Abbotsford Heat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Abbotsford Heat
City	Abbotsford, British Columbia
League	American Hockey League
Conference	Western Conference
Division	West Division
Founded	1977
Operated	2009–2014
Home arena	Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre
Colours	White, red, black, silver
Affiliates	Calgary Flames (NHL) Alaska Aces (ECHL)
Franchise history
1977–1987	Maine Mariners
1987–1993	Utica Devils
1993–2003	Saint John Flames
2005–2007	Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights
2007–2009	Quad City Flames
2009–2014	Abbotsford Heat
2014–2015	Adirondack Flames
2015–2022	Stockton Heat
2022–Present	Calgary Wranglers

The Abbotsford Heat was a professional ice hockey team. They played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for five seasons. This was between 2009 and 2014. The team was located in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Their home games were played at the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre.

The Heat was connected to the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). They moved to Abbotsford in 2009. Before that, they were known as the Quad City Flames. After five seasons, their agreement with the city ended in 2014.

History of the Abbotsford Heat

The Flames moved their team to the Fraser Valley in British Columbia. Before this, they had played for two seasons in Moline, Illinois. There, they were called the Quad City Flames. The move was approved on April 28, 2009. This made Abbotsford the westernmost city in the AHL.

The closest AHL team was very far away. It was the Oklahoma City Barons, about 1,583 miles (2,548 km) from Abbotsford. The Heat was also the only AHL team west of the Central Time Zone. To save money on travel, visiting teams sometimes played two games in a row in Abbotsford. The Heat also sometimes played two road games in a row in the same arena.

The team held a contest to choose a new name. On May 14, 2009, the name "Heat" was announced. On June 5, 2009, Jim Playfair became the first head coach of the Abbotsford Heat. He had spent two seasons with the Calgary Flames before this.

Why the Team Moved

The Abbotsford Heat faced financial problems. They also had low attendance at their games. Talks about changing team connections did not work out. These talks involved the city of Abbotsford, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Calgary Flames.

Later, the Vancouver Canucks bought another team, the Peoria Rivermen. Groups in Utica, New York then asked the Heat's owners to move the team there. On June 14, 2013, the Vancouver Canucks and a group in Utica signed an agreement. The Utica Comets became the new AHL team for the Vancouver Canucks. In 2021, the Canucks moved their AHL team to Abbotsford, creating the Abbotsford Canucks.

The city of Abbotsford ended its contract with the Heat on April 15, 2014. The Heat finished their season and playoffs in Abbotsford. On May 5, 2014, the AHL decided to move the team. It moved to Glens Falls, New York, for the 2014–15 season. The team was renamed the Adirondack Flames.

Team Information

Meet Hawkey, the Mascot

The Abbotsford Heat's mascot was named Hawkey. He was an anthropomorphic red-tailed hawk. This type of hawk lives in the Fraser Valley area. Hawkey wore jersey number 00 and cheered on the team at home games.

Season-by-Season Results

This table shows how the Abbotsford Heat performed each season. It includes their regular season record and how they did in the playoffs.

Team Captains

The players who served as team captains for the Abbotsford Heat were:

• Garth Murray, 2009–10
• Carter Bancks and Ben Walter 2009-10
• Quintin Laing, 2010–13
• Dean Arsene, 2013–14