage" and limited to 3 per team while teams may not play more than 4 15 or 16 year olds. Age for CHL purposes is based on the calendar year so for the 2013-2014 season, a 20 year old is any player born in 1993. This contrasts with the NHL where draft eligibility is determined by age on September 15.

Each CHL league has an annual draft of bantam-aged players within their regions and the leagues hold a combined import draft for players from outside North America who may wish to play in the CHL. Teams are limited to 2 import players.

WHL (Western Hockey League)
The WHL includes 22 teams in four Canadian provinces and two American states. The WHL holds the CHL rights to players from the four western provinces, all three territories, the American Pacific Northwest and other designated states west of the Mississippi River. The winner of the WHL playoffs is awarded the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Official website: http://www.whl.ca/

OHL (Ontario Hockey League)
The OHL is composed of 20 teams, located in the Canadian province of Ontario and the American states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. The winner of the OHL playoffs is awarded the J. Ross Robertson Cup.

Official website: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/

QMJHL (Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec)
Also called "the Q", the QMJHL is the only CHL league with no American teams (although there used to be one in Maine). The QMJHL has 18 teams, based in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The league has CHL rights to players from these provinces as well as Newfoundland and New England. The winner of the QMJHL playoffs is awarded the President's Cup. The league is known for high scores and a style of hockey which prioritises offense. Pity the goalies.

Official website: http://theqmjhl.ca/

The Memorial Cup
Each member league in the CHL holds its own separate playoffs. The three champions of these playoffs and the host city advance to play for the Memorial Cup. The host city is normally rotated between member leagues, but since this year is the 100th anniversary of the Memorial Cup the host city was selected from a pool of every member league instead of just one. This means that the Memorial Cup will be played in Regina, Saskatchewan instead of in a QMJHL city like normal.

The 4 teams in the Memorial Cup play each other once in a round robin format before advancing to the knockout phase of the tournament. The team with the best record receiving a bye to the championship game with the second and third place team having a play in game to determine the other team in the championship. The fourth place team is eliminated, but if they are tied with the third place team they will play a tiebreaker game.

Kontinental Hockey League

Russia is pretty into hockey. They've had aspirations to create a pan-Europe league to rival the NHL, but for now they have the KHL. Originating from the Russian Superleague, the league has expanded beyond Russia with teams in Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Ukraine and Finland. Prominent ex-NHLers include Alexander Radulov (CKSA Moscow) and Ilya Kovalchuk (SKA Saint Petersburg). Some Russian prospects take their time moving over to North America from the KHL.

Changes for 2016-17: Medveščak Zagreb and Metallurg Novokuznetsk are out, whoever they are. Maybe other stuff too, I dunno. Russia is far away.

Official website: http://en.khl.ru/

FAQ
Sounds cool! How can I watch?
The best way is in person. Minor hockey is cheap and you can probably get decent seats for $10-$15. Check your local team's Twitter or Facebook for additional promotions (e.g. my local WHL team has a limited number of seats on sale on Mondays for $5).

But if you don't live near a team, or want to keep up with their away games, the best way to keep up for free is radio. Yes, that's still a thing. Most if not all of these teams have all their games broadcast by a local radio station, and radio is almost universally available to stream (legally!) for free online with no restrictions on location. Sure, this means you can't see the games to judge your team's precious prospects with your own eyes, but radio commentating is very thorough and hearing the players' names to know who has been involved in the play gives a pretty good idea of who has played well. Hockey Webcasts is a fairly comprehensive source to stream radio for almost every North American team from the NHL, AHL, ECHL, WHL, OHL, and QMJHL. If your team is missing, check the official league page or team website.

The AHL, WHL, OHL and QMJHL all have sites like NHL Gamecenter Live where you can watch the games online. However, they are expensive and the quality tends to be pretty bad, with the video often just being a low-res feed of whatever goes up on the jumbotron. On occasion, games are televised locally in which case you might be able to find them on your favourite illegal streaming site. All KHL games are streamed through onhockey.ru, but they happen in the middle of the (North American) night and are in Russian, so that may or may not be your thing.

Why can't my team's hot prospect play in the AHL if he doesn't make the NHL team?
You can blame the NHL/CHL Agreement, a.k.a. why I didn't get to see Seth Jones play in Milwaukee.

Somewhere around 60% of all NHL players played in the CHL, making it the main pool from which the NHL drafts its players. To prevent NHL teams from taking their best players and immediately sending them to one of their minor league affiliates, the NHL and CHL made an agreement. If a player was drafted from a CHL team, they have to either be 20 years old by Dec. 31 (i.e. overage) or have played four years in the CHL in order to play in the AHL. Otherwise, the player must be sent back to the CHL team that has their rights. Note that this only applies to players drafted from the CHL, not players drafted from European leagues or the NCAA, even if they go on to play in the CHL after the draft.

