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Stars News & Notes: Lites addresses Iowa concerns Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Dallas Stars president Jim Lites told an Iowa newspaper Wednesday the team would like to eventually move its AHL affiliate to a new arena near Austin, but he also tried to ease concerns that any such move would cost the city of Des Moines an American Hockey League franchise. Word that the Stars had submitted a proposal to bring their AHL team to the Cedar Park Entertainment Center just outside Austin raised fears among hockey fans in Des Moines that a move could spell the end of the AHL in the city. Lites tried to alleviate that on Wednesday. “There will be an AHL team in Des Moines for a long time to come, whether it is affiliated with the Stars or another team. We have nothing but great things to say about Des Moines, the owners of the team there, the city and the arena,” Lites told the Des Moines Register. The Stars have been affiliated with Iowa since 2005-06 and Lites said Dallas will honor the final three years of its agreement with Iowa. If the Stars did move their AHL team to Texas, Lites it would then open the door for a new affiliation for the Des Moines franchise. "What we are talking about here is a possible affiliation change, and that wouldn’t happen for another three years anyway," Lites told the Des Moines Register. "This isn’t about us packing up in the middle of the night and leaving Iowa. Iowa is going to have a franchise no matter what. If anything, they could get a franchise affiliation closer to them." Lites told the newspaper that minor league affiliation changes are business as usual. "Affiliation changes happen frequently," Lites said. "When I was with the [Texas ] Rangers, it happened every year with one of our six minor-league teams." Texas-based Schlegel Sports, which owns the Iowa AHL franchise, has a lease with the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines through 2015. The Iowa Stars called a press conference Wednesday afternoon in Des Moines to discuss the future of the AHL in the city. "Regardless if our agreement is extended with the Dallas Stars, we are committed to keeping an AHL franchise in Des Moines," Kirby Schlegel, owner of Schlegel Sports, said. Late last week the city of Cedar Park, which is about 20 miles outside of Austin, announced that Hicks Sports Marketing Group, which represents Tom Hicks' sports properties, submitted a proposal to become a partner in the Cedar Park Entertainment Center, a multi-purpose spectator facility that is expected to seat about 6,000 people. Part of that proposal was bringing the Dallas Stars' AHL affiliate to play in the arena. The proposal also promised to bring family events, other sports and family shows to the facility. The Stars have had a long-time interest in putting a hockey team in the Cedar Park arena, which city officials have been trying to get built for several years.
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