A group has approached the city to discuss bringing another Alberta Junior Hockey League team to St. Albert, the Gazette has learned.
While no names have emerged, both Mayor Nolan Crouse and Servus Credit Union Place facility director Diane Enger have confirmed a group with an interest in securing another AJHL franchise has held discussions with the city.
“I don’t know if the AJHL would be serious about another move, but there is another group,” Crouse said.
Neither Crouse or Enger would identify who is behind the latest attempt, but the group seems to have emerged over the summer when city staff started holding talks with local groups for the future use of Northstar Hyundai Arena. The deadline for request for proposals for a new group to become the main tenant of the rink is Nov. 20.
“We have spoken with people who are interested in bringing an AJHL team to town,” Enger said. “We’ll know more after Nov. 20.”
A new AJHL team would be the city’s third since 2004, when the St. Albert Saints left for Spruce Grove. Just this year the St. Albert Steel, transplanted from Fort Saskatchewan, moved to Whitecourt after just five seasons.
Low attendance, poor revenues and what the Steel perceived as an unfair agreement with the city that did not give them as much advertising revenue as other teams in the league led to the Steel’s departure.
“It would be different if we lost a team if it was called the Saints,” Crouse said. “The Saints belonged here.”
But any new effort to relocate a team to St. Albert will involve higher standards of ownership from the league and a more reluctant city council. AJHL president Craig Cripps said there are no plans for expansion and that no one has approached the league about buying and relocating a team to St. Albert.
“There’s been nothing lately, other than the relocation of the Steel and that was only a relocation,” Cripps said.
The league is also reviewing its performance standards, which will elevate the criteria of all teams, including any relocated franchise. The league will be putting in place benchmarks for secured revenue, season ticket sales as well as hiring a full-time coach and marketing staff.
“Those standards in and of themselves would elevate the criteria to become an AJHL member,” Cripps said.
Despite what it felt was a lack of financial support, the Steel were able to pay the last of the $229,000 it owed St. Albert as a moving penalty and to pay out the lease for upgrades to the team’s locker room at Northstar Hyundai.
Chris Jardine, manager of community and protective services, confirmed the final cheque was received Wednesday. Council will place that money in a special reserve that could be used to host other events, such as putting together a bid for the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
But Crouse said council will be reluctant to offer any kind of financial support or subsidy to a new team.
“Anything we can do is helpful to the brand of the community, but if it means council having to make financial concessions to a hockey team, I don’t think we’re going there.”
