The Flames AHL franchise relocated from
Omaha, Nebraska, where the team spent two seasons as the
Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. Following two disappointing seasons at the gate in which the Flames and the
Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben lost over $4 million, the Flames chose to relocate the franchise. The new franchise joined former UHL rival, the
Rockford IceHogs in moving up to the AHL. The Flames made their AHL regular-season debut in Moline on October 6, 2007, with a 5–1 victory over Rockford. The Flames were the third team to attempt to place an AHL team in the Quad Cities. Both the
San Jose Sharks and
Edmonton Oilers were unable to reach an agreement with the owners of the Mallards and of the arena. While the NHL franchise had signed an affiliation agreement to the end of the 2011–12 season, the Flames and Quad City Sports Ventures agreed to end the agreement after just two seasons and the Flames placed their affiliate in
Abbotsford, British Columbia for the
2009–10 AHL season. Local ownership in Quad Cities estimated the team's losses for 2008–09 at $1.3 million.
This market was previously served by: •
Quad City Mallards of the
UHL (1995–2007)
The market was subsequently home to: •
Quad City Mallards of the
IHL,
CHL, and the
ECHL (2009–18)
Affiliates •
Calgary Flames (2007–2009) ==Season-by-season results==