Devils moving affiliate to Albany

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the league’s Board of Governors has approved the relocation of the franchise owned by the New Jersey Devils from Lowell, Mass., to Albany, N.Y., to begin play there this fall.

The Albany Devils will mark the return of New Jersey’s affiliate to New York’s capital region and the Times Union Center. The Devils were the parent club of the AHL’s Albany River Rats for 13 years from 1993-2006, winning four division championships and the Calder Cup in 1995, the same season the New Jersey Devils won their first Stanley Cup.

The River Rats played a total of 17 seasons in Albany before they were sold and relocated to Charlotte, N.C., to begin there in 2010-11.

For ticket information on the Albany Devils, please call 518-487-2088, or visit www.thealbanydevils.com.

In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 85 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and for the ninth year in a row, more than 6 million fans have attended AHL games across North America during the 2009-10 season. The 2010 Calder Cup Finals are underway, with the Hershey Bears and the Texas Stars tied at two wins apiece in their battle for the AHL’s 74th championship. Game 5 is Friday night.