The Sharks will move their minor league affiliate, the AHL Worcester Sharks, to SAP Center beginning with the '15-16 season in order to fill up "currently vacant dates at the arena," according to Mark Purdy of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. No other NHL team "shares a building with its minor league affiliate." It has "long been speculated that the AHL would soon shift five or six" teams to locations on the west coast, where they "would be more conveniently located to NHL parent franchises." Details are "likely to be firmed up this weekend" at the AHL All-Star Classic in Utica, N.Y., during a meeting of league execs. If all goes as planned, the AHL's "entire western strategy will then be officially announced at a Jan. 29 news conference inside SAP Center." Worcester has been a "challenging situation for the Sharks in terms of drawing fan support because it is located in the heart" of Bruins country (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/22). In Massachusetts, Bill Ballou notes Sharks execs have said that their "first priority in releasing any information about a possible move would be to tell their employees" in Worcester. A move to San Jose would give the AHL three franchises that "share a city" with an NHL team. Chicago has the Blackhawks and Wolves, though they are not affiliated, and Toronto has the Maple Leafs and Marlies. Only two previous AHL franchises have "played in the same building as their NHL partners and neither setup worked out very well, although many years have passed since it was tried" (WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE, 1/22).
