West division gets two more teams

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 9:49 a.m.

The ECHL has added two teams to the West Division in two days, and that might be good news for the Las Vegas Wranglers next season.

ECHL commissioner Brian McKenna said next year's addition of Phoenix and Stockton as ECHL markets -- the ninth and 10th teams west of Texas -- might prompt the league to give the West Division additional playoff spots.

"We will entertain proposals between now and our (governors') meeting in June," McKenna said late Tuesday. "Four of seven or four of eight (playoff eligible) teams is not a bad situation, but once you get to four out of 10 teams, I think it begs to have another format where a higher percentage of teams make the playoffs.

"I think it's probably a very good possibility the west might become two divisions to enter the 2005-06 season," he said.

The move into Stockton was expected. Later this year the central California city will open a 10,000-seat arena in its downtown area, and ECHL franchises in Bakersfield and Fresno -- demographically and geographically similar markets -- have enjoyed great community support.

McKenna said the process of moving the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies to Stockton has been ongoing for about a year, up to Monday's announcement.

Phoenix is more of a surprise. McKenna said the Legacy Partners' purchase of the expansion team originally slated for Bloomington, Ill., developed in just the last month. The Legacy Partners are the majority owner of the Phoenix Suns, and include former Suns and Diamondbacks majority owner Jerry Colangelo.

The Phoenix Roadrunners will play at America West Arena, which hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. That NHL team moved to its own arena in suburban Glendale last season. Because the Coyotes' arena is so far away from the city's population, Wranglers president Billy Johnson thinks a team in downtown Phoenix is a good idea.

"It's almost impractical to go to a Coyotes game now because it's just so far away," Johnson said. "It's an opportunity for a price-point in the league and an arena that's just been re-done with a major renovation."

The purchase comes less than a year after Colangelo told the Arizona Daily Star that Phoenix is the "most over-saturated sports market in the country."

McKenna that the presence of five other major professional sports teams, including an NHL franchise, was a concern.

"We would have had doubts about it had it not been for this group," he said. "The fact is that it is the ownership group of the Suns, the Colangelos know the market, they control the building, and obviously there's a past with having a hockey team playing in the building, they have the marketing resources and database of existing fans in the area to make it work."

The Stockton franchise also comes from a good pedigree, as Michael Reinsdorf, son of Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, will serve as the team's chairman. The franchise he purchased from Atlantic City has been one of the ECHL's most successful in the past few seasons, winning the league title in 2003 and amassing a 110-50-24 record during the past 2 1/2 seasons.

"They should be competitive right off the bat," McKenna said. "They have been in Atlantic City, they will get to protect eight players, the same as any other team in the league, so there will be some carryover there in terms of returning players."

Johnson said the addition of teams in the west is a positive for his team.

"It helps us schedule-wise because we get more variety and more arenas to play in, that helps everyone sort of get better dates as a whole," he said. "As far as the league's concerned, any time you add a Reinsdorf or Colangelo as ownership, it's a pretty good deal."

The two moves won't be the end of ECHL expansion to the west. Reno is already represented on the league's board of governors, with a team planned for there pending construction of a new arena. McKenna said that Ontario, Calif., could also be a prime candidate for a team, and that the league would also like to have an increased presence in the Pacific Northwest.