If anything is wrong, blame Hockles.

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Jagged Jim
Sep 26, 2013

I... I can only look though the window...
Reserved?

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


Jagged Jim posted:

If anything is wrong, blame Hockles.

lmao


Go The Toledo Walleye Hockey Club, may you have another absurdly good season followed by a soul-crushing defeat in the conference finals :patriot:

iospace
Jan 19, 2038


I really need to go to some Ads games this year.

Hockles
Dec 25, 2007

Resident of Camp Blood
Crystal Lake

Jagged Jim posted:

If anything is wrong, blame Hockles.

Wow rude.

Hand Knit
Oct 24, 2005

Beer Loses more than a game Sunday ...
We lost our Captain, our Teammate, our Friend Kelly Calabro...
Rest in Peace my friend you will be greatly missed..
Just to make sure everyone is up on the important prospects for this year's draft, there's a dude called Nando Eggenberger, and another dude who is not only called Jett Woo but also the son of the guy who played Park in Goon.

ThinkTank
Oct 23, 2007

There's also Liam Kirk who could be the first player selected directly out of the English league since Tony Hand I believe.

It's a bit of a down year for great unique names but there are still some doozies:

Wyllum Deveaux
Kaid Oliver
Merrick Rippon

Jackson Leppard is the guy I'm rooting for the most though.

e: Oh yeah there's another Sutter coming.

ThinkTank fucked around with this message at 16:44 on Sep 18, 2017

Hand Knit
Oct 24, 2005

Beer Loses more than a game Sunday ...
We lost our Captain, our Teammate, our Friend Kelly Calabro...
Rest in Peace my friend you will be greatly missed..

ThinkTank posted:

Wyllum Deveaux

He better be short and drafted by either Dallas or Minnesota.

Scaramouche
Mar 26, 2001

SPACE FACE! SPACE FACE!

Man that is some game of thrones style crap. Next seasons breakout character Ser Wyllum of Deveraux, "the Spear". I think I'll write a low fantasy pastiche just using hockey player names.

Jagged Jim
Sep 26, 2013

I... I can only look though the window...
It looks like the Seattle Thunderbirds are about to be sold.

The CHL is starting up this weekend! Hopefully the Chief's goaltending will be less of a dumpster fire this year! :toot:

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155849349838000&id=72054987999

The Toledo Walleye continue to own and are doing Iron Man jerseys in November.


ECHL posted:

Over the course of the Season, each ECHL Team will adorn a special Marvel Super Hero theme jersey featuring one of several characters including Captain America, Ironman, Thor, Hulk, or collectively as the Avengers, with the ECHL Team’s own logo intertwined.  Several ECHL Marvel Super Hero Nights will feature these characters against each other with both teams wearing a specialty themed jersey

DJExile fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Oct 4, 2017

Jagged Jim
Sep 26, 2013

I... I can only look though the window...

DJExile posted:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155849349838000&id=72054987999

The Toledo Walleye continue to own and are doing Iron Man jerseys in November.

Oh cool, I wonder if the WHL is doing anythi-
https://twitter.com/VancityBuzz/status/915679228250742785
:catstare:

Also the WHL is cutting their season down from 72 games to 68 games.

Infidel Castro
Jun 8, 2010

Again and again
Your face reminds me of a bleak future
Despite the absence of hope
I give you this sacrifice




Just got my invite to the Ads STH party on Wednesday :toot:

Mage_Boy
Dec 18, 2003

This hotdog is about as real as your story Steve Simmons




WBS showed off their third jersey for the first time today (yes the tweet is a sales ad.)

https://twitter.com/WBSPenguins/status/916050410816843777

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


jesus, whose iphone 4 took that picture

Mage_Boy
Dec 18, 2003

This hotdog is about as real as your story Steve Simmons




DJExile posted:

jesus, whose iphone 4 took that picture

I have no idea what has been going on there this year, everything has been last minute, so it honestly wouldn't surprise me if they got the jerseys in and actually took the picture with a phone to tweet out. (We got our season tickets with like 2 days to spare before preseason started.)

Jagged Jim
Sep 26, 2013

I... I can only look though the window...
The two Chiefs games I've attended this season: two losses
The four Chiefs games I have not attended this season: four wins.

Being a fan is tough sometimes. :sigh:

Suspicious
Apr 30, 2005
You know he's the villain, because he's got shifty eyes.
McCarron almost had a Gordie Howe hat trick last night. An assist, a goal and... a roughing penalty.

This is the best he'll ever be, right? :sigh:

yellowcar
Feb 14, 2010

Suspicious posted:

McCarron almost had a Gordie Howe hat trick last night. An assist, a goal and... a roughing penalty.

