 The club was affiliated with one minor league team, the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League.On March 6, 2020, the St. Louis Blues inherited the Thunderbirds affiliation, leaving the Panthers without an AHL partnership.Blockbuster Video magnate Wayne Huizenga was awarded an NHL franchise for Miami on December 10, 1992, the same day The Walt Disney Company earned the rights to start a team in Anaheim that would become the Mighty Ducks.