Olds Grizzlys head coach Joe Murphy says it's too early to know what effect a leave of absence by the Calgary Mustangs will have on his club.
The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) announced last week that the team was taking a one-year leave of absence from the league for the 2019-20 season in order to "secure a sustainable future for the franchise either in Calgary or through a relocation."
In a letter, Mustangs president Mike Cartney said low ticket sales, combined with falling advertising revenue and the fact the team has not made the playoffs for a long time have put the franchise “in a difficult position” financially.
The club had been hoping to move to Strathmore, but when that fell through, they applied for the leave of absence.
"There are a few too many unknowns to really measure the effect on the Grizzlys," Murphy said in an email to the Albertan.
"There is an outside chance we might see a former Mustang player at camp, or perhaps in the line-up to start the season. The AJHL has not ruled on how the existing mustangs players can be recruited, signed, etc.
"There are also a number of scenarios out there to deal with the South Division having one less team. The league will, I'm sure deal with that very quickly," he added.
