Coming off a record figure last season, the AHL, hockey’s Triple-A level, saw average attendance drop just under 3% in ’16-17. The league averaged 5,823 fans per game, off from 5,982 fans last season, but up from 5,508 fans two seasons ago. Six of 30 clubs saw double-digit percentage declines at home. The Hershey Bears topped all AHL clubs for the 11th straight season, but saw average attendance fall 5%. There were two market swaps in ’16-17. The league left the Portland, Maine, market and added the Tucson, Ariz., market to its West Coast division. While the Portland Pirates were No. 29 in attendance last season, the Tucson Roadrunners fared only slightly better, finishing 26 out of 30 teams at the gate. The league saw a franchise ownership swap in Springfield, Mass., home to AHL HQ. Along with a name change to the Thunderbirds, the Springfield club climbed out of the AHL cellar with a 50% increase at the gate. It was teams from New York that brought up the rear this season, as the Albany Devils, Binghamton Senators and Utica Comets had the lowest average attendance in the AHL, respectively. Despite the NHL expanding to 31 teams next season, there are no plans for a 31st AHL club to start the ’17-18 season.
|
'16-17 AHL REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
|
| TEAM |
GAMES
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
| Hershey Bears |
38
|
353,759
|
9,309
|
9,790
|
-4.9%
|
| Cleveland Monsters |
38
|
344,094
|
9,055
|
8,596
|
5.3%
|
| San Diego Gulls |
34
|
301,776
|
8,876
|
8,675
|
2.3%
|
| Providence Bruins |
38
|
313,994
|
8,263
|
8,411
|
-1.8%
|
| Grand Rapids Griffins |
38
|
313,312
|
8,245
|
8,543
|
-3.5%
|
| Ontario Reign |
34
|
274,300
|
8,068
|
8,570
|
-5.9%
|
| Chicago Wolves |
38
|
302,757
|
7,967
|
7,963
|
0.1%
|
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms |
38
|
301,568
|
7,936
|
8,244
|
-3.7%
|
| San Antonio Rampage |
38
|
243,509
|
6,408
|
6,137
|
4.4%
|
| Charlotte Checkers |
38
|
234,787
|
6,179
|
5,905
|
4.6%
|
| Toronto Marlies |
38
|
232,316
|
6,114
|
6,393
|
-4.4%
|
| Iowa Wild |
38
|
228,727
|
6,019
|
5,846
|
3.0%
|
| Manitoba Moose |
38
|
214,913
|
5,656
|
7,285
|
-22.4%
|
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |
38
|
210,788
|
5,547
|
5,655
|
-1.9%
|
| Syracuse Crunch |
38
|
209,085
|
5,502
|
5,410
|
1.7%
|
| Milwaukee Admirals |
38
|
205,516
|
5,408
|
6,169
|
-12.3%
|
| Rochester Amerks |
38
|
202,472
|
5,328
|
6,067
|
-12.2%
|
| Texas Stars |
38
|
194,233
|
5,111
|
5,067
|
0.9%
|
| Bakersfield Condors |
34
|
172,965
|
5,087
|
5,195
|
-2.1%
|
| Springfield Thunderbirds^ |
38
|
177,247
|
4,664
|
3,108
|
50.1%
|
| Stockton Heat |
34
|
154,041
|
4,531
|
4,647
|
-2.5%
|
| Rockford IceHogs |
38
|
164,466
|
4,328
|
5,014
|
-13.7%
|
| San Jose Barracuda |
34
|
146,594
|
4,312
|
4,432
|
-2.7%
|
| Hartford Wolf Pack |
38
|
161,037
|
4,238
|
4,440
|
-4.6%
|
| St. John's IceCaps |
38
|
155,914
|
4,103
|
5,717
|
-28.2%
|
| Tucson Roadrunners* |
34
|
137,843
|
4,054
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
38
|
148,291
|
3,902
|
3,940
|
-1.0%
|
| Utica Comets |
38
|
147,060
|
3,870
|
3,860
|
0.3%
|
| Binghamton Senators |
38
|
139,323
|
3,666
|
3,812
|
-3.8%
|
| Albany Devils |
38
|
112,046
|
2,949
|
3,366
|
-12.4%
|
| AHL TOTALS |
1,116
|
6,498,733
|
5,823
|
5,982
|
-2.7%
|
