Aeros, Wild partner with CHL Austin
August 25, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Houston Aeros News Release
Houston, Texas - The Austin Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League today announced completion of an affiliation agreement with the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. The agreement will make the Ice Bats the official CHL affiliate of the Wild and their primary affiliate, the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League.
Under the agreement, the Ice Bats are to receive AHL-contracted players from the Wild organization, as well as place players in Houston's 2004 pre-season training camp. The agreement will also allow the Aeros to call up Ice Bats players for competition at the AAA-level.
"We are tremendously excited to be working with two great organizations in the Minnesota Wild and Houston Aeros," said Ice Bats President Jeff Buch. "These are two organizations with a history of developing outstanding young talent. We look forward to helping them develop their prospects for the future, and to providing quality hockey for our fans."
"An NHL affiliation represents another significant step forward for our program," said Jeff Greenlaw, Ice Bats Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations. "We know we'll have the chance to develop quality talent within Minnesota's organization, and are looking forward to that opportunity. Furthermore, we now have the ability to offer every player on our roster a chance to earn a spot at the next level. Being a part of that kind of developmental system will entice more quality players to come to Austin, and should greatly enhance our recruiting."
An NHL expansion team in 2000, the Wild nearly reached the pinnacle of Stanley Cup success in just their third season of operation, ousting Cup favorites Colorado and Vancouver en route to the 2003 Western Conference Finals.
"We are pleased to be associated with the Austin Ice Bats for the purpose of developing young players within our system," said Tom Lynn, Minnesota Wild Assistant General Manager/Hockey Operations. "Like the Aeros, the Ice Bats were among the first hockey teams in Texas. That tradition, along with the quality of the Ice Bats ownership group are among the positive factors for the creation of this relationship."
The agreement renews a longstanding relationship that dates back to 1997, when the Ice Bats began several years as an affiliate team for Houston, then of the International League. The Aeros have also enjoyed recent success, winning the IHL's Turner Cup in 1999 and the AHL's Calder Cup in 2003, just their second year of American Hockey League competition.
"We look forward to working with Ice Bats Coach Jeff Greenlaw in the development of our young players for the future," said Aeros Assistant Coach Matt Shaw. "With the proximity of Austin to Houston, we'll be able to call up players with ease, and give our fans a chance to see our stars of the future while they develop their careers in Austin."
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