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Report: Canucks won't operate AHL affiliate in Peoria

According to the Peoria Journal Star, the Canucks have served notice that they will not operate their AHL affiliate in the Illinois city.
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According to the Peoria Journal Star, the Vancouver Canucks have notified the Peoria Civic Center that they will not operate their AHL affiliate in the Illinois city next season.

The Canucks purchased the AHL's Peoria Rivermen from the St. Louis Blues in late March, and were negotiating to bring the franchise to Abbotsford, where they would have replaced the Calgary Flames-owned Heat.

But the City of Abbotsford and the Vancouver NHL club were unable to come to an agreement.

"There were time constraints, and at the end of the day, the city is not going to do a deal unless it's in the best interests of the taxpayers," Mayor Bruce Banman told The News at the time.

The Journal Star report also indicates that the Canucks are likely to leave their farm team dormant for the 2013-14 season, instead loaning their top prospects to other teams in the AHL.