how to improve League Level?
 

How can be improved the league level?

lets say we have NHL -> AHL -> ECHL -> CHL -> SPHL, FHL...

What must be done, to promote for example SPHL to ECHL level?

It's going to be difficult if not impossible to do. First of all you have to have enough players to play at that level for that small amount of money. The ECHL is made up of mostly young players who are trying to see if they can make it at a higher level. They don't have families or bills to pay. If you can't make it in the ECHL you have to be willing to play for next to nothing and ride buses because those other leagues are in cities that can't or won't support a team that would have to charge higher ticket prices to be able to attract a higher caliber player.

The ECHL is shrinking and if the teams in the AHL weren't subsidizing or flat out owning it's teams they would be shrinking as well. There just aren't as many hockey fans in the U.S. to support that many AA level leagues. The only growth in the U.S. in hockey seems to be at the junior level. The USHL and NAHL both expanded this year. A lot of the growth is into smaller and/or non hockey markets. This may expand hockey as a sport in the U.S. and create new fans. When the economy turns around this may lead to some of these areas being able to support a higher level of hockey.

But as far as your original question happening in the next 5 years, highy unlikely. Next 10 years........maybe.

1. Larger budget
2. Better talent (usually brought it by a bigger budget)
3. Better attendance
4. Commitment.

Somewhat along those lines... since you're in Boise, and the Steelheads seem to draw pretty well and have a nice building to play in, what in your estimation would be the chances of them jumping up to the AHL (like Rockford did from the UHL a few years back)?

I can't help but think that the AHL would like to have a way station between Abbotsford and Winnipeg to take a little of the edge off of those western trips... I wouldn't mind seeing Portland or Seattle join the AHL as well, but the junior teams in those cities are probably too lucrative (no player salaries) for the owners of those clubs to consider a move to the AHL.

You answered your own question a little bit. I don't see any chance of it happening unless there are more teams added to the west. Portland and Seattle would be great but they have strong WHL teams and have for a long time. If you could come up with an Abbotsford, Austin, TX. Seattle, Portland, Boise, Salt Lake City and at least 1 team in CA scenerio maybe it would fly. Problem is that a lot of the AHL teams that are affiliated with Western NHL teams are locked into where they are. No NHL teams make more moves than San Jose and their AHL team is as far away as it can possibly be. The AHL is a different animal as well. It isn't really in place to make money. It's a necessary expense for it's NHL team in most cases and is used as a tool just like any other business uses a tool. I would love to see a step up in talent but I don't see it happening anytime soon.