This is the best he'll ever be, right? :sigh:

It's been four seasons since he finished over-age play in the O. And four disappointing pre-season stints. Yeah... he's done and is just giant reminder that Bergevin sucks at everything.

iospace
Jan 19, 2038


https://twitter.com/sportslogosnet/status/920037338293719047

ThinkTank
Oct 23, 2007

As much as I know this would never work because hockey players are terrified of being in the limelight and being perceived as doing anything even vaguely noteworthy or controversial, I love this move by the SPHL and I hope the NHL/AHL take notice.

quote:

But what if the Blackhawks could have simply chosen not to play the Predators? What if, as a reward for their regular-season success, they instead had the option of selecting the Calgary Flames, who were swept by the Anaheim Ducks? Would they have taken it? And if so, how ticked off would the Flames have been, knowing Chicago viewed them as an easier out despite being the higher seed?

These are the kinds of questions the Southern Professional Hockey League hopes its fans and teams will ponder under a new playoff format, one that's designed to create such controversy and consternation.

http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/21051826/nhl-why-nhl-adopt-new-stanley-cup-playoffs-format

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


The Toledo Walleye are doing a free sled hockey exhibition game because they're awesome and sled hockey is awesome.

Mage_Boy
Dec 18, 2003

This hotdog is about as real as your story Steve Simmons




Hmm, going to be an interesting weekend for WBS. With Niemi getting claimed, and DeSmith being called up, the only other goalie under contract is Sean Maguire, who is injured in Wheeling. On the bright side, the Pens only have two games this weekend, so Jarry should be able to play both games.

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


https://twitter.com/CincyCyclones/status/930915376598274054

:discourse:

Hockles
Dec 25, 2007

Resident of Camp Blood
Crystal Lake

So, what are the jerseys their opponents are wearing? Competing against those 3 jerseys has got to be interesting. Unless the other team is switching back and forth between dark and white too.

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


Hockles posted:

So, what are the jerseys their opponents are wearing? Competing against those 3 jerseys has got to be interesting. Unless the other team is switching back and forth between dark and white too.

I'd 1,000% love it if Fort Wayne wore jerseys depicting all 3 of the opponent teams

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


https://twitter.com/sfstampede/status/932119958007492608

GOALIE GOAL

Hand Knit
Oct 24, 2005

Beer Loses more than a game Sunday ...
We lost our Captain, our Teammate, our Friend Kelly Calabro...
Rest in Peace my friend you will be greatly missed..
https://twitter.com/twittorr/status/933654736426885120

I find these kind of elegant.

inferis
Dec 30, 2003


i love seeing a goalie do a flyby

fits
Jan 1, 2008

Love Always,
The Captain
https://twitter.com/RogersPlace/status/935292130368425984

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007



hell yeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh :radcat:

Scaramouche
Mar 26, 2001

SPACE FACE! SPACE FACE!

Promote that mascot to replace whatever scary thing the oilers have currently

Mage_Boy
Dec 18, 2003

This hotdog is about as real as your story Steve Simmons




So for the first game Milwaukee plays in WBS since the finals, they get to face a goalie who has never played in the AHL. I guess I should be glad I'm missing this game. Ouch.

DariusLikewise
Oct 4, 2008

You wore that on Halloween?
I like going to Brandon Wheat Kings games because the beer is cheap, not as fun without Nolan Patrick though.

inferis
Dec 30, 2003


These are great but the oil kings new logo is trash and looks like a failed arena football team.

cenotaph
Mar 2, 2013



Mage_Boy posted:

So for the first game Milwaukee plays in WBS since the finals, they get to face a goalie who has never played in the AHL. I guess I should be glad I'm missing this game. Ouch.

I got a ticket for it hours before Murray got hurt.

DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


https://twitter.com/ECHL/status/936068799836643328

ThinkTank
Oct 23, 2007

With 61 points in 25 games Aleksi Heponiemi is making a serious push to be the CHL's highest scorer since Crosby. He's actually on pace for more than that (176pts at the moment). That's a hell of a 2nd round pick.

AHAQQ
Jul 16, 2009
In KHL news, Jokerit and SKA St. Petersburg are playing in KHL’s first outdoor game.

The rink has been built specifically for this event (and a Lüga match) so the stands aren’t like hundreds of meters away like in the NHL. Pic from the KHL website

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DJExile
Jun 28, 2007


AHAQQ posted:

In KHL news, Jokerit and SKA St. Petersburg are playing in KHL’s first outdoor game.

The rink has been built specifically for this event (and a Lüga match) so the stands aren’t like hundreds of meters away like in the NHL. Pic from the KHL website


well drat that's awesome

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