San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork. Adidas Superstar White .com) - The American Hockey League made it official on Thursday, announcing the creation of a Pacific Division to begin play next season consisting of five relocated NHL affiliates. Representatives from the Flames, Oilers, Kings, Ducks and Sharks organizations joined league president David Andrews at SAP Center to reveal their primary minor-league teams will set up shop in California for the 2015-16 campaign. Relocating five teams is a complex process, and we are very excited to have brought this initiative to a successful outcome, said Andrews. The Western- based NHL clubs have been in dialogue with our league for almost three years, and todays announcement launches a new era for the American Hockey League and for professional hockey in California. After one season in Glens Falls, New York, the Flames have uprooted their affiliate once again -- this time, to Stockton, California. The Ducks were allowed to purchase their affiliate and place it in San Diego, while the Sharks will see their AHL team play in the SAP Center but will not bear the nickname of their NHL parent. The Oilers will embrace Bakersfield, CA and the Kings have dropped their primary affiliate in Ontario, nearly 40 miles to the east. Manchester, New Hampshire had housed Los Angeles farm club since 2001, while Norfolk, Virginia had been home to the Admirals at the AHL level since the franchise jumped from the ECHL in 2000. Calgary relocated its affiliate from Abbotsford, British Columbia prior to this season, while Worcester, Massachusetts played host to the Sharks since 2006 and also welcomed the IceCats from 1994-2005. Edmonton placed its AHL team in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma starting in 2010. The immense growth of the game of hockey in the state of California shows that hockey fans here love the game and they support it, said Sharks COO John Tortora. Having our top prospects playing on the same coast as our National Hockey League team will greatly enhance our ability to monitor and enhance their development. We are extremely excited to have this division become a reality and we cant wait for October 2015. Adidas Superstar Womens Sale . Rishaug also mentions that six or seven other teams are interested in the shut-down defenceman and likely wants a four to five year deal. As of right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not among the teams set to meet with the Fayne camp. Nike Air Max 90 Trainers Uk . Rookie sensation Jorge Soler had two doubles in his home debut for the Cubs and Jacob Turner (5-8) won in just his second start for Chicago after being acquired from Miami last month.April was always going to be a big test for the new-look Vancouver Whitecaps with games against some of Major League Soccers top teams. After back-to-back matches against LA Galaxy, the Caps now head to Rio Tinto Stadium - a place where they have never won - to face Real Salt Lake, the only remaining unbeaten team in Major League Soccer this season. The Form: The Whitecaps are winless in their last three matches, but after a hard fought defeat at LA and a 2-2 draw against the Galaxy at home, there are clear signs the team is growing under new head coach Carl Robinson. "In the last two games weve shown we can compete against one of the top teams in Major League Soccer," said Robinson. "Now its another great challenge for us. You look at the fixtures weve had and its been tricky against good teams. We get another big test. They are a squad that has been together for the last couple of years so its another marker to see where we are." The Big Question: Will Kekuta Manneh start? The 19-year-old has appeared in every match this season but has started only once. The young Gambian was impressive coming on as a half time substitute against LA Galaxy at BC Place a week ago. He injected life into the Whitecaps attack and scored the game-tying goal with a fantastic strike with just four minutes left to play. "I toyed with the idea of playing him from the start, said Robinson. "Me, being a young head coach thought is it better to be in the game and then unleash him on them." Theres no doubt Manneh has loads of talent and will have a big future in the game. But there is also still plenty that he needs to learn. Robinson doesnt want to rush the youngster, and acknowledges he needs to improve his defensive qualities before he becomes a regular starter. This is a long-term project. Robinson wants to build the Whitecaps around some fantastic young players, a job that doesnt need to be rushed. Manneh will continue to get his chance at the right times. That also applies for Erik Hurtado. The speedster was drafted along with Manneh in the first round in 2013. Hes still waiting for his first MLS goal, but was another big spark in the second half against LA when he came on as a substitute last week. "Hes been training very well over the last two or three weeks and from where he was last year to where he is now, it is night and day for the kid," said Robinson when asked about Hurtados form. "If he continues to push hell get plenty of opportunities." The Lineup: Aside from whether Manneh will come into the starting lineup, one of tthe other big decisions for head coach Carl Robinson is in defence. Nike Air Max 90 Mens Sale Uk. Its extremely likely that Robinson will select Johnny Leveron in the team after bringing the Honduran on at halftime of the draw against the Galaxy. Robinson has made no secret of the fact that he admires the qualities Leveron possesses, particularly his ability with the ball at his feet. The Hondurans abilities match the way Robinson wants his team to play. Leverons only start this season was at New England where the Whitecaps registered their only clean sheet so far. On that day he was beside Andy OBrien. It will be interesting to see which one of the veterans - OBrien or Jay DeMerit - is replaced if Leveron gets the call to start. The Opposition: Stability has been a major factor in the success of Real Salt Lake over recent years. Despite losing head coach Jason Kreis at the end of last season when he departed to join expansion club New York City FC, RSL has started the season strongly under new head coach Jeff Cassar. He may be in his first season as manager, but Cassar has been at the club since 2007 and was a key part of Kreis coaching staff. They have also managed to keep a core group of players together over the last few seasons. Eleven of Salt Lakes current squad have been with the club for five years of longer. Real Salt Lakes 1-0 win at home to Portland Timbers last week leaves them four points ahead of the Whitecaps heading into Saturdays match. Their clean sheet against the Timbers was their fourth of the season, in just seven matches. Veteran goalkeeper Nick Rimando was the star of the show, winning the MLS Player of the Week award for his performance. The Odds: One of the areas the Whitecaps will need to improve upon if they are to make the playoffs this season is picking up points against Western Conference opposition. Both of Vancouvers wins so far wins this season have come against the East (New York and Houston). From four matches against Western opponents, they have two draws and two defeats. History isnt on the Whitecaps side as they head to Utah - theyve only won two of eight previous meetings against RSL, and have never won at Rio Tinto Stadium with three losses and a tie from their last four visits. With RSLs strong start to the season, the home team will be heavy favourites heading into the match, but the Caps showed against LA a couple of weeks ago they have the potential to go toe-to-toe with the leagues top teams, even on the road. Where to Watch: Vancouver Whitecaps at Real Salt Lake is live on CTV2 BC on Saturday at 6:30pm pt/9:30pm et. Cheap JerseysWholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
