Portland, ME – You’ll probably be hearing a lot of howling around the Cumberland County Civic Center when the Portland Pirates hit the ice in the fall.

Several sources who are familiar with the situation have told Maine Hockey Journal that the next affiliate of the Pirates will be the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Pirates have scheduled a 1 p.m. press conference on Monday to announce the affiliation.

The Coyotes have spent the last six years with the San Antonio Rampage. They’ve been looking for a new deal since their current affiliation agreement expired this past season.

Pirates Managing Owner and CEO Brian Petrovek wouldn’t confirm the Coyotes coming to Portland instead he decided to defer any comment on that until the press conference on Monday.

Portland was left looking for a new affiliate after the Buffalo Sabres announced they were purchasing the Rochester Americans and moving their minor league operation back to Western New York, where they spent 29-years prior to coming to Portland in 2008.

Petrovek attempted to settle down the fans fears that this was the first step toward the Pirates potentially leaving town.

“This is an exciting day for us,” he said. “Every step along the way in moving from one affiliate to another has strengthened our business. We’re here for the long term. There is absolutely no thought in our mind in selling this franchise or moving this franchise. We’re looking at this as a new chapter that’s going to put us in a much strong position than we’ve ever been before. We have the utmost confidence that were going to deliver a product to our fans that’s going to take it from where Buffalo left off and move us a step ahead.”

This will be the Pirates fourth affiliate in seven years matching only Springfield in terms of affiliation shifts during that span.

In each case, the affiliation changed because of reasons beyond control of the Pirates, but they’ve managed to maintain healthy attendance and corporate support during the last several years.

Washington left in 2005 for Hershey, PA when that market opened up for the Capitals, who were looking to move closer to their home market. Likewise, the Anaheim Ducks, who replaced the Capitals, left Portland for Des Moines, IA only three years later, again to be closer to their home market, which only lasted one year before they eventually landed in Syracuse last season.

Petrovek is confident that the relationship with the new affiliate will be long-lasting, adding to the stability of the organization.

I don’t look at these changes as lack of stability or volatility in anyway,” said Petrovek. “Things happen for certain reasons. Anaheim had it’s own reasons and it’s own dynamic. Buffalo was great opportunity for us to align with someone who we didn’t think was available at the time.”

“This next chapter is one that I see being different than the ones that have come before. It will be long term, it will have stability. I have absolutely no concern about this relationship being unstable or volatile or toxic or what others might want to characterize it in any shape or form. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have done it. There was no one putting a gun to our head to do this. This is a decision that we made and we feel that we are going to be a better business, better franchise and have a better product on the ice and in the community as a result of this new relationship which will take place beginning Monday.

Petrovek spoke about the new affiliate wanting to make a splash in the community and was looking at the potential of being more involved than the Ducks or Sabres over the last several years with potential bring back an NHL exhibition game or even an NHL training camp as soon as possibly 2012.

“We’re having conversation about doing more things in this community,” he added. “We’re looking at 2012 when we can possibly return an NHL exhibition game (to Portland), and looking Saco as a spot for an NHL training camp. There are a lot other things that are different about this conversation than with Buffalo.”

There have be reported four NHL teams looking at Portland including the Florida Panthers, who it was believed were close to signing a deal with the Pirates. Although, Petrovek didn’t confirm that the Panthers were the second team he did say there was a second in the mix until the very end.

“I thought perhaps this was going to go in a different direction,” he said. “It was getting to the finish line with team A and it ended being with Team B. Team B became Team A. I knew going into this we have been in the best possible place we’d ever been.”

Three more days. Just three more days.