Abbotsford Heat

Last updated
Abbotsford Heat
Abbotsford Heat.svg
City Abbotsford, British Columbia
League American Hockey League
ConferenceWestern Conference
DivisionWest Division
Founded 1977
Operated 2009–2014
Home arena Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre
ColoursWhite, red, black, silver
    
Affiliates Calgary Flames (NHL)
Alaska Aces (ECHL)
Franchise history
1977–1987 Maine Mariners
1987–1993 Utica Devils
1993–2003 Saint John Flames
2005–2007 Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights
2007–2009 Quad City Flames
2009–2014Abbotsford Heat
2014–2015 Adirondack Flames
2015–2022 Stockton Heat
2022–Present Calgary Wranglers

The Abbotsford Heat were a professional ice hockey team that played five seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL) between 2009 and 2014. The team was based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and played its home games at the 7,046-seat Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre. The franchise was the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Calgary Flames and arrived in Abbotsford in 2009 as a relocated franchise formerly known as the Quad City Flames. The team played five seasons in British Columbia before the Flames' lease agreement with the City of Abbotsford was terminated following the 2013–14 season.

Contents

On May 5, 2014, the AHL's Board of Governors approved the relocation of the franchise to Glens Falls, New York where the Adirondack Flames replaced the Adirondack Phantoms who had moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania.

History

The Flames moved their affiliate to the Fraser Valley after playing two seasons in Moline, Illinois as the Quad City Flames. The team's transfer was approved on April 28, 2009, [1] and as a result, Abbotsford became the westernmost city in the AHL. The team closest to the Heat in distance, the Oklahoma City Barons, was 1,583 mi (2,548 km) away, and the Heat was the only AHL team west of the Central Time Zone. To reduce travel costs, road teams sometimes played two consecutive games in Abbotsford, and in some cases, the Heat played consecutive road games at the same arena. The same scheduling was used for the St. John's IceCaps.

The organization held a "name the team" contest, and on May 14, 2009, Heat was announced as the team's new name. [2]

On June 5, 2009, it was reported that Jim Playfair would debut as head coach of the Abbotsford Heat after spending two seasons with the Calgary Flames. [3]

Relocation to Glens Falls

The team struggled financially and saw low attendance; talks eventually broke down between the city of Abbotsford, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Calgary Flames on a possible affiliation swap.

Upon the Vancouver Canucks' purchase of the Peoria Rivermen, the Heat's owners were petitioned from interested groups in Utica, New York. On June 14, 2013, the Vancouver Canucks and Mohawk Valley Garden, the managing partner based in Utica, signed a six-year affiliation agreement, and the Utica Comets became the new AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks moved the team to Abbotsford in 2021, becoming the Abbotsford Canucks.

The city of Abbotsford terminated the contract with the Heat on April 15, 2014. [4] The Heat finished the season and Calder Cup playoffs in Abbotsford, and on May 5, 2014, the AHL's Board of Governors announced at its spring meeting in Chicago that it approved the relocation of the team to Glens Falls for the 2014–15 season, with games to be played at the Glens Falls Civic Center as the Adirondack Flames. [5] [6]

Team information

Mascot

The Heat's mascot was Hawkey, an anthropomorphic red-tailed hawk, a species native to the Fraser Valley. Hawkey could be seen at home games wearing jersey No. 00.

Season-by-season results

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonGamesWonLostOTLSOLPointsPCTGoals
for		Goals
against		StandingYear1st
round		2nd
round		3rd
round		Finals
2009–10 8039295790.5632172313rd, North 2010 W, 4–3, RCH L, 2–4, HAM ——
2010–11 8038324686.5381862124th, North 2011 Out of playoffs
2011–12 7642263592.6052002012nd, West 2012 W, 3–0, MIL L, 1–4, TOR ——
2012–13 7634324678.5131711984th, North 2013 Out of playoffs
2013–14 7643255394.6182372152nd, West 2014 L, 1–3, GR ———
Totals3881961442127440.567101110573 playoff appearances

Team captains

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References

  1. ↑ Millican, Joe (April 28, 2009). "Yes! Abbotsford gets AHL hockey". Abbotsford News . Archived from the original on May 2, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  2. ↑ "The HEAT is on for 2009–10 AHL season" (PDF). Fraser Valley Sports & Entertainment Ltd. May 14, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Flames name Jim Playfair head coach of AHL affiliate in Abbotsford". Sports Illustrated . June 5, 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-09-20. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Abbotsford Heat leave city with $12M in losses - CBC News". CBC.ca . April 15, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-16. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ Kramer, Lindsay (May 5, 2014). "AHL approves relocation of Calgary Flames' franchise to Glens Falls". Syracuse.com . Archived from the original on 2014-05-22. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  6. ↑ http://poststar.com/sports/mayor-three-year-deal-under-discussion/article_904d9100-d17f-11e3-9526-0019bb2963f4.hmtl%5B%5D
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