American Hockey League president and CEO Scott Howson appears to be pleased at the early returns for the new Abbotsford franchise.
Howson spoke to the Around The A podcast on June 16, and when the topic of the new Canucks affiliate came up, he said he expects this run to be far more successful than the Abbotsford Heat experience.
“I think it’s going to be a lot different this time around,” he said. “It’s the right affiliate right in the Canucks heartland.”
He went on to state that the franchise has had “tremendous success” selling season ticket deposits.
“It’s different now,” he said. “It’s the right team, the market has changed a little bit and I think it’s going to be an asset for the league.”
Howson stepped into the role of AHL president and CEO on July 1, 2020 after being unanimously elected by the league’s board of governors in February 2020. He had previously spent 26 years as an executive with both the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets organizations.
Last month, shortly after the Canucks announced their intentions to move the team to Abbotsford, they had told The News that there had been an “incredible” early interest from fans to secure priority access for tickets.
RELATED: Canucks: ‘Incredible’ early interest for Abbotsford AHL tickets
To listen to the Abbotsford portion of the podcast, tune in at 30:42.
