david andrews ahl

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Stability was the central theme of the annual American Hockey League address on Monday.

"Things are humming along pretty well right now," AHL president and chief executive officer Dave Andrews said.
There are no plans for any franchise movement for next season and the four-division alignment will remain in place.
Andrews spoke during the final day of the AHL All-Star Classic, a two-day event that concludes Monday with a 3-on-3 round-robin tournament between the four divsions (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1).
The Western Conference team won the AHL Skills Competition 17-14 on Sunday.

Here are the highlights of the state-of-the-AHL speech:

Seattle AHL affiliate

Andrews expects the one-to-one ratio between AHL and NHL teams, established last season with the addition of Colorado (Colorado Avalanche) as the 31st AHL franchise, to continue when the latest NHL expansion team, in Seattle, starts play in the 2021-22 season.
The management for the Seattle team continues to do its due diligence on potential locations for an AHL affiliate, but Andrews said Monday he envisions the AHL team to be located on the West Coast.
With the AHL's Pacific Division at seven teams, such a location would allow the league to put the new Seattle affiliate in that division, bringing it into alignment with the three eight-team divisions. Andrews also projects that an expansion franchise would start in 2021-22, as well.
"We don't have anything to announce specifically, but I think that 2021 start is helpful to them and to us," Andrews said.

AHL All-Star Classic

Ontario will host the 2020 event. It will be the first time that the event will be held in California, where the AHL moved five teams in 2015. Ontario ranks third in AHL attendance at 8,224. San Diego leads the league at 8,730.
"We look forward to a warm-weather All-Star event for probably the first time," Andrews said. "[Hockey on the West Coast] is thriving. I think it's thriving all across the United States."

Player development

Seventy-seven AHL players have made their NHL debuts this season. Andrews estimated that there have been 450 player recalls through the first half of the season. Last season, AHL players skated approximately 6,000 man-games in the NHL regular season, and 87 percent of NHL players last season were alumni of the AHL.
"You can see how important we've become in terms of the National Hockey League product and their ability to ice competitive teams night after night," Andrews said. "The opportunities are there for our players, so I think that's why we see the energy we see game in and game out.
"That's why we see the kind of young guys that we have here this week. Energetic, incredibly talented, and very appreciative of being in our league because they know it's an opportunity."

Colorado

In keeping with the recent trend of placing AHL affiliates near their NHL teams, the Avalanche established their affiliate in Loveland, Colorado. It is the first time the Avalanche have a local affiliate since the team moved to Denver before the 1995-96 season. The Loveland-based franchise had been the ECHL affiliate for the Avalanche before shifting to the AHL.
Such a set-up allows Avalanche management and player development personnel to more often make the one-hour drive between Denver and Loveland to monitor prospects and conduct one-on-one work with players.
"We've had a very strong launch in Colorado with the Eagles, which was to be expected," Andrews said. "It was a very strong franchise in the ECHL, and the transition to the American League has been really positive. The relationship with the Colorado Avalanche has been great as well, so that has been a seamless addition to our league."

Officiating

The AHL moved to a two-referee system for all games beginning this season. That set-up brings it in line with the NHL model. The NHL and AHL are working on extending their officiating agreement for next season.
"Every official now in the National Hockey League has come through our program," Andrews said.

Schedule length

Three AHL divisions (Atlantic, North, Central), each consisting of eight teams, play a 76-game schedule. The seven-team Pacific Division employs a 68-game schedule.
Andrews would like to see his league eventually move to a universal 72-game schedule. Reaching an agreement would require approval from three-quarters of the AHL Board of Governors.

Collective bargaining agreement

The collective bargaining agreement between the AHL and the Professional Hockey Players Association will expire after the season. Andrews and the PHPA will begin work on a new CBA soon.
"We haven't exchanged notes yet, but I don't think that there are any incredibly hot-button issues for either side, at least that I'm aware of," Andrews said.