Aces secure affiliation with Vancouver, Utica

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Alaska Aces and the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League have entered into an affiliation agreement for the 2016-17 season."We are pleased to enter into a new development partnership with the Aces," said Linden. "The community of Anchorage has a rich history of developing players that have had success at the National Hockey League level. We're excited to continue this tradition with the Aces and provide our prospects with an excellent environment for growth."Murray said the Aces are extremely excited about the opportunity. "We as a group feel that having Vancouver, the closest NHL team in proximity to Alaska, will give our fan base another team to cheer for," said Murray. "The parity in the ECHL has gotten stronger over the past few years and we felt it imperative to find an affiliation to help with not only recruiting but providing depth to the Aces. We will also be working close with Vancouver's American league team in Utica, New York throughout the 2016.17 season."Parks said Murray was the driving force in securing the affiliation."Rob led the way in seeking an NHL partner that would help the Aces, and give the Canucks a great place to develop their young talent. As an organization, we're excited about the future, and the possibility of helping Vancouver become "Alaska's NHL team."