Binghamton Devils
| Company type | Professional ice hockey team |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports |
| Predecessor | Albany Devils |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Defunct | 2021 |
| Successor | Utica Comets (second incarnation) |
| Headquarters | Binghamton, New York , United States |
Area served | American Hockey League |
Key people | New Jersey Devils (parent NHL team) |
| Products | Ice hockey team |
The Binghamton Devils represented a professional ice hockey team competing in the American Hockey League (AHL) from 2017 until 2021, functioning as the main minor league affiliate for the NHL's New Jersey Devils.
During the 2017–18 and 2018–19 campaigns, their home venue was the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena located in Binghamton, New York. However, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the team shifted its home games to the New Jersey Devils' practice facility in Newark, New Jersey for the 2020–21 season.
After that season concluded, the franchise moved to Utica, New York, initiating its second iteration as the Utica Comets starting with the 2021–22 season.
History
In September 2016, following the announcement that the Binghamton Senators’ parent club would transfer their AHL team to Belleville, Ontario, initiatives were launched to maintain AHL hockey presence in Binghamton for the 2017–18 season.
By January 2017, it was reported that the Albany Devils were set to relocate to Binghamton due to poor attendance numbers—Albany averaging 2,888 spectators per game compared to Binghamton Senators’ 3,666. The move was officially confirmed on January 31, accompanied by a five-year operational contract under the new identity "Binghamton Devils." Attendance figures improved during their initial two seasons in Binghamton, reaching averages of 3,896 and 3,471 attendees per game.
The outbreak of COVID-19 led the New Jersey Devils to transfer their AHL affiliate’s home games to their Newark practice rink for the 2020–21 season. In April 2021, disagreements emerged between Binghamton's local operators and New Jersey concerning relocation and affiliation fees affected by financial strains from the pandemic. Subsequently, a trademark application for "Utica Devils" filed by Robert Esche—who manages the Utica Comets franchise affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks—indicated possible forthcoming changes.
On April 14, 2021, New Jersey notified Binghamton ownership about intentions to relocate the franchise for the next season. The AHL sanctioned the team's move to Utica on May 6 while retaining the Comets name already utilized by Esche's organization.
Season-by-season results
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SOL | Tied | Points | PCT | Goals for |
Goals against |
Standing | Year | 1st round |
2nd round |
3rd round |
Finals |
| 2017–18 | 76 | 25 | 38 | 9 | 4 | — | 63 | .414 | 193 | 247 | 5th, North | 2018 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2018–19 | 76 | 28 | 41 | 7 | 0 | — | 63 | .414 | 201 | 278 | 8th, North | 2019 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2019–20 | 62 | 34 | 24 | 4 | 0 | — | 72 | .581 | 189 | 182 | 4th, North | 2020 | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
| 2020–21 | 35 | 7 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 22 | .314 | 89 | 127 | 7th, North | 2021 | No playoffs were held | |||