THE TELETYPE:
As anticipated in a report yesterday, The Syracuse Crunch officially announced a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Anaheim Ducks starting in the 2010-11 season. The Crunch were previously the AHL affiliate for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have signed a new deal with Springfield, and the Ducks have spent the season without an affiliate after cutting ties with the Iowa Chops last summer. The Ducks are only the third primary affiliate for Syracuse, which has been in the AHL since 1994. The club was parented by Vancouver for its first six seasons before signing with Columbus.
Anaheim previously explored an AHL option in San Diego, but decided that it would need to partner with other NHL franchises willing to bring their minor league teams west in order to make it feasible.