The Binghamton Devils announced via their website today that the New Jersey Devils organization has come to an agreement to keep the Adirondack Thunder the ECHL affiliate of both the New Jersey and Binghamton franchises through the end of the 2018-19 season.
The Devils’ press release mentions that Adirondack and New Jersey entered into an agreement for the first time as affiliates on August 8, 2017. Prior to that, the teams had an “informal working agreement” according to the release. That informal agreement went back two seasons to the 2015-16 season.
The release also mentions that several players from the Thunder “had several players with the team this season on New Jersey or Binghamton contracts.” These included goalies MacKenzie Blackwood and Ken Appleby and defenseman Colton White. Appleby was “the first Thunder alum that appeared in multiple games with Adirondack to go on to make his NHL debut.”
Adirondack made it to the ECHL’s Eastern Conference Finals, losing four games to one to the Florida Everblades, this season. Florida will play the Colorado Eagles in the Kelly Cup Finals, the championship of the ECHL.
New Jersey Assistant General Manager Tom Fitzgerald said: “On behalf of the New Jersey Devils, we are pleased to extend our partnership with the Adirondack Thunder as our ECHL affiliate for the 2018-19 season. We have seen firsthand how the staff in Adirondack has developed our players and helped aid in the transition to Binghamton. The success of the Thunder on the ice this season has been a direct reflection of that, and we all look forward to working together next season.”
The Thunder were formerly the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames.