Utica Comets

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Utica Comets
Lowell Lock Monsters
Lowell Devils
2010–2017Albany Devils
2017–2021Binghamton Devils
2021–presentUtica Comets
Championships
Division titles2 (2014–15, 2021–22)
Conference titles1 (2014–15)
Current season

The Utica Comets are a professional ice hockey team based in Utica, New York, with home games at the Adirondack Bank Center. They are members of the North Division in the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL) and affiliated with the National Hockey League's (NHL) New Jersey Devils. The team was established when the Vancouver Canucks relocated their AHL franchise to Utica for the 2013–14 season.

The Comets are the second AHL team to call Utica home; another New Jersey Devils-affiliated team, the Utica Devils played in the city from 1987 until 1993. Before the 2021–22 AHL season, the Canucks relocated the franchise used by the Comets to Abbotsford, British Columbia, and the Devils relocated their franchise, the then-Binghamton Devils, to Utica to play as the Comets. As with the Devils, the Comets are owned by Josh Harris and David Blitzer under Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE).

History

Establishment of the Comets

On March 29, 2013, a deal was announced for the

Springfield Kings, Worcester IceCats
and then the Rivermen.

After purchasing the franchise, CS&E intended to have the franchise located in a market close to

KeyArena was disallowed by the NHL, as Seattle was reportedly a candidate to land the troubled Phoenix Coyotes franchise. However, the Coyotes eventually found a new owner with intentions to keep the franchise in Arizona and Seattle eventually received an expansion team in the Seattle Kraken to play in the arena.[5]

By May 2013, CS&E's options for the franchise were dwindling; it did consider keeping the franchise in Peoria,

Atlantic Coast Hockey League's Mohawk Valley Comets, which played from 1985 until 1987; and a third team of the same name, which played in the North Eastern Hockey League
during the 2003–04 season.

Vancouver Canucks affiliation (2013–2021)

After establishing the team, CS&E began hiring operations personnel.

Slap Shot made an appearance. Utica lost the game 4–1 to the Albany Devils.[15][16] One week after their home opener, Colin Stuart was named team captain.[17] The Comets finished their debut season with 35 victories and 79 points, four points behind the last spot of the playoffs. Seventeen of the team's thirty-eight home games were sold out.[18]

Comets' logo from 2013 to 2021 with colors reflecting those of the Canucks.

Before the

Ryan with the Buffalo Sabres
.

The 2015–16 season saw the departure of many Comets players. Jacob Markstrom became the backup goaltender for the Canucks, Brendan Gaunce and newly-named captain Alex Biega also spent significant time with the Canucks, while Nicklas Jensen and Hunter Shinkaruk were traded mid-season to the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames, respectively. The Comets placed third in the North Division, which was moved to the Eastern Conference at the start of the season. They were eliminated in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, losing the series 3–1 to the Albany Devils.

At the start of the 2016–17 season, Carter Bancks was named team captain, replacing Alex Biega, who became a full-time player for the Canucks. The Comets were unable to clinch a playoff berth, falling four points short. However, the team managed to sellout every home game, extending their sellout streak.

On April 26, 2017, the Canucks hired Green as their new head coach after leading the Comets to a 155–110–39 record through their first four seasons.[22] He was replaced by Trent Cull as head coach of the Comets.[23] The Comets continued their sellout streak through the 2017–18 season. They qualified for the 2018 playoffs as the fourth seed in the North Division. They lost the opening round in five games to the Toronto Marlies, the eventual Calder Cup champions.

On October 19, 2018, the Utica Comets sold out their 121st consecutive regular season game, establishing a new AHL record. They also sold out all of their 17 playoff games hosted during this span, for a combined streak of 138 consecutive sellouts.[24] They reached 200 consecutive regular season sellouts on February 29, 2020.

On December 29, 2018, during the final season of their initial six-year affiliation agreement, the Canucks and Comets extended their affiliation agreement for up to an additional six years, with potential opt outs every two seasons.[25][26]

The Comets played their first 61 games of the 2019–20 season, but the last 15 games of the season were postponed on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then cancelled entirely.[27] The start of the 2020–21 season was also pushed back to February 2021. The Comets also agreed to a one-year dual affiliation with the St. Louis Blues after the Springfield Thunderbirds opted out of the 2020–21 season.[28] Prior to the pandemic-related schedule changes, the Comets planned to host the Syracuse Crunch in an outdoor game at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York, on February 13, 2021,[29] however, the game was not held as the season had not started.[30]

New Jersey Devils affiliation (2021–present)

