Anaheim Announces Affiliation Agreement with Tulsa of the ECHL
Jul 1, 2020The Anaheim Ducks announced today the club signed a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.
"The Anaheim Ducks have always valued a strong working relationship with their ECHL affiliate," said Ducks Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations David McNab. "We are thrilled about our multi-year agreement with a quality organization such as the Tulsa Oilers. The Ducks organization is committed to player development and this relationship with Tulsa will only further that commitment."
The Tulsa Oilers own an all-time record of 203-175-26-19 in 423 games since joining the ECHL prior to the 2014-15 season. Two seasons ago, Tulsa finished first in the Mountain Division with a 42-24-4-2 record and advanced to the conference final for the first time in franchise ECHL history.
Head coach Rob Murray will enter his fourth season behind the bench in Tulsa with the start of the 2020-21 ECHL campaign. Murray, who will be in his 13th consecutive season as a head coach, previously served in the same capacity with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL (2011-17) and Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League (2008-11). Selected by Washington in the third round (61st overall) of the 1985 NHL Draft, Murray collected 4-15=19 points with 111 penalty minutes (PIM) in 107 career NHL games with Washington (1989-91), Winnipeg (1991-96) and Phoenix (1998-99).
“I’m extremely pleased to have Anaheim as our main affiliate,” Murray said. “In all my years in the ECHL, I have never had an affiliation agreement longer than one year. This being a three-year affiliation really shows their commitment to the Tulsa Oilers, and I’m looking forward to it being a great partnership.”
The city of Tulsa, Okla. has a rich history in hockey dating to 1928 with teams affiliated with the American Hockey Association, United States Hockey League, Central Hockey League and ECHL. The Oilers play their home games at Bank of Oklahoma Center (BOK Center), a 19,199-seat arena that debuted prior to the 2008-09 hockey season.
Recent Anaheim affiliates in the ECHL have included Utah (2013-18), Fort Wayne (2012-13), Elmira (2010-12), Bakersfield (2008-10) and Augusta (2006-08).
“We had a great working relationship with the Ducks and Gulls the last couple of years, and we’re very excited to continue our partnership for the next three years,” said Oilers General Manager and former San Diego Gull Taylor Hall. “The Ducks are truly committed to player development, and I feel this is a great fit for all three organizations.”