Albany Devils
| Company type | Professional ice hockey team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Ice hockey |
| Predecessor | Lowell Devils |
| Founded | 1998 (as Lowell Lock Monsters) |
| Defunct | 2017 (relocated and became Binghamton Devils) |
| Fate | Relocated to Binghamton, New York |
| Headquarters | Albany, New York , United States |
Area served | American Hockey League |
Key people | Lou Lamoriello (General Manager), John MacLean (former head coach), Rick Kowalsky (head coach), Tommy Albelin (assistant coach) |
| Products | Ice hockey team |
| Parent | New Jersey Devils (NHL) |
The Albany Devils represented a professional ice hockey squad competing in the American Hockey League (AHL) and functioned as the primary development team for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Their home fixtures took place at the Times Union Center located in Albany, New York.
This franchise originated in 1998 as an expansion team known as the Lowell Lock Monsters based in Lowell, Massachusetts. The New Jersey Devils acquired and rebranded the franchise as the Lowell Devils in 2006. Facing poor attendance figures, the organization moved to Albany for the 2010 campaign, adopting the Albany Devils identity. This marked New Jersey’s second tenure with an Albany-based AHL franchise, having previously been affiliated with the Albany River Rats from 1993 until 2006.
Prior to the start of the 2017–18 AHL season, the team relocated once more to Binghamton, New York, where they became known as the Binghamton Devils.
History
In February 2010, Walter L. Robb, then owner of the Albany River Rats, sold the team to MAK Hockey LLC. This transaction led to the franchise’s relocation to Charlotte and its rebranding as the ECHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Subsequently, Robb collaborated with local authorities to secure a new AHL franchise for Albany.
By April 2010, the New Jersey Devils submitted a letter of intent expressing their interest in transferring their AHL affiliate to Albany under a five-year agreement, contingent upon certain arena enhancements. Lou Lamoriello, General Manager of New Jersey, highlighted that unfavorable lease conditions in Lowell rendered continued operations financially impractical.
In May 2010, Albany County approved $1.6 million in funding for arena renovations, which included installing a new scoreboard and upgrading lighting systems. The official relocation of New Jersey’s AHL affiliate from Lowell to Albany was announced in June 2010 for the upcoming 2010–11 season. While most home games were hosted at Times Union Center, a limited number took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. John MacLean initially advanced from head coach of Lowell to lead Albany but was succeeded by Rick Kowalsky, with Tommy Albelin serving as assistant coach.
The team achieved notable milestones such as an 11-game winning streak at home during January 2016 and recorded a franchise-best 41 victories by April of that year. In April 2016, Albany secured a lease extension with New Jersey through the conclusion of the 2018–19 season.
Nevertheless, by January 2017, discussions surfaced regarding relocating to Binghamton for subsequent seasons due to persistently low attendance—the lowest across the league during that period. Later that month, this move was confirmed with the establishment of the Binghamton Devils.
Season-by-season results
| Calder Cup Champions | Conference Champions | Division Champions | League Leader |
Statistics current through conclusion of the 2016–17 AHL season.
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Wins | Losses | OTL | SOL | Points | PCT | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Standing | Year | 1st Round |
2nd Round |
3rd Round |
Finals |
| 2010–11 | 80 | 32 | 42 | 1 | 5 | 70 | .438 | 217 | 283 | 8th, East | 2011 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2011–12 | 76 | 31 | 34 | 6 | 5 | 73 | .480 | 190 | 226 | 5th, Northeast | 2012 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2012–13 | 76 | 31 | 32 | 1 | 12 | 75 | .493 | 193 | 225 | 4th, Northeast | 2013 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2013–14 | 76 | 40 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 93 | .612 | 220 | 193 | 2nd, Northeast | 2014 | L, 1–3, STJ | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | 76 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 85 | .559 | 199 | 201 | 4th, Northeast | 2015 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2015–16 | 76 | 46 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 102 | .671 | 212 | 167 | 2nd, North | 2016 | W,3–1,UTI | L,3–4,TOR | — | — |
| 2016–17 | 76 | 39 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 83 | .546 | 204 | 206 | 3rd, North | 2017 | L,1–3,TOR | — | — | — |
| Totals | 536 | 256 | 211 | 28 | 41 | 581 | .542 | 1435 | 1501 | 3 Playoff Appearances | |||||
Team captains
- Stephen Gionta, served as captain from 2010 to 2012
- Jay Leach, held the captaincy between 2012 and 2013
- Rod Pelley, led the team as captain from 2013 through 2017