Worcester Railers
The Worcester Railers are an American professional ice hockey team. They began playing in 2017. The team plays in the ECHL. They play their home games in Worcester, Massachusetts at the DCU Center. They are the ECHL affiliate for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). They are also the affiliates for the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League (AHL).
| Worcester Railers | |
|---|---|
| City | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Eastern |
| Division | North |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Home arena | DCU Center |
| Colours | Steel blue, gray, white |
| General manager | Jordan Smotherman |
| Head coach | Jordan Smotherman |
| Affiliate(s) | New York Islanders (NHL) Bridgeport Islanders (AHL) |
Website Official website | |
| Franchise history | |
| 2017–present | Worcester Railers |
On January 26, 2015, the Worcester Sharks would be relocated to San Jose, California to become the San Jose Barracuda. This left Worcester without a professional ice hockey team. The city would not be given an ECHL like other recently relocated teams.[1]
On February 8, 2016, it was announced that the ECHL approved an expansion team for Worcester and would be owned by Cliff Rucker.[2] On April 3, the team's name would be revealed as the Worcester Railers. The team's name pays homage to Worcester's history in rail transport dating back as far as the 1800s.[3]
On October 14, 2017, the team would play their first game as the Worcester Railers. They would be defeated by the Manchester Monarchs 4–3.[4]
The team would be successful in their first season, finishing fourth in the North Division. They finished with 37 wins, 27 losses, and 82 points. They would make it to the North Divisional finals before losing to the Adirondack Thunder four games to two.[5]
References
- ↑ "Sharks Moving AHL Franchise to SAP Center". San Jose Sharks. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Breaking: ECHL putting hockey back in Worcester". Worcester Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Introducing the Worcester Railers professional hockey team". Worcester Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Railers HC dazzle sellout crowd of 12,135 at DCU Center with 4-3 win". Worcester Railers. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Railers season comes to end after Game 6 loss on home ice to Thunder". Worcester Railers. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
