Logo Maps: 2011-12 Edition

Several announcements and unveilings over the past week or so have cemented up our logo maps for the 2011-12 hockey season. Specifically, I'm referring to the NHL, AHL and ECHL. The Jets and IceCaps each have logos now, and the Trenton Devils are becoming the Titans once again.

So ready your road trip plans and enjoy these maps! They're all fully interactive so feel free to zoom and pan around all you like. And be sure to note the new logos on each.

NHL Map: 2011—

What's new in 2011 on the NHL map? Well, the Lightning, Predators and Kings each have new primary logos. And of course, the Atlanta Thrashers have relocated to become the Winnipeg Jets.

View NHL Map 2011— in a larger map

I hope it doesn't clutter the map too much, but I've added division boundaries in blue and the conference boundary in red. It gives you an idea of the relative sizes of each division. Clearly the Northwest is the most spread out while the Atlantic is the most tightly-packed. (Though obviously the Southeast is the most oddly-shaped, at least for this season.)

AHL Map: 2011—

The Thrashers' move has had a ripple effect on the American Hockey League leading the Manitoba Moose to vacate their post and become the St. John's IceCaps way out in Newfoundland. This will also be the first full season of the Connecticut Whale, formerly the Hartford Wolf Pack.

View AHL Map 2011— in a larger map

You'll notice the northeast is pretty dense with AHL teams so this is one map where you'll definitely want to pan and zoom around.

ECHL Map: 2011—

Finally, the ECHL is adding two new teams while rebranding another. The Colorado Eagles join from the Central Hockey League as the expansion Chicago Express prepare to celebrate their inaugral season. Also, the Trenton Devils franchise is going back to the Trenton Titans name under new ownership.

View ECHL Map 2011— in a larger map

While the ECHL adds teams in Colorado and Chicago this season, it's lost its only Canadian team with the folding of the Victoria Salmon Kings. The Salmon Kings' demise was part of the Thrashers relocation domino effect. Decisions were made long before anything was written in stone regarding Atlanta. Here's how it went down: With the possibility of the NHL's Thrashers moving to Winnipeg, the AHL's Moose would be displaced. The WHL, which long-desired a team in Victoria, worried the AHL might beat them to the punch with the Moose and announced the Chilliwack Bruins' sale and relocation to Victoria. The new owners, who also owned the Salmon Kings, couldn't find a buyer and folded that team to focus on the WHL.

By the way, this isn't the last of the maps. I'm developing an entire section of league logo maps for as many different leagues as you can think of — and going back as far as possible for the ones we know best. I'm expecting to launch it any week now.