ECHL: NHL Teams Without An ECHL Affiliate

With two new teams on the horizon for the ECHL, Bloomington Bison and Tahoe Knight Monsters, it leaves those in the hockey world, wondering, who are the NHL affiliates of these two teams?

Here is the thing, five teams in the NHL DO NOT have an ECHL affiliate.

• Carolina Hurricanes
• Arizona Coyotes
• Columbus Blue Jackets
• St. Louis Blues
• Toronto Maple Leafs

Having an NHL affiliate helps those teams in the ECHL gain access to more players and resources. With the loss of the Newfoundland Growlers in the North Division, there is likely to be some league re-alignment due to the location of the two new teams. Newfoundland Growlers were affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs. This now leaves Toronto with only an AHL affiliate. When a team does not have an ECHL affiliate, a player has no spot to play if they do not make the AHL or NHL roster. Players can choose to go back to Juniors if they have not aged out, or play overseas.

Bloomington Bison are making their NHL affiliate announcement on May 30th. Tahoe Knight Monsters have yet to announce when they are making their NHL affiliate known. When the 2024-2025 season begins, there will be 29 teams in the ECHL.