In April 2021, a new trademark was filed for the brand Utica Devils by Robert Esche, the president of the Utica Comets, for a potential relocation of the Binghamton Devils.[31] On May 4, the Canucks announced that they plan to relocate the Comets' franchise to Abbotsford, British Columbia, pending final discussions with the city of Abbotsford and league approval.[32] On May 6, the league approved of both relocations while the Comets and the Devils announced a ten-year affiliation agreement for the Comets to operate the Devils' AHL franchise.[33] The Utica team remained branded as the Comets[34] but changed their team colors to match the Devils.[35] Kevin Dineen was brought on as the first head coach under the Devils' affiliation.[36]

The Comets started the 2021–22 AHL season with an 11–game winning streak, tying the 1984–85 Rochester Americans for the most consecutive wins to start a season by an AHL team. They would win their next game against the Charlotte Checkers to break the previous record, with a 12–0–0–0 record to start the regular season.[37] Their streak was snapped at 13 games following a loss to the Rochester Americans on November 24.[38] The Comets would use this winning streak to help them finish with a North division regular season championship, and with the best points percentage in the Eastern Conference.[39] They would have a bye in the first round, but would lose in five games to the Rochester Americans in the North Division Semifinals.

Season-by-season results

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for 		Goals
against 		Standing Year Prelims 1st
round 		2nd
round 		3rd
round 		Finals
2013–14 76 35 32 5 4 79 .520 187 216 3rd, North 2014 Did not qualify
2014–15 76 47 20 7 2 103 .678 219 182 1st, North 2015 — W, 3–2, CHI W, 4–3, OKC W, 4–2, GR L, 1–4, MCH
2015–16 76 38 26 8 4 88 .579 224 217 3rd, North 2016 — L, 1–3, ALB — — —
2016–17 76 35 32 7 2 79 .520 195 220 5th, North 2017 Did not qualify
2017–18 76 38 26 8 4 88 .579 211 216 4th, North 2018 — L, 2–3, TOR — — —
2018–19 76 34 34 6 2 76 .500 224 257 6th, North 2019 Did not qualify
2019–20 61 34 22 3 2 73 .598 210 186 3rd, North 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 28 16 11 0 1 33 .589 89 88 4th, North 2021 No playoffs were held
2021–22 72 43 20 8 1 95 .660 246 206 1st, North 2022 BYE L, 2–3, ROC — — —
2022–23 72 35 27 6 4 80 .556 215 222 4th, North 2023 W, 2–0, LAV L, 1–3, TOR — — —
2023–24 72 32 29 5 6 75 .521 221 226 6th, North 2024 Did not qualify

Players

Current roster

As of March 14, 2025.[40]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
15 Canada Shane Bowers C L 25 2023 Halifax, Nova Scotia Devils
22 United States Seamus Casey D R 21
2024
 Miami, Florida Devils
50 Canada Nico Daws G L 23 2021
Munich, Germany
 Devils
3 United States Tory Dello D R 28
2025
 Lakewood, Illinois Devils
16 Sweden Filip Engaras C R 25 2023 Stockholm, Sweden Comets
25 Canada Nolan Foote LW L 23 2021 Englewood, Colorado Devils
5 United States
Joseph Gambardella (A
) 		C L 31 2021
Staten Island, New York
 Comets
14 United States Jonathan Gruden C/LW L 24 2025 Rochester, Michigan Devils
24 United States Brian Halonen LW R 26 2022 Delano, Minnesota Devils
39 United States Mike Hardman LW L 26 2024 Hanover, Massachusetts Devils
8 Finland Santeri Hatakka D L 24 2023
Riihimaki, Finland
 Devils
79 Canada Samuel Laberge LW L 27 2021
Chateauguay, Quebec
 Devils
11 Canada Nathan Legare RW R 24 2024
Montreal, Quebec
 Devils
13 United States Jack Malone RW R 24 2024 Danville, California Comets
28 United States Marc McLaughlin C R 25 2025 North Billerica, Massachusetts Devils
44 Russia Dmitry Osipov D R 28 2024
Moscow, Russia
 Comets
67 Canada Xavier Parent LW L 24 2022 Laval, Quebec Comets
1 Canada Isaac Poulter G L 23 2022
Winnipeg, Manitoba
 Devils
26 United States Ryan Schmelzer (C) C R 31 2021 Buffalo, New York Devils
48 Canada Austin Strand D R 28 2025 Calgary, Alberta Comets
55 Canada Jackson van de Leest D L 23 2024
Kelowna, British Columbia
 Comets
83 Finland Topias Vilen D L 22 2023 Lahti, Finland Devils
37 United States Dylan Wendt RW R 24 2024 Grand Haven, Michigan Devils
6 Canada Colton White (A) D L 27 2024 London, Ontario Devils
20 United States Max Willman C L 30 2023 Barnstable, Massachusetts Devils

