The Top 25 Jerseys in Minor League Hockey

If the competing individuals will lure in starving NHL fans, the laundry will need to make the talent in question presentable.

The American Hockey League, which promises to offer some much-needed auspices to many of the NHL’s young stars during the lockout, will not need much more aid at the gate in the coming months. Between many of the players and their uniforms, being a next best thing to The Show ought to be an effortless endeavor.

Nearly two-thirds of the AHL’s jerseys look virtually or precisely identical to those of a given NHL parent club. That is fine for those who share a common nickname and/or a geographic fanbase with their major league partner.

For other teams in the Triple-A circuit and for the teams in lower-level professional leagues, however, a uniform that meets the criteria of creating a more unique identity while not stepping too far out of line is in order.

Granted, it is not the sole decider as to the worth of watching a team, but it can make the viewing experience more palatable for the eye. In some cases, it can even make things extra enticing.

Outside of the AHL clubs who have the fortune of emulating their parents, the 25 minor professional franchises in North America who do the best job with their jerseys are listed as follows in alphabetical order.

Alaska Aces, ECHL

Save for the absence of a slim streak of gold, this jersey should remind all '90s kids and more mature generations of the old IHL’s Cleveland Lumberjacks.

Arizona Sundogs, CHL

The red and black streaks behind the crest of the Sundogs’ white jersey is what happens when the vintage Chicago Blackhawks meet the longtime reds of the Montreal Canadiens.

Bloomington Blaze, CHL

Both sweaters have plenty of fiery red and smoky black going on. Granted, a little sliver of flaming yellow could perfect the uniform, but it’s still good enough as it is.

Chicago Wolves, AHL

In 18-plus years of operation as an IHL and AHL franchise, the Wolves have sported the same basic home and road uniforms. In turn, they have consistently sported a neatly organized variety of dark and light colors, ranging from black to burgundy to yellow-gold to white.

Cincinnati Cyclones, ECHL

Literally nothing but the main color (white to red) changes between the Cyclones home and road jerseys.

The darkish yellow armband on both uniforms is a 180-degree game-changer. Without it, this team would just be another plain old red-and-black. But with it, the Cyclones flaunt much more personality.

Columbus Cottonmouths, SPHL

The Superman-esque combination of the three primary colors was especially fitting last season when the Cottonmouths soared to the SPHL playoff championship.

Connecticut Whale, AHL

The predominantly green jersey evokes one era in the history of Hartford’s previous hockey franchise while the blue helmets and pants evoke another.

Florida Everblades, ECHL

It’s no coincidence that this scheme evokes memories of the Hartford Whalers. The Everblades answer to the same ownership group, piloted by Peter Karmanos, that also owns the parent Carolina Hurricanes and the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers.

Implicitly for the sake of amplifying a unique personality, the Blades added a row of clenched alligator teeth along the bottom of their jersey.

Grand Rapids Griffins, AHL

The golden numerals on this third jersey are a reminder of when the Griffins were an independent team in the old IHL. Ditto the conspicuous presence of blue on the road jersey, which makes Grand Rapids one of the few AHL franchises to eschew exact replicas of their NHL parent’s uniform.

Greenville Road Warriors, ECHL

As much as it helps at any level to have an abundance of teams jutting out with original or unique designs, a little simplicity here and there is equally welcome. That is what the Road Warriors bring with the blue-and-white format that entertainingly clashes with the majority of their ECHL opponents’ louder uniforms.

Hershey Bears, AHL

Brown is one of the toughest colors to find in a sports uniform, let alone as the dominant color. Yet the AHL’s longest-tenured franchise has been wearing it prominently for more than seven decades, representing the city many know as Chocolatetown.

Knoxville Ice Bears, SPHL

The Adirondack (nee Philadelphia) Phantoms of the AHL have dropped purple from their uniform so as to match the appearance of their parent Philadelphia Flyers.

Fortunately, those nostalgic for the purple, orange and black combination can still find it prominently in Knoxville’s road jersey.

Manchester Monarchs, AHL

In spite of the nickname that pays homage to their ancestors and fits their lifelong relationship with the Los Angeles Kings, the Monarchs have generally refrained donning carbon copies of their NHL parent’s jersey.

Just as well, considering the vast geographic disparity. And it has paid off for this team to have its own identity.

Although attendance has lagged in recent years, the Monarchs are still a healthy draw and continue to endear themselves to New Hampshire hockey fans.

Mississippi Surge, SPHL

A series of lightning flashes reminiscent of the San Diego Chargers’ logo encompass an equally voltage-laden logo on the front and name and numerals on the back.

The road sweater, in particular, pulls an unlikely feat of making grey appear to belong. The generous distribution of that ostensibly dull color on the shoulder evokes thoughts of a storm cloud that generates the aforementioned lightning.

Norfolk Admirals, AHL

Another 2011-12 league champion sporting a rare combination of blue, red and gold.

Ontario Reign, ECHL

Despite their geographic proximity to the parent L.A. Kings, the Reign franchise has retained its own distinctive persona. Hard to blame them when you look at how the road jersey transitions from dark blue to light grey without too much trim or too little of the predominant color.

Quad City Mallards, CHL

The trim on each jersey is exactly that. Trim.

That’s not to knock other teams who distribute their secondary colors in more creative patterns, but this format works well for the Mallards, who clearly saved themselves ample time by going for the same color combination as their zoological namesakes.

Rapid City Rush, CHL

The unique logo certainly obliterates the mystery as to the inspiration for this team’s nickname. Its surroundings, at least on the home jersey, are reminiscent of the University of Denver Pioneers.

One could argue that the faded, cutoff “R” logo on the bottom front is a tad distracting, but one could also say it adds a harmless dollop of energy.

Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, CHL

The bee-colored stripes go far enough to stand out as a unique attention-getter, but stop safely short of the distracting barber-pole scheme of the sport’s old days.

Rochester Americans, AHL

A crisp classic that helps to underscore Rochester’s status as Hershey’s only companion among the AHL’s elder statesmen.

Stockton Thunder, ECHL

Stockton’s sweaters incorporate a pair of big, bold lightning bolts flanking their fearsome logo. The best of the array is the predominantly black jersey with a set of hot white strikes.

Toledo Walleye, ECHL

The white homes, complete with a wavy streak of dark blue, and the navy thirds more than compensate for the iffy light blue roads. With any luck, the first two will ultimately take over as the sole residents of the Walleye’s wardrobe closet.

Trenton Titans, ECHL

The highlight of both the home and road uniform is the local nod that comes with the bridge-like pattern on the shoulders. The homage is doubled on the red jersey with the New Jersey State House logo.

Utah Grizzlies, ECHL

Whether they are sporting their whites, darks or thirds, the Grizzlies don an appropriate distribution of black, dark green and sometimes copper. Even the scratching bear claw at the bottom of the alternate proves itself a harmless nod to the nickname.

Wheeling Nailers, ECHL

Like the aforementioned Griffins, who have maintained blue as one of their colors even while partnering with the Detroit Red Wings, the Nailers play within the same rooting radius as their NHL parents, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Yet their uniforms also include a reminder, in the form of the color red, that they existed before they joined forces with the Pens.

With many thick stripes of trim along the shoulders, sleeves and stomach, the Nailers’ home jersey can draw no complaints of too much white. At the same time, there is nothing to needlessly divert attention from the emblem on the chest.