This week’s five observations touched on some thoughts around the American Hockey League (AHL). The fascinating thing about that is realizing afterwards how many things weren’t covered, and there are plenty of lingering thoughts following the first weekend back from the break.
Related: 5 Observations: Matthews, Trades & More
So, let’s look at some things that were overlooked or have lingered since the season began and are worth diving into now. After watching two Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins games, they headline the extra thoughts.
Wilkes-Barre Scranton is Built For Deep Run This Time Around
The Penguins have the best record in the Atlantic Division. More accurately, they have the most points with 47, while the Providence Bruins have 43 points but have played five fewer games. They’ve looked like the best team in the division and play at another level when Sergei Murashov is in the net and not on the NHL roster.
The other teams in their division agree. Derek King and John Snowden both acknowledged that the Penguins play the right way and take advantage of mistakes. “When they get their opportunities, they can score,” Snowden noted after the Dec. 28 game that ended in a 4-3 shootout win for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. They won that game by limiting the Penguins ability to find lanes to move the puck up the ice but have otherwise struggled to do so, losing the previous four meetings to their division rival.
“They are a really fast team that plays with a lot of skill,” Tucker Robertson added after that game as well. They are a tough team to play and give anyone who isn’t prepared plenty of problems.
But what stands out about this season’s version of the Penguins is that they aren’t just a fast team. That’s what they were last season but they struggled to defend or win when the games slowed down. It’s why they stumbled down the stretch and lost their only two playoff games to the Phantoms. This season, they are a well-rounded team and built for success down the road.
The roster is one reason. The Penguins have four lines that can score and have a bottom six that brings physicality and forechecking. The defensive unit is also stepping up and particularly defending the low-to-high plays, something head coach Kirk MacDonald has emphasized. The other big reason that the Penguins are more prepared is the mindset, led by their second-year head coach. They are playing with the big picture in mind and realize that it’s a marathon season, and it’s reflected in MacDonald’s sentiment after wins, which there have been plenty so far.
There Are Tiers & Then There Are The Grand Rapids Griffins
The divisions are starting to take shape, with the good teams separating themselves from the rest. Like a class or tier system, there are the elites, the middle class, and the bottom feeders in each division.
The Atlantic Division has the Penguins and the Bruins at the top while the Charlotte Checkers, Phantoms, and Hershey Bears are in the middle. Then, there’s the tight race for last place (or that final playoff spot) between the Bridgeport Islanders, Hartford Wolf Pack, and Springfield Thunderbirds.
The North Division is a split with four teams (Laval, Rochester, Syracuse, and Toronto) at the top and three (Belleville, Cleveland, and Utica) at the bottom. The Toronto Marlies are the biggest surprise since they’ve been forced to play most of the season with third or even fourth-string goaltenders, yet they remain in the hunt, a credit to the coaching job John Gruden’s done.
The Pacific Division has the murkiest of murky middles with the second-place team (Ontario Reign) and the second-last team (Tucson Roadrunners) separated by only eight points. The only two standouts are the Colorado Eagles and the Abbotsford Canucks, for opposite reasons.
Then there’s the Central Division, which has the Grand Rapids Griffins, and then everyone else. The season the Griffins are putting together is unlike any other as they’ve gone 26-1-0-1 to boast not only the best record in the AHL but a 20-point cushion over the next-best team in the division.
At this point, chasing history is great for the Griffins but what matters more is winning the Calder Cup to cap off this strong season. The good thing is that they check off all the boxes to do just that with a great offense, strong defense, and elite goaltending led by Sebastian Cossa.
This Time of the Year Exposes College-Background Players
The Phantoms hit a wall earlier in the month, losing five of seven games. Snowden talked about how some of the players on the team were experiencing the AHL grind for the first time. “Some of the guys coming out of college have almost played an entire season at this point when you think about the number of games that we played,” he noted after a 3-1 Dec. 17 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The college season is 30 games, and most AHL teams hit the 30-game mark around the holiday break. Nolan Renwick, who spent four years in college before joining the Penguins, noted that it was the toughest adjustment. “You have to treat your week very differently. You got into a routine and a rhythm. College, you can work out a lot because you don’t have a lot of games,” he mentioned after the Dec. 27 game.
The college game is scheduled. Schools play on the weekends and practice during the week. The contrast is the AHL, which plays on the weekend but sometimes has three-in-three and almost always has a midweek game. The NHL takes that tough schedule one step further as teams are playing every other night and sometimes on back-to-backs for 82 games. When players hit the wall in the AHL, it raises red flags for NHL teams.
There was a belief heading into the season that college hockey was having a breakthrough, a big moment, as they were attracting the big names like Gavin McKenna and Porter Martone. The NCAA has the money, the facilities, and a heavier brand of hockey that makes it an attractive spot for prospects. That said, junior hockey is still proving to be a better path for prospects, especially in the long run. The grind of a full season translates, and it might force the college game to adapt if teams want to send their top prospects there.
Lehigh Valley is Slowly Closing The Gap On the Top Teams
The Penguins have had the Phantoms number all season, winning the first four meetings against their Pennsylvania rival. The Phantoms battled back from a 2-0 deficit to beat them Dec. 28 in a shootout. The next night, they trailed 2-0 late in the third period to the Charlotte Checkers, yet battled back to force overtime and earn a point.
What’s impressive about the Phantoms play lately is that they are earning points and battling with a different team. Denver Barkey was called up to the Philadelphia Flyers, Alex Bump is out with an injury, and Anthony Richard, their top veteran scorer, is playing in the Spangler Cup. Instead, the Phantoms are leaning on their depth and their defense to win games.
It’s a sign that the Phantoms are buying into the system and, more importantly, that Snowden is getting the most out of the roster. This time of the year dares teams to win with depleted rosters. Injuries and call-ups are a part of the AHL. Snowden talked about how this is a chance for players to make the most of opportunities, and that’s what is happening, allowing them to come together as they return to action.
