The Detroit Red Wings have extended their affiliation with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL for another three seasons.
On August 27th, the Detroit Red Wings announced they agreed on an extension to stay affiliated with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL for the next three seasons, expiring at the end of the 2020-21 season. The coming 2018-19 season will embark the ninth season the Red Wings have been affiliated with the Walleye.
The Toledo Walleye have proven to be a great affiliate for the Wings both on and off the ice. On the ice, the Walleye have made the playoffs six out of their nine seasons in existence. Although the Walleye have yet to reach the Kelly Cup, they have reached the conference finals twice (2016-17 and 2014-15 seasons) and finished first in their division for the past four seasons.
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Off the ice, the Walleye have also won awards for overall excellence, media excellence, ticket sales, points, trainer of the year, best ice, coach of the year and so many more awards and honors.
The development and talent of players in Toledo have shown as of late in the NHL. Jared Coreau (goalie for the Anaheim Ducks), Petr Mrazek (goalie for the Carolina Hurricanes), Martin Frk (forward for the Detroit Red Wings), Luke Glendening (forward for the Detroit Red Wings) and Carter Hutton (goalie for the Buffalo Sabres) are some of the many players that have blossomed in the NHL.
Toledo is going into the 2018-19 season with a great team and a great fan base backing them. The Walley sold-out 28 of their 36 home games for the 2017-18 season and were awarded the best overall ECHL organization as well.
Detroit Red Wings’ assistant general manager Ryan Martin spoke of the Toledo Walleye affiliation extension saying, “The Walleye have proven to be an ideal affiliate for nearly a decade, and their recent record of on- and off- ice success speaks for itself.”
Only an hour drive away from Detroit and three hours away from Grand Rapids, the Toledo Walleye are a perfect fit for the Wings. With the Red Wings really trying to develop their youth, having the young players gain playing experience and knowledge in a successful organization like the Toledo Walleye is ideal.