Update: Trenton Devils to suspend operations beginning in 2011-12

As reported by Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice, the ECHL's Trenton Devils will suspend operations beginning in 2011-12, and will not participate in the league next season. From Fire & Ice:

The Trenton Devils will suspend operations, beginning with the 2011-12 season, The Record/Northjersey.com has learned.

A source said the New Jersey Devils, which purchased the Trenton team in 2006, had sought a buyer for the ECHL franchise, which plays its home games at Sun National Bank Center, but was unable to find one and is moving forward with restructuring the organization’s minor league system.

The 2011-12 ECHL scheduled has already been announced, but teams were told at the league’s board of governors’ meeting last month to prepare a list of alternate available dates at their respective arenas in case a new schedule had to be formulated to account for the Trenton Devils not participating. Tickets, which have been on sale since April, will also have to be refunded.

Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello would not comment last week when asked if the Trenton team is committed to playing the 2011-12 season. It is unclear where the Devils’ ECHL-level players would play without a team in Trenton.  The Devils did not have a full-time ECHL affliate prior to buying the Trenton team and were the only NHL team to own an ECHL franchise.

Read the full article here.

How exactly the Devils plan to restructure their minor league system is unclear at this point. A likely scenario would be a new affiliation agreement with one of the remaining ECHL teams. Other options would be the relocation of the Trenton franchise (unlikely for 2011-12) or even the sale of the team to a new owner prior to the start of next season (even less likely).

The report goes on to suggest that the move could eventually make way for the AHL Devils to relocate to New Jersey, playing home games at the Sun National Bank Center (the now-former home of the T-Devils) or a new arena in Sayreville. It is also noted that the Devils will begin the second year of their five year lease at Albany's Times Union Center starting in 2011-12.

Note: Don Ferlazzo is not an employee of the Albany Devils, nor is this blog sponsored or influenced by the organization in any way.