The Other Expansion Team

There has been a lot of talk about the Tahoe Knight Monsters thanks to their recent news, and they're certainly trying to make a name for themselves before the team ever hits the ice. On the other side of the coin is the second team joining the ECHL in 2024-25 as the Bloomington Bison haven flown under the radar for the vast majority of their time since being founded in January. There is some news to report on the new team, though, as they've been quietly putting together affiliation agreements, they named their first GM, and they have coaches who will guide those players! Let's dig into the "other ECHL expansion team" today as we look at Bloomington Bison news!

May 30 was the first big checkpoint in Bison history as the Indiana-based team named Phillip Barski as the head coach and general manager of the Bison. Barski was an associate coach with the OHL's Barrie Colts last season, helping them to a 28-36-4-0 regular-season record, but he's made a few other stops where he's served as either an assistant coach or head coach as his coaching resumé to prove he's coming in with experience. The 45 year-old has coached in the GTHL and OJHL, stopped in the OUA with York University, spent time with HC Bolzano in Italy, was the head guy for Podhale Nowy Targ in Poland, and was hired by the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits as an assistant coach for two seasons before landing in Barrie.

Obviously, Barski will have some work to do in putting a solid team together in the team's inaugural year, but he'll get some help from one of the best teams in the NHL as the Bison signed an affiliation agreement with the New York Rangers. The Rangers had been affiliated with the Cincinnati Cyclones last season, but that affiliation lasted less than a calendar year for reasons that have yet to be given. Whatever the case may be, the Bison will now host players who need a little development time before ascending to the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack or the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

A few days after those big announcements, Jesse Messier was named as Barski's assistant coach on June 4. Messier and Barski have ties going back to their days at York University where Messier served as team captain while Barski was the assistant coach, so these two men are very familiar with each other's thoughts on how the game should be played. That should help since Messier's been in the coaching ranks since 2015 where he was an assistant coach with York after Barski had left, he was an assistant coach with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit, and he led the Kam River Fighting Walleye of the SIJHL to a 39-9-1-0 record as the head coach last season. Messier's playing career saw him skate with the OHL's Sudbury Wolves and Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, and the ECHL's Toledo Walleye and Allen Americans.

A couple of weeks later, the management team got a little stronger when Dan Larmer was named as the team's assistant general manager. A former NCAA player with Mercyhurst, Larmer's been a scout with the OHL's Peterborough Petes since 2015 where helped the Petes bring home the 2023 OHL championship banner. It seems the Bison will use his eye for talent in his assistant GM role as they look to fill out their roster, and it's always good to have a pro scout with his knowledge of the OHL on staff when building an ECHL team.

Things went quiet in Bloomington for a while until yesterday when the Bison announced a second NHL affiliation as the Carolina Hurricanes signed a working agreement with Bloomington in order to send players to the team. It's hard not to be impressed with Bloomington being an affiliate of two of the best current NHL teams, but Carolina may benefit from this affiliation nicely with their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, just four hours apart. After the roster juggling the Hurricanes did last season to have players in their NHL and AHL lineups some nights, this closer affiliation should pay dividends when players need to called up to either team.

While the Bison have yet to sign a player, it seems they have the right people in place to find some good players with Barski and Larmer scouring leagues across the world for talent. Once they have those players signed, Barski and Messier will begin to get them ready to play Bison hockey as they hope to see it, and it seems they'll get an infusion of talent from both the NHL's New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes once both squads identify who needs more development. The foundation for success has been set, it seems.

We're just a few months away from the ECHL season starting, and the 2024-25 edition will have two new teams. While one team in the southwest seems to be attracting fans through marketing events with mascots and jerseys, it sounds like the new ECHL team in the midwest is laying the groundwork for success by building relationships and installing a strong coaching and management team. I'm not saying the Bison won't need jerseys shortly, but it seems they have a solid plan on how they'll find players to fill those jerseys.

Despite not moking much noise on social media or through normal hockey channels, the Bloomington Bison look like they're almost ready for their inaugural season. Now about those jerseys....

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!