Five NHL teams will have their top minor-league affiliates closer to them in California as the American Hockey League unveiled a new Pacific Division that will begin next season.
The Edmonton Oilers will have their AHL team in Bakersfield, the Calgary Flames in Stockton, the Los Angeles Kings in Ontario, the Anaheim Ducks in San Diego and the Sharks in San Jose.
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Previously, the Oilers’ top minor-league team was in Oklahoma City, the Flames’ in Glens Falls, N.Y., the Kings’ in Manchester, N.H., the Ducks’ in Norfolk, Va., and the Sharks in Worcester, Mass.
READ MORE: Oilers moving AHL team out of Oklahoma City
This is the first phase of trying to geographically balance out the AHL, which historically has been centred in the East.
The Vancouver Canucks’ AHL team will remain in Utica, N.Y., and the Winnipeg Jets’ in St. John’s, N.L., for at least next season, though there are rumours of each NHL club wanting the same type of move as their Western Conference Canadian counterparts.
The AHL made this announcement Thursday afternoon at SAP Center in San Jose, where the Sharks’ yet-to-be-renamed AHL team will play beginning next year.
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