Boston Bruins ECHL affiliate opts out of 2020-21 season
By Matt Hawkins
The Boston Bruins’ ECHL affiliate have opted out of the 2020-21 season.
The Atlanta Gladiators, ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins, have opted out of the 2020-21 season.
The Gladiators have been affiliated with Boston since 2015 and were previously affiliated with other NHL teams such as the Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets), Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes (now Arizona Coyotes), and Buffalo Sabres.
Originally the Mobile Mysticks from 1995 to 2002, the franchise relocated from Mobile, Alabama to Gwinnett County, Georgia in 2003 and became the Gwinnett Gladiators.
In 2015, the organization rebranded itself as the Atlanta Gladiators. This rebrand was done in an attempt to attract new fans by including the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Who will be the Boston Bruins ECHL affiliate for the 2020-21 season?
With the Gladiators opting out of the 2020-21 season, who will be the Bruins’ ECHL affiliate this year? Not every NHL team has an ECHL affiliate, but with the number of prospects the B’s have, they need the extra affiliate besides the Providence Bruins of the AHL.
As reported by Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (subscription required), Boston is in talks with the Jacksonville Icemen to place players with them. The Icemen are currently affiliated with the Winnipeg Jets and their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose.
Having an ECHL affiliate is important for the B’s as they had several prospects playing in the ECHL in 2019-20. These included goalies Callum Booth and Kyle Keyser and forwards Joona Koppanen and Samuel Asselin.
Without an ECHL affiliate, it may be harder for the Bruins to develop prospects as players that are not yet good enough to play in the AHL will be without playing time.
It is also worth noting that the agreement between the Gladiators and Bruins had to be renewed for the 2020-21 season as it expired after 2019-20, so the Bruins may have been looking for a new ECHL affiliate anyway.
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Either way, Boston is currently without an ECHL affiliate, which could hurt the development of some of their prospects.