The Steelheads serve as the the ECHL affiliate of the Dallas Stars and will now continue to do so until 2020.
Players under contract to NHL teams don’t often spend much time with their ECHL affiliates with the exception of goaltenders, so the affiliations don’t tend to have a significant meaning for fans. However, the Stars have been doing more to increase the visibility of their relationship with the Steelheads.
For the past three years, training camp has been held in Austin. This year, the fans in Boise will get the chance to play host to the team for the first time instead.