The Albany Devils were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The top affiliate of the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

of the National Hockey League (NHL), the A-Devils played their home games at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York. The franchise started in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

as the expansion Lowell Lock Monsters and played their home games in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 2006, the Devils purchased the Lock Monsters and rebranded the franchise as the

Lowell Devils The Lowell Devils were a minor ice hockey team in the American Hockey League playing in Lowell, Massachusetts, at the Tsongas Center. As their name implied, they were the top minor league affiliate of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey L ...

for the 2006–07 AHL season. Citing low attendance, the franchise was moved to Albany in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and began play as the Albany Devils. This would mark the second time the New Jersey Devils have been affiliated with an AHL team in Albany; from

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

to 2006, the Devils used the

Albany River Rats The Albany River Rats were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center. History Before the formation of the franchise Without a viable indoor arena with a ...

as their top minor league team. Ahead of the

2017–18 AHL season The 2017–18 AHL season was the 82nd season of the American Hockey League. The regular season ran from October 6, 2017, to April 15, 2018. The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs followed the conclusion of the regular season. The Toronto Marlies won their ...

, the Devils relocated to

Binghamton, New York Binghamton () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the conflue ...

, and became the Binghamton Devils.

History

On February 10, 2010,

owner Walter L. Robb sold his team to MAK Hockey LLC, led by Charlotte beer distributor Michael Kahn, owner of the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL. It was then announced that the River Rats would play the 2010–11 season as the Charlotte Checkers, and the ECHL franchise was relinquished to the league. Meanwhile, Robb, as well as members of the River Rats and Times Union Center's front office, had already begun looking for an American Hockey League team to replace the River Rats. On April 26, 2010, the New Jersey Devils sent Albany County a letter of intent to relocate their AHL affiliate to Albany, with a five-year commitment, on the grounds that the arena have specific renovations made. New Jersey Devils General Manager

Lou Lamoriello Louis P. Lamoriello (born October 21, 1942) is an American professional ice hockey executive who is the president of hockey operations and general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is also the former gene ...

, in a letter to the members of the

Booster Club, stated that changes presented in the lease with Lowell made it "financially impossible" to stay. On May 10, 2010, the county legislature voted 35–2 in favor of a $1.6 million upgrade to the facility to be spent on a new scoreboard, ribbon board advertising, and exterior lighting. On June 10, 2010, the New Jersey Devils officially announced on their website that they were moving the

to the Times Union Center in Albany, New York beginning with the 2010–11 AHL season to play as the Albany Devils, playing 36 of their 40 home games in Albany. The other four home games were to be played in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, at Boardwalk Hall. Soon after that, the New Jersey Devils announced they had promoted John MacLean to fill their head coaching vacancy. MacLean had been the head coach of the Lowell Devils during the 2009–10 season. In August,

Rick Kowalsky Rick Kowalsky (born March 20, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 10th round (227th overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. Kowalsky played four seasons (1989 – 1993) of major ...

was named head coach of the Albany team, with former New Jersey Devils defenseman Tommy Albelin being named the assistant coach. On January 13, 2016, the Devils won their 11th consecutive home win to set a new franchise record. On April 1, 2016, the Devils broke the franchise's previous wins record, set in 2013-14, with their 41st win: an overtime victory over the

Binghamton Senators The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2002 to 2017. Nicknamed the B-Sens, they played in Binghamton, New York, at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens w ...

. On April 4, 2016, the Times Union Center and its managing group SMG announced they had reached an agreement with the New Jersey Devils to extend the lease of its AHL affiliate through the 2018–19 season. However, on January 25, 2017, it was reported that the Albany Devils would relocate to replace the departing

, in the 2017–18 season. The Binghamton Devils were announced on January 31. At the time of the announcement, the Albany Devils were drawing the lowest average attendance in the league.

Season-by-season results

Records as of the end of the

2016–17 AHL season The 2016–17 AHL season was the 81st season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 14, 2016, and ended on April 15, 2017. The 2017 Calder Cup playoffs began on April 20, 2017. Regular season The AHL had a slight alig ...

Players

Team captains

Stephen Gionta Stephen Michael Gionta (born October 9, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders. Gionta is the younger brother of Brian Gionta, wh ...

, 2010–2012 * Jay Leach, 2012–2013 *

Rod Pelley Rod Pelley (born September 1, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. After his collegiate career, Pelley signed as a free agent with the New Jersey Devils, and was with the organization from 2006 to 2011. He was traded to the ...

, 2013–2017

References

External links

Albany Devils Official Website
{{Defunct AHL New Jersey Devils minor league affiliates Sports in Albany, New York Ice hockey teams in New York (state) Ice hockey clubs established in 2010 2010 establishments in New York (state) 2017 disestablishments in New York (state) Ice hockey clubs disestablished in 2017