The Oklahoma City Barons, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, will cease operations at the end of the season.

Edmonton's lease commitment is finished after the 2014-15 league year and it will not be renewed after five years in Oklahoma City, the Oilers announced Thursday.

"The players, coaches and fans of the OKC Barons have been outstanding partners to our organization as our development team affiliate. We have enjoyed a solid working relationship with the City of Oklahoma City as well as with Prodigal, the Barons' management company, throughout the team's five years," Oilers Entertainment Group President & COO Patrick LaForge said in a release. "The decision to move on from Oklahoma City, although not easy, will open new opportunities for the Oilers organization and our AHL business. We want to thank Bob Funk Jr. and his team at Prodigal for their partnership in bringing professional hockey to Oklahoma City."

As TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports, the Oilers' ECHL franchise in Bakersfield, California could be transformed into the team's new AHL home.

The AHL is currently working on forming a Western Division to accommodate the NHL's California-based clubs and teams in Western Canada, who have been pushing for a western wing for a number of years.

AHL President Dave Andrews said that the league isn't prepared to announce a new division, as a lot more work remains to be done.  

Reports indicate the Calgary Flames also have interest in relocating their AHL team from Glen Falls, New York while the Winnipeg Jets have one more year remaining on their agreement in St John's, Newfoundland, which the Jets intend to honour.

Vancouver Canucks sources told Dreger that they have no plans to pull out of Utica, New York at this time. 

Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, Arizona and potentially Colorado would make up the American component of the new division, with Edmonton, Calgary, and in the future, Winnipeg and Vancouver also involved.

While details are still being worked out, the launch of the division in 2015 may only include the AHL franchises of Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Calgary and Edmonton.