Binghamton's New Devils

The above logos and word marks are what you'll see next season as the AHL's Binghamton Devils take to the ice for their first AHL season. While not an expansion team, the newly-relocated Devils franchise have a bit of a minor-league feel to them with the cartoonish logo, but that's alright with me in terms of being an AHL presence. The Devils also unveiled their new jerseys - still made by recently-sold CCM - and they'll look a lot like their NHL affiliate in the New Jersey Devils.

As seen above, the jerseys look identical to those of the newly-designed, Adidas-wearing NHL Devils, giving some continuity to the franchise. While there is no tie to the city of Binghamton on the jerseys aside from the tiny word mark under the secondary logo on the shoulders, the logo is endearing enough to get people behind the team. I don't know if there were any focus groups done on the logo, but my younger self wouldn't be against wearing that logo. Heck, my today self thinks it's just cool enough to support, and I'm no Devils fan whatsoever.

"We are excited to reveal this new logo that will establish a new era for hockey in Binghamton. The Binghamton Devils logo honors the three-time Stanley Cup winning heritage of New Jersey while creating a fresh, new brand look for the AHL and our AHL jersey partner CCM," said Daniel Cherry, New Jersey Devils chief marketing and innovation officer, at the press conference. "These new marks are original and unique to Binghamton, giving our Devils fans a team to proudly call their own."

I'm not sure how this logo "honors the three-time Stanley Cup winning heritage" of the New Jersey Devils outside of wearing the same jersey template, but the Devils have been using the name "Devils" on their AHL teams since their days in Trenton. If that's what was meant, just say that without all the marketing speak. And, not to play Captain Obvious, but these marks are definitely "original and unique to Binghamton" being that they've never called Binghamton home before. But hey, keep spinning those marketing diatribes.

Without focusing on the chief marketing and innovation officer's ridiculous comments, I think this logo works well for the intended market demographic. The logo is fun while still being true to the team's name, and that's important. One of the key marketing aspects that Daniel Cherry should work on is making this logo into an emoji since it virtually is one already. That would be something the technologically-savvy demographic fans would embrace quickly, hopefully attracting them to the rink as well.

At the end of the day, the Binghamton Devils get a 👍 from me!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!