The AHL, considered the Triple-A level of North American hockey, saw its teams average 5,508 fans per game during the '14-15 regular season, up 2% from the previous season. The increase comes one season before seven teams are set to relocate, including five teams moving to California to create the league's first-ever Pacific Division. The Hershey Bears led all clubs for the ninth straight season. Average attendance at Giant Center for Bears games was up just over 1% this season. Leading all teams in gains were the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The team's first season at a new arena in Allentown, Pa., led to a 94% increase from attendance in Glens Falls, N.Y., as the Adirondack Phantoms last season. On the flip side, Glens Falls, which replaced the Phantoms with a club moving from British Columbia this past season, saw a 21% gain in attendance over the club's numbers in BC. But Glens Falls will again lose its team next season, as the Adirondack Flames will move to Stockton, Calif. The Portland Pirates saw a 36% increase this season in Maine, one year after a lease dispute forced the club to play 30 miles away from its normal venue. Attendance for the Pirates was down 51% last season. The sharpest drop in the league belonged to the Springfield Falcons, who saw attendance at MassMutual Center fall 14%.
|
'14-15 AHL REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
|
| TEAM |
GAMES
|
TOTAL
|
AVG.
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
| Hershey Bears |
38
|
372,070
|
9,791
|
9,664
|
1.3%
|
| Providence Bruins |
38
|
318,786
|
8,389
|
8,135
|
3.1%
|
| Lake Erie Monsters |
38
|
316,589
|
8,331
|
9,144
|
-8.9%
|
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms* |
38
|
310,199
|
8,163
|
4,192
|
94.7%
|
| Grand Rapids Griffins |
38
|
307,110
|
8,082
|
8,220
|
-1.7%
|
| Chicago Wolves |
38
|
302,388
|
7,958
|
7,927
|
0.4%
|
| San Antonio Rampage |
38
|
250,014
|
6,579
|
7,001
|
-6.0%
|
| Rochester Amerks |
38
|
234,276
|
6,165
|
5,412
|
13.9%
|
| Syracuse Crunch |
38
|
227,472
|
5,986
|
5,574
|
7.4%
|
| Charlotte Checkers |
38
|
221,249
|
5,822
|
6,360
|
-8.5%
|
| Milwaukee Admirals |
38
|
220,745
|
5,809
|
5,844
|
-0.6%
|
| St. John's IceCaps |
38
|
219,559
|
5,778
|
6,287
|
-8.1%
|
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |
38
|
216,908
|
5,708
|
5,804
|
-1.7%
|
| Iowa Wild |
38
|
215,031
|
5,659
|
5,883
|
-3.8%
|
| Manchester Monarchs |
38
|
213,606
|
5,621
|
5,608
|
0.2%
|
| Toronto Marlies |
38
|
203,190
|
5,347
|
6,013
|
-11.1%
|
| Texas Stars |
38
|
190,088
|
5,002
|
5,294
|
-5.5%
|
| Rockford IceHogs |
38
|
183,701
|
4,834
|
4,804
|
0.6%
|
| Norfolk Admirals |
38
|
180,582
|
4,752
|
5,004
|
-5.0%
|
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers |
38
|
180,263
|
4,744
|
4,860
|
-2.4%
|
| Hartford Wolf Pack |
38
|
169,766
|
4,468
|
4,071
|
9.7%
|
| Hamilton Bulldogs |
38
|
169,179
|
4,452
|
4,946
|
-10.0%
|
| Worcester Sharks |
38
|
146,195
|
3,847
|
3,958
|
-2.8%
|
| Binghamton Senators |
38
|
143,363
|
3,773
|
3,936
|
-4.1%
|
| Utica Comets |
38
|
141,350
|
3,720
|
3,435
|
8.3%
|
| Adirondack Flames** |
38
|
138,386
|
3,642
|
3,007
|
21.1%
|
| Albany Devils |
38
|
126,286
|
3,323
|
3,360
|
-1.1%
|
| Springfield Falcons |
38
|
124,377
|
3,273
|
3,787
|
-13.6%
|
| Oklahoma City Barons |
38
|
123,949
|
3,262
|
3,348
|
-2.6%
|
| Portland Pirates |
38
|
112,604
|
2,963
|
2,185
|
35.6%
|
| AHL TOTALS |
1,140
|
6,279,281
|
5,508
|
5,402
|
2.0%
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
NOTES: * = Played last season in Glens Falls, NY, as the Adirondack Phantoms. ** = Played last season in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
