Since both the ECHL and CHL have outgrown their original names, I propose the Continental Hockey League:

Western Conference

Pacific
Alaska
Victoria
Bakersfield
Fresno
Long Beach
San Diego
Stockton

Mountain
Phoenix
Arizona (CHL expansion)
Las Vegas
New Mexico (CHL expansion)
Rocky Mountain (Broomfield, CO - CHL expansion)
Loveland, CO
Utah
Idaho
Reno

Central
Laredo
Oklahoma City
Tulsa
Wichita
Austin
Fort Worth
Amarillo
Lubbock
Odessa

Eastern Conference

North
Cincinnati (ECHL inactive)
Dayton
Youngstown, OH
Johnstown
Reading
Toledo
Trenton
Wheeling
Burlington, VT (ECHL expansion)

South
Mississippi (ECHL inactive)
Memphis
Pensacola
Bossier-Shreveport
Texas (ECHL inactive)
Corpus Christi
Rio Grande Valley

Atlantic
South Carolina
Myrtle Beach (ECHL expansion)
Charlotte
Columbia
Greenville
Gwinnett
Augusta
Florida
Gulf Coast (Manatee County, FL) (ECHL expansion)

Each team would play their division rivals 3 times and other teams in their conference twice for a total of 54 or 56 games. The remainder of the schedule would be filled with non-conference games. Ten teams from each conference would make the playoffs, with the first round consisting of the 7 and 8 seeds hosting the 9 and 10 seeds for a single elimination game.

Dude, I'm not sure if the ECHL and the CHL could merge. Both "AA" leagues have a great history in this sport, respectively.

John

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Florida State Seminole fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)!

ECHL wants to market themselves as the one true "AA" feeder league to the NHL. The affiliations to AHL and NHL teams, for whatever they are worth (I don't think it's much), are heavily emphasized.

The CHL does whatever they can to keep labor costs down, limits the schedule a bit much, but they have quite the arena-building racket (which is why they have a team in Youngstown OH, and Memphis TN is their "regional rival").

The two leagues are highly incompatible with one another.

However, there are some slightly credible rumors about a merger between the CHL and UHL.