Team captains

There have been four players who have served as the captain in the first franchise, and one in the second. Colin Stuart was the first franchise's first captain, who was appointed until he left the team as a free agent in 2014, while Ryan Schmelzer is the first and current captain of the second franchise, holding the position since his appointment in 2021. Carter Bancks is the longest-tenured captain of either franchise, having held the position from 2016 until his retirement at the end of the 2019–20 season.[41]

First franchise

Second franchise

References

  1. ^ "Report: Vancouver Canucks Purchase Rivermen; Move to Abbotsford?". Thecanuckway.com. March 29, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  2. ^ Kramer, Lindsay (February 26, 2013). "Possible AHL move to Utica stirs conflicting reports". The Post-Standard. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  3. ^ McIntyre, Gordon (April 23, 2013). "Abbotsford Heat staying put for next season at least after Canucks talks break down". The Province. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  4. Abbotsford News. Archived from the original
    on May 1, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  5. ^ Mirtle, James (June 17, 2013). "Seattle on NHL's relocation radar yet again". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  6. ^ Eminian, Dave (April 23, 2013). "Civic Center begins talks with NHL Vancouver over Rivermen". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  7. ^ Eminian, Dave (May 13, 2013). "Peoria to join SPHL under former Rivermen management team". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  8. Abbotsford News. May 13, 2013. Archived from the original
    on March 19, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  9. The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original
    on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  10. ^ Brough, Jason (June 6, 2013). "Report: Canucks moving AHL affiliate to Utica". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  11. ^ Pitarresi, John (June 14, 2013). "Utica scores with new hockey team; Comets to play in AHL". Observer-Dispatch. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2013.
  12. ^ "Travis Green leaving Winterhawks to become coach of AHL's Utica Comets". The Oregonian. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  13. ^ "Utica Comets assistant coach and director of hockey operations announced". WKTV. August 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  14. ^ "Comets rewind - Oct 15, 2013". Vancouver Canucks. October 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  15. ^ Hughes, Steve (October 15, 2013). "Long time coming: Utica embraces return of pro hockey". Observer-Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  16. ^ "Comets fall 4-1 to Albany Devils in home opener". WKTV. October 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  17. ^ "Colin Stuart named first Comets captain in franchise history". WKTV. October 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  18. ^ "Comets Year in Review By the Numbers".
  19. ^ "Comets Tales: Captain Cal - Utica Comets Official Website". www.uticacomets.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014.
  20. ^ Pitarresi, John. "A new season for the Comets as Calder Cup begins".
  21. ^ "Comets advance to Calder Cup Finals | The American Hockey League". theahl.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  22. ^ "Travis Green named Canucks head coach". Vancouver Canucks. April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  23. ^ "COMETS NAME CULL HEAD COACH". AHL. June 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "COMETS BREAK AHL SELLOUT STREAK RECORD AT 121 GAMES". Utica Comets. October 19, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  25. ^ "Canucks extend affiliate deal with the AHL's Utica Comets". The Province. December 29, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  26. ^ "Canucks extend AHL affiliate deal with Utica Comets". Vancouver Canucks. December 29, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  27. ^ American Hockey League (March 12, 2020). "AHL suspends play". theahl.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  28. ^ "Thunderbirds opt out of 2020-21 AHL season". nhl.com/blues. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  29. ^ Ben Birnell (February 19, 2020). "Utica Comets to host 2021 AHL outdoor game". uticaod.com. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  30. ^ "Comets to play in 2020-21 AHL season". Rome Sentinel. January 4, 2021.
  31. WBNG
    . April 16, 2021.
  32. ^ "Canucks to move American Hockey League affiliate to Abbotsford". The Province. May 4, 2021.
  33. ^ "Board of Governors Approves Franchise Relocations". AHL. May 6, 2021.
  34. ^ "NEW JERSEY DEVILS SIGN TEN-YEAR AFFILIATION DEAL WITH UTICA COMETS". Utica Comets. May 6, 2021.
  35. ^ @UticaComets (May 17, 2021). "Logo change" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "Kevin Dineen Named New Head Coach of Utica Comets". OurSports Central. August 5, 2021.
  37. ^ Birnell, Brian (November 19, 2021). "Utica Comets win 12th consecutive game to start the season, surpassing AHL record". Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  38. ^ "COMETS STREAK SNAPPED, LOSE 4-2". Utica Comets. November 24, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  39. ^ "Comets clinch postseason spot". American Hockey League. April 11, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  40. ^ "Utica Comets Roster 2024-25 Regular Season". The AHL. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  41. ^ "Comets Captain Carter Bancks Announces Retirement from AHL". OurSports Central. January 11, 2021.
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