The ECHL announced this week that the League’s Board of Governors has approved expansion applications for Coralville, Iowa and Trois-Rivières, Quebec to begin play for the 2021-22 Season.

Amid a global pandemic, it might not seem the most prudent course of action but the people behind the two new teams are well versed in sports, hockey and the ECHL.

Coralville and Trois-Rivières are both owned by Dean MacDonald through Deacon Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the Newfoundland Growlers in the league.

There was conjecture that Dean MacDonald would step away from Newfoundland to concentrate on his two new ventures but those rumours proved to be unfounded.

Two new teams will bring the ECHL’s number of franchises to 28, a far cry from the humble beginnings in 1988 when the then ‘East Coast Hockey League’ began life with five teams.

Both franchises shall begin life in a brand new arena, which shows the commitment to hockey in these areas.

Coralville will play out of Xtreme Arena, a 5,100 seat venue that was completed in September 2020.

Trois-Rivières will play out of Le Nouveau Colisée, a new construction set to open early in 2021 that will host 4,390 fans.

“This is an extremely exciting day for the ECHL and the future of our League, welcoming these two great markets and beautiful state-of-the-art facilities,” said ECHL Commissioner Ryan Crelin. “We have a great history of working with Dean’s ownership group and leadership team and look forward to bringing ECHL hockey to Trois-Rivieres and Coralville, making an impact as an asset to these communities.”

“We are thrilled to help bring professional hockey to Coralville and Trois-Rivières,” said Dean MacDonald Chair of Deacon Sports and Entertainment. “Residents in both markets have responded with incredible enthusiasm for the ECHL product and now that our membership is official, we are one step closer to dropping the puck in the fall. This announcement is a credit to our strong partnerships with both municipalities, led by Mayor John Lundell of Coralville, Iowa and Mayor Jean Lamarche of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and their significant efforts in helping this initiative happen.”

There are some obvious partners for these two ECHL clubs to affiliate with and I am sure that those negotiations are ways down the track.

The Minnesota Wild are partnered with Iowa Wild (AHL) and Allen Americans (ECHL).

Coralville is a two-hour drive west of Des Moines, Iowa, which is the Wild’s home. That commute would be perfect for switching players, coaches and allowing management to keep a keen eye on all prospects within a small geographical area.

The Allen Americans are a ten-hour drive south of Des Moines and that might well count against them with the addition of Coralville into the ECHL.

The situation with Trois-Rivières is less problematic in every way.

The Montreal Canadiens currently do not have an ECHL affiliation set in concrete and to my mind, this is a match made in heaven.

Trois-Rivières to Laval is approximately a 90-minute commute and being just the third Canadian team in the ECHL it appears a no-brainer that Montreal would connect those dots.

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