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Utica Comets

The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey Devils. The team was established when the Vancouver Canucks relocated their AHL franchise to Utica for the 2013–14 season.

Utica Comets
CityUtica, New York
LeagueAmerican Hockey League
ConferenceEastern
DivisionNorth
Founded1932 (first franchise)
1998 (second franchise)
Home arenaAdirondack Bank Center
ColorsRed, black, white
     
Owner(s)
PresidentRobert Esche
General managerDan MacKinnon
Head coachRyan Parent (interim)
CaptainRyan Schmelzer
MediaWKLL (94.9 FM)
Observer-Dispatch
WKTV NewsChannel 2
WUTR Eyewitness News
AHL.TV (Internet)
AffiliatesNew Jersey Devils (NHL)
Adirondack Thunder (ECHL)
Franchise history
First franchise
1932–1935
1935–1951		Quebec Beavers
Springfield Indians
1951–1954
1954–1967		Syracuse Warriors
Springfield Indians
1967–1974
1974–1994		Springfield Kings
Springfield Indians
1994–2005
2005–2013		Worcester IceCats
Peoria Rivermen
2013–2021Utica Comets
2021–presentAbbotsford Canucks
Second franchise
1998–2006
2006–2010		Lowell Lock Monsters
Lowell Devils
2010–2017Albany Devils
2017–2021Binghamton Devils
2021–presentUtica Comets
Championships
Division titles2 (2014–15, 2021–22)
Conference titles1 (2014–15)
Current season

The Comets are the second AHL team to call Utica home; another New Jersey Devils-affiliated team, the Utica Devils played in the city from 1987 until 1993. Before the 2021–22 AHL season, the Canucks relocated the franchise used by the Comets to Abbotsford, British Columbia, and the Devils relocated their franchise, the then-Binghamton Devils, to Utica to play as the Comets. As with the Devils, the Comets are owned by Josh Harris and David Blitzer under Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE).

History

Establishment of the Comets

On March 29, 2013, a deal was announced for the Peoria Rivermen franchise to be purchased by Canucks Sports & Entertainment (CS&E), owners of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Vancouver Canucks. The deal was later approved by the American Hockey League (AHL) on April 18.[1] The Canucks-owned franchise is one of the oldest professional hockey franchises in existence, dating back to 1932, when the team was known as the Quebec Beavers. In 1935, the franchise moved to Springfield and became the Indians, reviving the name after the original Indians franchise ceased operations during the 1932–33 Canadian-American Hockey League season. In addition to the Indians, the team has been known as the Syracuse Warriors, Springfield Kings, Worcester IceCats and then the Rivermen.

After purchasing the franchise, CS&E intended to have the franchise located in a market close to Vancouver, British Columbia. Their initial preference was Abbotsford, British Columbia, which was home to the Calgary Flames' AHL farm club, the Abbotsford Heat. The Heat had been rumored to have plans to relocate to Utica at the time.[2] Negotiations between the Canucks and Abbotsford broke down by April 22, ensuring the Heat would remain in the city.[3] Media reports speculated that the Canucks would move the team to Vancouver and share Rogers Arena, which is also owned by CS&E, with the Canucks. This proved impossible as Vancouver is within Abbotsford's 50-mile territorial radius provided by the AHL.[4] A reported plan to have the team play in Seattle's KeyArena was disallowed by the NHL, as Seattle was reportedly a candidate to land the troubled Phoenix Coyotes franchise. However, the Coyotes eventually found a new owner with intentions to keep the franchise in Arizona and Seattle eventually received an expansion team in the Seattle Kraken to play in the arena.[5]

By May 2013, CS&E's options for the franchise were dwindling; it did consider keeping the franchise in Peoria,[6] but notified the city on May 13 it would not operate in that city, and the Rivermen were replaced by a Southern Professional Hockey League team of the same name.[7] CS&E did consider placing the franchise in dormancy for the 2013–14 season, with the Canucks loaning their AHL prospects to other teams.[8] Facing an extended deadline by the AHL to find a new home,[9] CS&E agreed to a deal with Utica, New York, to relocate the franchise to the city's soon-to-be-renovated Memorial Auditorium.[10] The deal was confirmed on June 14 with an official announcement revealing the Utica Comets name and affiliation, along with logo and jerseys patterned after the Canucks' blue, green and silver color scheme.[11] The Comets' nickname honors several prior professional hockey teams in the Mohawk Valley, most notably the Clinton and Mohawk Valley Comets, which played from 1927 until 1977 (as the Mohawk Valley Comets, they called the Memorial Auditorium home); the Atlantic Coast Hockey League's Mohawk Valley Comets, which played from 1985 until 1987; and a third team of the same name, which played in the North Eastern Hockey League during the 2003–04 season.

Vancouver Canucks affiliation (2013–2021)

After establishing the team, CS&E began hiring operations personnel. Travis Green became the first head coach,[12] while Paul Jerrard and Nolan Baumgartner were named assistant coaches, and Pat Conacher was hired as the director of hockey operations.[13] Utica played its first game on October 11, 2013, a 4–1 loss to the Rochester Americans. In the game, Pascal Pelletier scored the first goal in Comets' history.[14] Utica lost two more games before making their home debut. Before the game, the Comets celebrated the region's hockey history with a slide show, Gordie Howe dropped the ceremonial puck and the Hanson Brothers from the movie Slap Shot made an appearance. Utica lost the game 4–1 to the Albany Devils.[15][16] One week after their home opener, Colin Stuart was named team captain.[17] The Comets finished their debut season with 35 victories and 79 points, four points behind the last spot of the playoffs. Seventeen of the team's thirty-eight home games were sold out.[18]

 
Comets' logo from 2013 to 2021 with colors reflecting those of the Canucks.

Before the 2014–15 season, Cal O'Reilly was named the team's new captain.[19] The Comets saw much improvement in their second season, and after Sven Baertschi and Cory Conacher were acquired in trades, the team soon dominated the Western Conference, finishing the regular season as the top seed.[20] During the playoffs, the Comets won the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as Western Conference champions, advancing to the Calder Cup finals against the Manchester Monarchs;[21] the Comets would fall to the Monarchs in five games. Following the season, O'Reilly joined his brother Ryan with the Buffalo Sabres.

The 2015–16 season saw the departure of many Comets players. Jacob Markstrom became the backup goaltender for the Canucks, Brendan Gaunce and newly-named captain Alex Biega also spent significant time with the Canucks, while Nicklas Jensen and Hunter Shinkaruk were traded mid-season to the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames, respectively. The Comets placed third in the North Division, which was moved to the Eastern Conference at the start of the season. They were eliminated in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, losing the series 3–1 to the Albany Devils.

At the start of the 2016–17 season, Carter Bancks was named team captain, replacing Alex Biega, who became a full-time player for the Canucks. The Comets were unable to clinch a playoff berth, falling four points short. However, the team managed to sellout every home game, extending their sellout streak.

On April 26, 2017, the Canucks hired Green as their new head coach after leading the Comets to a 155–110–39 record through their first four seasons.[22] He was replaced by Trent Cull as head coach of the Comets.[23] The Comets continued their sellout streak through the 2017–18 season. They qualified for the 2018 playoffs as the fourth seed in the North Division. They lost the opening round in five games to the Toronto Marlies, the eventual Calder Cup champions.

On October 19, 2018, the Utica Comets sold out their 121st consecutive regular season game, establishing a new AHL record. They also sold out all of their 17 playoff games hosted during this span, for a combined streak of 138 consecutive sellouts.[24] They reached 200 consecutive regular season sellouts on February 29, 2020.

On December 29, 2018, during the final season of their initial six-year affiliation agreement, the Canucks and Comets extended their affiliation agreement for up to an additional six years, with potential opt outs every two seasons.[25][26]

The Comets played their first 61 games of the 2019–20 season, but the last 15 games of the season were postponed on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then cancelled entirely.[27] The start of the 2020–21 season was also pushed back to February 2021. The Comets also agreed to a one-year dual affiliation with the St. Louis Blues after the Springfield Thunderbirds opted out of the 2020–21 season.[28] Prior to the pandemic-related schedule changes, the Comets planned to host the Syracuse Crunch in an outdoor game at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York, on February 13, 2021,[29] however, the game was not held as the season had not started.[30]

New Jersey Devils affiliation (2021–present)

In April 2021, a new trademark was filed for the brand Utica Devils by Robert Esche, the president of the Utica Comets, for a potential relocation of the Binghamton Devils.[31] On May 4, the Canucks announced that they plan to relocate the Comets' franchise to Abbotsford, British Columbia, pending final discussions with the city of Abbotsford and league approval.[32] On May 6, the league approved of both relocations while the Comets and the Devils announced a ten-year affiliation agreement for the Comets to operate the Devils' AHL franchise.[33] The Utica team remained branded as the Comets[34] but changed their team colors to match the Devils.[35] Kevin Dineen was brought on as the first head coach under the Devils' affiliation.[36]

The Comets started the 2021–22 AHL season with an 11–game winning streak, tying the 1984–85 Rochester Americans for the most consecutive wins to start a season by an AHL team. They would win their next game against the Charlotte Checkers to break the previous record, with a 12–0–0–0 record to start the regular season.[37] Their streak was snapped at 13 games following a loss to the Rochester Americans on November 24.[38] The Comets would use this winning streak to help them finish with a North division regular season championship, and with the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference.[39] They would have a bye in the first round, but would lose in five games to the Rochester Americans in the North Division Semifinals.

Season-by-season results

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for 		Goals
against 		Standing Year Prelims 1st
round 		2nd
round 		3rd
round 		Finals
2013–14 76 35 32 5 4 79 .520 187 216 3rd, North 2014 Did not qualify
2014–15 76 47 20 7 2 103 .678 219 182 1st, North 2015 — W, 3–2, CHI W, 4–3, OKC W, 4–2, GR L, 1–4, MCH
2015–16 76 38 26 8 4 88 .579 224 217 3rd, North 2016 — L, 1–3, ALB — — —
2016–17 76 35 32 7 2 79 .520 195 220 5th, North 2017 Did not qualify
2017–18 76 38 26 8 4 88 .579 211 216 4th, North 2018 — L, 2–3, TOR — — —
2018–19 76 34 34 6 2 76 .500 224 257 6th, North 2019 Did not qualify
2019–20 61 34 22 3 2 73 .598 210 186 3rd, North 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 28 16 11 0 1 33 .589 89 88 4th, North 2021 No playoffs were held
2021–22 72 43 20 8 1 95 .660 246 206 1st, North 2022 BYE L, 2–3, ROC — — —
2022–23 72 35 27 6 4 80 .556 215 222 4th, North 2023 W, 2–0, LAV L, 1–3, TOR — — —
2023–24 72 32 29 5 6 75 .521 221 226 6th, North 2024 Did not qualify

Players

Current roster

As of November 20, 2024.[40]
Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
34   Adam Beckman LW L 23 2024 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Devils
48   Tag Bertuzzi C L 23 2024 Vancouver, British Columbia Comets
22   Seamus Casey D R 20 2024 Miami, Florida Devils
50   Nico Daws G L 22 2021 Munich, Germany Devils
16   Filip Engaras C R 25 2023 Stockholm, Sweden Comets
5   Joseph Gambardella (A) C L 30 2021 Staten Island, New York Comets
24   Brian Halonen LW R 25 2022 Delano, Minnesota Devils
39   Mike Hardman LW L 25 2024 Hanover, Massachusetts Devils
18   Jace Isley F L 22 2023 Grand Prairie, Alberta Comets
79   Samuel Laberge LW L 27 2021 Chateauguay, Quebec Devils
11   Nathan Legare RW R 23 2024 Montreal, Quebec Devils
3   Will MacKinnon D L 24 2023 Plymouth, Michigan Comets
13   Jack Malone RW R 24 2024 Danville, California Comets
7   Simon Nemec D R 20 2022 Liptovský Mikuláš, Slovakia Devils
67   Xavier Parent LW L 23 2022 Laval, Quebec Comets
1   Isaac Poulter G L 23 2022 Winnipeg, Manitoba Devils
26   Ryan Schmelzer (C) C R 31 2021 Buffalo, New York Devils
61   Chase Stillman RW R 21 2023 St. Louis, Missouri Devils
83   Topias Vilen D L 21 2023 Lahti, Finland Devils
32   Andy Welinski D R 31 2024 Duluth, Minnesota Comets
6   Colton White (A) D L 27 2024 London, Ontario Devils
20   Max Willman C L 29 2023 Barnstable, Massachusetts Devils

Team captains

There have been four players who have served as the captain in the first franchise, and one in the second. Colin Stuart was the first franchise's first captain, who was appointed until he left the team as a free agent in 2014, while Ryan Schmelzer is the first and current captain of the second franchise, holding the position since his appointment in 2021. Carter Bancks is the longest-tenured captain of either franchise, having held the position from 2016 until his retirement at the end of the 2019–20 season.[41]

First franchise

Second franchise

References

  1. ^ "Report: Vancouver Canucks Purchase Rivermen; Move to Abbotsford?". Thecanuckway.com. March 29, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. ^ Kramer, Lindsay (February 26, 2013). "Possible AHL move to Utica stirs conflicting reports". The Post-Standard. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. ^ McIntyre, Gordon (April 23, 2013). "Abbotsford Heat staying put for next season at least after Canucks talks break down". The Province. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  4. ^ Dan Kinvig (April 13, 2013). "Heat's territorial rights limit Canucks' local AHL options - Abbotsford News". Abbotsford News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  5. ^ Mirtle, James (June 17, 2013). "Seattle on NHL's relocation radar yet again". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  6. ^ Eminian, Dave (April 23, 2013). "Civic Center begins talks with NHL Vancouver over Rivermen". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  7. ^ Eminian, Dave (May 13, 2013). "Peoria to join SPHL under former Rivermen management team". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  8. ^ "Report: Canucks won't operate AHL affiliate in Peoria". Abbotsford News. May 13, 2013. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  9. ^ Pap, Elliott (May 13, 2013). "Utica rolls out welcome mat for AHL". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  10. ^ Brough, Jason (June 6, 2013). "Report: Canucks moving AHL affiliate to Utica". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  11. ^ Pitarresi, John (June 14, 2013). "Utica scores with new hockey team; Comets to play in AHL". Observer-Dispatch. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  12. ^ "Travis Green leaving Winterhawks to become coach of AHL's Utica Comets". The Oregonian. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  13. ^ "Utica Comets assistant coach and director of hockey operations announced". WKTV. August 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "Comets rewind - Oct 15, 2013". Vancouver Canucks. October 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  15. ^ Hughes, Steve (October 15, 2013). "Long time coming: Utica embraces return of pro hockey". Observer-Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  16. ^ "Comets fall 4-1 to Albany Devils in home opener". WKTV. October 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  17. ^ "Colin Stuart named first Comets captain in franchise history". WKTV. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  18. ^ "Comets Year in Review By the Numbers".
  19. ^ "Comets Tales: Captain Cal - Utica Comets Official Website". www.uticacomets.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014.
  20. ^ Pitarresi, John. "A new season for the Comets as Calder Cup begins".
  21. ^ "Comets advance to Calder Cup Finals | The American Hockey League". theahl.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  22. ^ "Travis Green named Canucks head coach". Vancouver Canucks. April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  23. ^ "COMETS NAME CULL HEAD COACH". AHL. June 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "COMETS BREAK AHL SELLOUT STREAK RECORD AT 121 GAMES". Utica Comets. October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  25. ^ "Canucks extend affiliate deal with the AHL's Utica Comets". The Province. December 29, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  26. ^ "Canucks extend AHL affiliate deal with Utica Comets". Vancouver Canucks. December 29, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  27. ^ American Hockey League (March 12, 2020). "AHL suspends play". theahl.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "Thunderbirds opt out of 2020-21 AHL season". nhl.com/blues. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  29. ^ Ben Birnell (February 19, 2020). "Utica Comets to host 2021 AHL outdoor game". uticaod.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  30. ^ "Comets to play in 2020-21 AHL season". Rome Sentinel. January 4, 2021.
  31. ^ "Potential move of AHL teams puts future of hockey in Binghamton in question". WBNG. April 16, 2021.
  32. ^ "Canucks to move American Hockey League affiliate to Abbotsford". The Province. May 4, 2021.
  33. ^ "Board of Governors Approves Franchise Relocations". AHL. May 6, 2021.
  34. ^ "NEW JERSEY DEVILS SIGN TEN-YEAR AFFILIATION DEAL WITH UTICA COMETS". Utica Comets. May 6, 2021.
  35. ^ @UticaComets (May 17, 2021). "Logo change" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "Kevin Dineen Named New Head Coach of Utica Comets". OurSports Central. August 5, 2021.
  37. ^ Birnell, Brian (November 19, 2021). "Utica Comets win 12th consecutive game to start the season, surpassing AHL record". Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  38. ^ "COMETS STREAK SNAPPED, LOSE 4-2". Utica Comets. November 24, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  39. ^ "Comets clinch postseason spot". American Hockey League. April 11, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  40. ^ "Utica Comets Roster 2024-25 Regular Season". The AHL. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  41. ^ "Comets Captain Carter Bancks Announces Retirement from AHL". OurSports Central. January 11, 2021.
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