Toronto Maple Leafs to have new ECHL affiliate in St. John’s
By James Reeve
The Toronto Maple Leafs will change ECHL affiliations next season with the news that St. John’s, Newfoundland will have a new franchise, replacing the outgoing Colorado Eagles.
According to The Telegram, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have a new ECHL affiliate next season, in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The expansion team will play their home games at the Mile One Centre starting from the 2018/19 season and the team will most likely play in the North Division.
The ECHL made the official announcement on Tuesday and the team will be affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will change their affiliation away from the Orlando Solar Bears.
The St. John’s team have yet to decide on a name, but one of the possibilities being considered may bring a smile to fans of the comedy movie Goon.
According to The Telegram, the marketing firm that issued a press release on behalf of the team’s new owners has registered the domain www.stjohnsshamrocks.com.
The St. John’s Shamrocks were a team portrayed in the film Goon, with Liev Schreiber’s character Ross “The Boss” Rhea starting and ending his career with the team.
Regardless of the team’s name, the affiliation with the Maple Leafs will be a positive one for both the ECHL and NHL teams.
The Leafs have a history of affiliation with St. John’s, with the Toronto Marlies originally being the St. John’s Maple Leafs between 1991 and 2005.
The affiliation will help the Maple Leafs when sending prospects down to the ECHL, allowing them to avoid the difficult visa process required to send players across the border down to Orlando in the USA.
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It will also allow the Maple Leafs a better opportunity to check on prospects’ development, travelling within the same country to watch games.
It is believed the Leafs will have influence not just on the ice, but off it as well in terms of coaching and backroom staff, allowing them an opportunity to create a three-tiered development system for both players and staff.
St. John’s will now be hoping the new team will have better success than the teams that have rolled through the city in recent years.
The St. John’s Fog Devils played in the QMJHL from 2005, before folding due to financial issues in 2008 and the St. John’s IceCaps were the Winnipeg Jets and later the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliates between 2011 and 2017, before moving to Laval.
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Leafs fans, what do you think about the team having a new ECHL affiliate in St. John’s? Residents of St. John’s, what are your thoughts on the new team? Let us know in the comments below!