The Utica Devils were AHL affiliate of the
National Hockey League's
New Jersey Devils from 1987 to 1993. The franchise was moved from
Portland, Maine, at the end of the 1986–87 season, where it played as the
Maine Mariners. The Utica Devils displaced the
Mohawk Valley Comets of the
Atlantic Coast Hockey League that had played there since 1985. Utica was coached by
Tom McVie for four seasons from 1987 to 1991, followed by
Herb Brooks in 1991–92 and
Robbie Ftorek in 1992–93. Notable players who at one time were Utica Devils include
Martin Brodeur,
Bill Guerin,
Kevin Todd,
Corey Schwab,
Bobby Holik,
Claude Vilgrain,
Valeri Zelepukin,
Jason Smith, and
Jim Dowd. In 1993, the NHL's
Calgary Flames purchased the Utica Devils franchise from the New Jersey Devils and subsequently relocated the team to
Saint John, New Brunswick, to become the
Saint John Flames. The Devils moved their AHL affiliation to the
Albany River Rats the same year. Utica gained the
Bulldogs of the
Colonial Hockey League in 1993, which only lasted one season before folding and being replaced by the
Utica Blizzard in 1994. The AHL eventually returned to Utica in 2013 with the
Utica Comets using the
Vancouver Canucks' franchise. In April 2021, a new trademark was filed for the brand "Utica Devils" by
Robert Esche, the operator of the Utica Comets, for a potential relocation of the
Binghamton Devils. On May 6, it was announced that the Devils would affiliate with Utica, but the Comets name would remain. ==Season-by-season results==