The Utica Comets are the American Hockey League affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, the newest iteration of the Comets franchise after previously serving as the top affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. Comets president and former National Hockey League goaltender Robert Esche was instrumental in bringing the Devils affiliation to town by relocating the Binghamton Devils, changing the Comets’ color scheme to match when the change became official in 2021.
These Comets are the second Utica-based team to be affiliated with the Devils, as the Utica Devils previously played in the city from 1987 through 1993. Twenty years later, the AHL returned to Utica when the Peoria Rivermen relocated and became the Utica Comets, honoring several past teams to hold the Comets name. The team inherited the previous affiliation with the Canucks up until the change in 2021.
They call the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium (or simply, “The Aud”), which was where scenes from the film Slap Shot were shot in 1977. The arena, which was opened in 1960, is one of the oldest venues to host AHL hockey but is consistently ranked among the best in the league.
Although the Calder Cup has not yet come to Utica, the Comets won their first North Division title in 2022 after setting an AHL record with 12 consecutive wins to start their season. However, they have not gotten past the first round of the postseason in their new affiliation, going to the Calder Cup Finals once in the 2014-15 campaign.
This season, the Comets finished the season with a record of 35-27-6-4, fourth in the North Division. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Toronto Marlies.
Their head coach is Kevin Dineen, their general manager is Dan MacKinnon, and their mascot is Naudie.
Notable former Thunderbirds include Joel Hofer, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, and Nathan Walker.