Binghamton Devils | |
---|---|
City | Binghamton, New York Newark, New Jersey [1] |
League | American Hockey League |
Division | North |
Founded | 1998 |
Operated | 2017–2021 |
Home arena | Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena Barnabas Health Hockey House [1] |
Colors | Red, black, white |
Owner(s) | Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment |
Media | Press & Sun-Bulletin WICZ, WENE, WINR, WBBI, AHL.TV (Internet) |
Affiliates | New Jersey Devils (NHL) Adirondack Thunder (ECHL) |
Franchise history | |
1998–2006 | Lowell Lock Monsters |
2006–2010 | Lowell Devils |
2010–2017 | Albany Devils |
2017–2021 | Binghamton Devils |
2021–present | Utica Comets |
The Binghamton Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2017 to 2021 as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New Jersey Devils.
During the 2017–18 and 2018-2019 seasons, the Devils played home games at Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, New York. During the 2020–21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the team played home games at the New Jersey Devils' practice arena in Newark, New Jersey. The team did not return to Binghamton.
The franchise was moved to Utica, New York, to become the second incarnation of the AHL Utica Comets beginning with the 2021–22 season.
On September 26, 2016, shortly after it was announced that the Binghamton Senators were being purchased by their parent club and would move to Belleville, Ontario, for the 2017–18 season as the Belleville Senators, [2] the Senators' management said they were working hard to keep AHL hockey in Binghamton for 2017–18 and beyond. [3]
On January 25, 2017, the Times Union reported that the Albany Devils would move to Binghamton for 2017–18, citing the Devils' average per-game attendance of 2,888 being last in the AHL, [4] although the Binghamton Senators' attendance had been second-to-last at 3,666. [5] The official announcement of the team's move (and the Binghamton Devils name) was made on January 31, and noted that the organization had signed a five-year operating agreement. [6] [7] [8] Over their first two seasons in Binghamton, the Devils' attendance increased to 3,896 [9] and 3,471 [10] per game.
Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Devils moved their AHL affiliate to their practice rink for home games in Newark, New Jersey, for the 2020–21 season. In April 2021, it was reported there was an ongoing dispute between the local operators of the Binghamton Devils and the New Jersey Devils over moving the team to Newark for the season and demanding affiliation fees that Binghamton could not pay as a result of the pandemic. On April 5, a trademark was filed for the brand "Utica Devils" by Robert Esche, the operator of the Utica Comets, with the Comets' franchise license owned by the Vancouver Canucks. [11] According to the B-Devils vice president of operations Tom Mitchell, on April 14, 2021, he was informed by the New Jersey Devils that they planned to move the franchise for the 2021–22 season. [12] On May 6, the AHL approved the move to Utica, but retained the Comets branding already used by Esche with his current AHL club. [13]
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SOL | Tied | Points | PCT | Goals for | Goals against | Standing | Year | 1st round | 2nd round | 3rd round | Finals |
2017–18 | 76 | 25 | 38 | 9 | 4 | — | 63 | .414 | 193 | 247 | 5th, North | 2018 | Did not qualify | |||
2018–19 | 76 | 28 | 41 | 7 | 0 | — | 63 | .414 | 201 | 278 | 8th, North | 2019 | Did not qualify | |||
2019–20 | 62 | 34 | 24 | 4 | 0 | — | 72 | .581 | 189 | 182 | 4th, North | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
2020–21 | 35 | 7 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 [lower-alpha 1] | 22 | .314 | 89 | 127 | 7th, North | 2021 | No playoffs were held |
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). As of the 2024–25 AHL season, all 32 NHL teams held affiliations with an AHL team. Historically, when an NHL team does not have an AHL affiliate, its players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL franchises.
The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center.
The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2002 to 2017. Nicknamed the B-Sens, they played in Binghamton, New York, at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens were minor league affiliates of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. In 2017, the B-Sens' franchise was relocated by the Ottawa Senators to become the Belleville Senators. Binghamton then replaced the franchise with the Binghamton Devils, the AHL franchise of the New Jersey Devils.
Sergei Vladimirovich Brylin is a Russian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Brylin played with the Devils from 1995 to 2008 and is a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the team.
Visions Veterans Memorial Arena is a 7,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Binghamton, New York. The arena was completed in 1973, providing an entertainment venue for residents of the Greater Binghamton area. The arena has eight luxury suites that each hold 25 fans. A longtime home to minor league hockey, the arena is home to the Binghamton Black Bears of the Federal Prospects Hockey League.
The Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium is a 3,860-seat multi-purpose arena in Utica, New York, with a capacity of 5,700 for concerts. Nicknamed the Aud, it is the home arena of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the NHL's New Jersey Devils, and Utica City FC of the Major Arena Soccer League.
The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate.
The Utica Devils were a professional ice hockey team of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Utica, New York, and played its home games at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Kurt Kleinendorst is an American professional ice hockey coach. Since January 2022, he is head coach of the Iserlohn Roosters from the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Kleinendorst played four seasons at Providence College and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.
Mike McKenna is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. McKenna was selected in the 6th round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators and played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers. Mckenna worked the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs for TNT.
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.
Teams in the American Hockey League first hosted games outdoors in 2010. Paralleling the National Hockey League's Winter Classic and Heritage Classic, these outdoor games frequently pit two regional rivals in a game in an outdoor venue. Inasmuch as the games have carried a unified brand, the most commonly used name for these events has been the Outdoor Classic.
The Albany Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The top affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the A-Devils played their home games at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York.
The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey Devils. The team was established when the Vancouver Canucks relocated their AHL franchise to Utica for the 2013–14 season.
The 2017–18 AHL season was the 82nd season of the American Hockey League. The regular season ran from October 6, 2017, to April 15, 2018. The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season. The Toronto Marlies won their first Calder Cup in seven games over the Texas Stars.
The Belleville Senators are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2017–18 season as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ottawa Senators. Based in Belleville, Ontario, the Senators play their home games at CAA Arena. The franchise was previously based out of Binghamton, New York, as the Binghamton Senators.
The 2020–21 AHL season was the 85th season of the American Hockey League. Due to the ongoing restrictions in the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the regular season was pushed back to February 5, 2021, and the league championship Calder Cup was not awarded for the second consecutive season. The Hershey Bears won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the best regular-season record, their eighth regular-season championship. This was the first season under Scott Howson as the league's president after David Andrews announced his retirement after 26 years in the position.
The Abbotsford Canucks are a Canadian professional ice hockey team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and members of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the AHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks. The team is a relocation of the franchise owned by the Canucks and known as the Utica Comets from 2013 to 2021. This is the second AHL team to play in Abbotsford after the Calgary Flames affiliate Abbotsford Heat from 2009 until 2014.
The 2021–22 AHL season was the 86th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 15, 2021, and ended on April 30, 2022. The regular season was followed by the Calder Cup playoffs, which had not been held since 2019 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The playoffs began on May 2, 2022, and ended on June 25, 2022, with the Chicago Wolves winning their third Calder Cup.
Ryan Schmelzer is an American professional ice hockey center and captain for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL).