from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

Hockey’s two primary minor league circuits had quite the dance this week, with the American Hockey League and the ECHL trading towns like hockey card collectors at a trade show.

When the dust settles, we’ll have a Pacific Division of five teams in the AHL and a migration in the ECHL — which at one time stood for East Coast Hockey League — to the Eastern side of the continent. Then, over time, I believe we’ll see Vancouver bring their AHL affiliate from Utica into British Columbia (likely Abbotsford), Colorado open up an AHL affiliate in-state, and the Coyotes go from Portland, Maine to Tucson or the Prescott, Arizona area.

Expansion Las Vegas will set up an AHL farm club somewhere nearby, and if Seattle ever comes on board we could see as many as 11 AHL clubs out West, including the Texas Stars in Austin.

For now though, the five-team Pacific Division will have some growing pains.

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