Winnipeg Jets announce new ECHL affiliate

The Winnipeg Jets announced a new affiliation with the ECHL's Bloomington Bison on July 8, 2026. (Source: Winnipeg Jets)

The Winnipeg Jets are adding another team to the herd.

On Wednesday, the Jets and Manitoba Moose announced a new affiliation with the ECHL’s Bloomington Bison for the 2026-27 season.

The news comes hours after the Jets’ previous ECHL team, the Norfolk Admirals, announced their affiliation had come to an end.

The Bison, based in Bloomington, Ill., were the ECHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack for the past years.

“We’re excited to begin this new partnership,” Craig Heisinger, the Jets’ senior vice president and director of hockey operations, said in a news release. “We look forward to the opportunity and professional environment this affiliation will provide for our prospects.”

The ECHL serves as a developmental league or farm system for NHL and AHL franchises with teams primarily located throughout the United States. The only Canadian ECHL team is situated in Trois-Rivières, QC.

The Bloomington Bison kick off their season on Oct. 17 at the Grossinger Motors Arena against the Kalamazoo Wings.