California is quickly rivaling the Northeast and Upper Midwest as a bastion of professional hockey.

The LA Kings have been here since the late sixties, later joined by the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks.  Now five teams from the American Hockey League are moving to California.

The AHL is described as being much like Triple-A teams in Major League Baseball. The clubs are moving mostly from the northeast, and they will play in cities across the state - San Diego, Stockton, San Jose, Bakersfield and Ontario.

NHL teams here say the new farm clubs will provide them with better access to younger players. They also expect the AHL teams to generate more interest in hockey among the already growing legion of fans.