The AHL, which is considered the Triple-A level of North American hockey, is seeing its teams average 4,998 fans through Jan. 21, down almost 8% from the same period last season. Ten AHL clubs are seeing a double-digit percentage decline in average attendance. The Abbotsford Heat are seeing the sharpest drop, down 36% during the club's fifth season in British Columbia. Two teams -- the Iowa Wild and Utica Comets -- changed names following relocations after the '12-13 season. The Wild's first season in Des Moines has the club averaging 5,776 fans per game, down 13% from last season, when the team played in Houston. The Comets left Peoria, Ill., after last season and are seeing attendance down 31% in upstate New York. Meanwhile, the Grand Rapids Griffins are the only club seeing a double-digit percentage gain at the gate (+13%). The Hershey Bears continue to lead all teams with 9,301 fans per game, but that is down 2% (THE DAILY).
| AHL ATTENDANCE THROUGH JAN. 21 |
| TEAM | GMS | TOTAL | AVG. | PREV. | % +/- | 11-12 GMS |
| Hershey Bears | 23 | 213,924 | 9,301 | 9,512 | -2.2% | 22 |
| Grand Rapids Griffins | 23 | 175,538 | 7,632 | 6,763 | 12.9% | 21 |
| Providence Bruins | 20 | 150,576 | 7,529 | 7,286 | 3.3% | 19 |
| Lake Erie Monsters | 19 | 138,944 | 7,313 | 7,243 | 1.0% | 17 |
| Chicago Wolves | 19 | 128,097 | 6,742 | 7,133 | -5.5% | 18 |
| St. John's IceCaps | 21 | 132,027 | 6,287 | 6,287 | 0.0% | 20 |
| San Antonio Rampage | 21 | 126,397 | 6,019 | 6,067 | -0.8% | 21 |
| Toronto Marlies | 15 | 89,171 | 5,945 | 7,138 | -16.7% | 16 |
| Charlotte Checkers | 23 | 133,281 | 5,795 | 5,711 | 1.5% | 18 |
| Iowa Wild* | 22 | 127,063 | 5,776 | 6,656 | -13.2% | 22 |
| W-B/Scranton Penguins | 21 | 113,927 | 5,425 | 5,527 | -1.8% | 21 |
| Texas Stars | 19 | 99,471 | 5,235 | 4,866 | 7.6% | 20 |
| Syracuse Crunch | 17 | 88,755 | 5,221 | 5,309 | -1.7% | 16 |
| Manchester Monarchs | 18 | 92,891 | 5,161 | 4,952 | 4.2% | 22 |
| Rochester Americans | 18 | 87,334 | 4,852 | 6,801 | -28.7% | 20 |
| Norfolk Admirals | 19 | 88,315 | 4,648 | 5,301 | -12.3% | 18 |
| Hamilton Bulldogs | 23 | 105,069 | 4,568 | 6,168 | -25.9% | 16 |
| Rockford IceHogs | 22 | 96,531 | 4,388 | 4,304 | 1.9% | 19 |
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 21 | 90,768 | 4,322 | 5,681 | -23.9% | 16 |
| Milwaukee Admirals | 16 | 68,800 | 4,300 | 4,250 | 1.2% | 17 |
| Springfield Falcons | 21 | 77,092 | 3,671 | 3,697 | -0.7% | 18 |
| Hartford Wolf Pack*** | 17 | 60,956 | 3,586 | 3,850 | -6.9% | 18 |
| Binghamton Senators | 21 | 74,097 | 3,528 | 3,549 | -0.6% | 19 |
| Worcester Sharks | 17 | 58,353 | 3,433 | 3,882 | -11.6% | 17 |
| Utica Comets** | 20 | 66,200 | 3,310 | 4,781 | -30.8% | 15 |
| Oklahoma City Barons | 22 | 71,907 | 3,269 | 3,482 | -6.1% | 20 |
| Adirondack Phantoms | 22 | 71,345 | 3,243 | 3,553 | -8.7% | 17 |
| Albany Devils | 20 | 58,118 | 2,906 | 3,755 | -22.6% | 18 |
| Portland Pirates | 17 | 43,937 | 2,585 | 3,949 | -34.6% | 18 |
| Abbotsford Heat | 18 | 44,814 | 2,490 | 3,917 | -36.4% | 22 |
| AHL TOTALS | 595 | 2,973,698 | 4,998 | 5,412 | -7.7% | 561 |
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NOTES: * = Team is in first season at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Played last season as the Houston Aeros in the Toyota Center. Left when lease agreement could not be reached. ** = Played last season as the Peoria Rivermen, who relocated after the season. *** = Played last season as the Connecticut Whale.
