Sports
Worcester Railers Announce New Affiliate After 8 Seasons With New York Islanders
The team announced it reached an affiliation agreement with an NHL and an AHL team on Saturday.
WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester Railers are changing NHL affiliates for the first time in franchise history.
The Railers have reached an affiliation agreement with the St. Louis Blues of the NHL and the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL through the 2030-31 season, beginning with the 2026-27 campaign, the team announced on Saturday.
The agreement follows the end of Worcester’s eight-season affiliation with the New York Islanders, which had been in place since the Railers’ inaugural 2017-18 season. The team announced in May that its Islanders affiliation had concluded and that a new affiliate would be announced later.
Railers Chief Operating Officer Michael G. Myers said the team weighed “proximity, resources and track record” while considering affiliation options. Springfield and Worcester are about 50 miles apart, a factor St. Louis officials said will help with player development and scouting, according to the Railers.
The move also brings St. Louis back into the Central Massachusetts hockey market. Worcester was previously home to the Worcester IceCats, the Blues’ top AHL affiliate from 1994 to 2005, according to the Railers.
The Railers are an ECHL team based at the DCU Center. The ECHL describes itself as the premier “AA” hockey league and had 29 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province as of June 2024.
The new affiliation will begin during the Railers’ ninth ECHL season. Worcester’s 2026-27 home opener is scheduled for Oct. 17 at the DCU Center. The Railers’ schedule now lists the Maine Mariners as the opening-night opponent, according to the team.
