AHL cancels remainder of regular season, playoffs

The Golden Knights’ affiliation with the Chicago Wolves ended Monday when the American Hockey League canceled the remainder of its regular season and Calder Cup playoffs.

The announcement was made after a vote Friday by the league’s Board of Governors.

The AHL has been paused since March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic and will not crown a champion for the first time in its 84-year history.

“After a lengthy review process, the American Hockey League has determined that the resumption and completion of the 2019-20 season is not feasible in light of current conditions. The league’s operational focus has turned toward actively preparing for the 2020-21 season,” AHL president and CEO David Andrews said in a statement. “We are very grateful to the National Hockey League and its teams for their support and leadership in navigating through the challenges faced over the past two months.

“The AHL continues to place paramount importance on the health and safety of our players, officials, staff and fans and all of their families, and we all look forward to returning to our arenas in 2020-21.”

The Knights will have a new AHL affiliate when the next season begins after purchasing the San Antonio franchise and relocating it to Henderson. The unnamed team is expected to play at Orleans Arena until construction is completed on a new arena at the Henderson Pavilion site.

Chicago finished 27-26-5-3 and fourth in the Central Division. In three seasons as the Knights’ top affiliate, the Wolves won two division titles and advanced to the Calder Cup Final in 2019.

While most of the Wolves’ players and coach Rocky Thompson are under contract with the Knights and will be part of the new AHL club, Chicago is expected to become the top affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes.

But it’s unclear whether the AHL can resume until fans are permitted by local government regulations to attend games. Unlike the big-box NHL, the minor league relies heavily on ticket sales and sponsorships for its revenue.

The Knights had more than 7,000 deposits for AHL season tickets as of Feb. 28.

“Our plans have remained pretty similar to what they would be ordinarily with respect to the American Hockey League franchise,” Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said last week. “If we get to a point where there’s no (minor league) hockey in the fall, then that would impact development and that would be something we need to address. But no one has those answers.”

Should the NHL resume its season, it’s likely that 23-man rosters would be expanded. The Toronto Marlies said in a news release to announce the cancellation of the AHL season that “select players” would join the Maple Leafs if permitted.

The Knights would have several recall options from the Wolves should the NHL season resume.

Jake Bischoff, Patrick Brown, Oscar Dansk, Nic Hague, Keegan Kolesar, Brandon Pirri, Gage Quinney, Garret Sparks and Valentin Zykov have appeared in at least one game for the Knights this season.

First-year pro Lucas Elvenes led the Wolves in scoring with 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists) in 59 games.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.