A fascinating part of the American Hockey League (AHL) is how fast things change. Great teams look awful one week, and teams going nowhere look like juggernauts the next. Rosters change from month to month or even day to day. It’s why the last-place teams, even the worst in the league, can still make a push for the playoffs and sneak in.
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It’s the focus of this week’s AHL check-in. The four last-place teams in their divisions are in different spots yet, and each has a path to turn its season around. Plus, at the end, it’s only fitting to pick (and jinx) one of those teams.
Hartford Wolf Pack
The Hartford Wolf Pack are the prime example of what a hot streak can do to a team’s playoff hopes. The season has been a rough one, where they average only 2.50 goals per game and allow 3.40 goals per game, and they are still in the mix. They started out the three-in-three this weekend with a 2-1 loss but rebounded with a 4-0 win and a 5-2 win to move five points within a playoff spot.
The fascinating part about the Wolf Pack is that they’ve looked like the same team all season, with the same system, similar players, and the same temperament from the front office and the coaching staff. Now, they are executing in the offensive zone and starting to turn a corner.
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Head coach Grant Potulny talked about it after the Saturday night win when asked what it would take to make it to the playoffs.“This is repeatable but it’s hard, it’s hard work, it’s mentally challenging, so hopefully we can find that place where we can repeat this over and over.” While the Wolf Pack have struggled all season, they still are in a good spot to make the playoffs, especially if they build off the impressive weekend.
Utica Comets
The irony for the Utica Comets is that they started out this season the same way that they began last season. A slow start put them behind the eight ball, and they’ve been chasing the rest of the North Division since.
The Comets have an intriguing team with a handful of prospects who can become viable parts of the New Jersey Devils roster down the road. Yet, it’s an uphill battle to make the playoffs with the team 15 points out of a playoff spot as well.
There seems to be a shift in the Comets mindset as well, as much as the head coach Ryan Parent doesn’t want to admit it. When asked what he wants to see from the team down the stretch, he said, “We’ve had games where we’ve been finding ways to win, and as long as we keep building good habits and good character amongst our team, that’s a successful season for us.” This can be interpreted as a team that knows the playoffs are unlikely but is looking to build for the long run, maybe not this season but a winning culture down the road.
Iowa Wild
The Iowa Wild are the worst team in the AHL, with only 35 points and a .357 points percentage. Their offense has particularly let them down this season, scoring only 2.34 goals per game with only five active skaters scoring 20 points or more 49 games into the season (their leading scorer is Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, with 25 points).
It’s amazing how bad the Wild are. Sure, the Minnesota Wild don’t have a great farm system but with Greg Cronin as their head coach, the expectation was for them to be respectable. Instead, they are heading towards a lost season. Even with a two-game winning streak, they sit 11 points out of a playoff spot, so don’t count on a playoff push.
Abbotsford Canucks
It’s somewhat surprising to see how much ground the Abbotsford Canucks have made up this season. They were 4-13-1-2 two months into the season and somehow are only 10 points out of a playoff spot. The Canucks have games in hand on all the teams in front of them but a hot streak can still get them back in it.
It’s a credit to a group that, without question, started the season out with a championship hangover and fatigue. The Canucks won the Calder Cup last season, and the shortened offseason took its toll. Yet, they’ve been a determined bunch with the right coach to turn things around in the second-year leader, Manny Malhotra.
Who Makes It?
Among the four teams, the Wolf Pack are in the best spot to make a playoff push. They have a game in hand over the Bridgeport Islanders and the Springfield Thunderbirds while they face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, another team within striking distance, in a back-to-back this weekend. Better yet, only eight points separate the Pack from the Hershey Bears, so a hot streak can both put them in fourth place in the division and allow them to host playoff games.
The other team with a good shot is the Canucks. They still have a long way to go but they’ve kept themselves in the fight. So, don’t overlook the Canucks in the final two months of the season.
Quick NCAA Notes
I went to the Boston College against UConn game in Hartford this Saturday. That was cool. The game felt like a playoff game, and the college atmosphere is tough to match, with the band, the school spirit, and the alumni yelling at the refs after a few beers (making you question what they majored in and how they got into the college to begin with).
The game itself didn’t disappoint, with the Boston College Eagles winning 2-1 in overtime. “On the ice, both teams played like it was a playoff game,” Greg Brown, the Eagles head coach, noted afterwards. Brown talked about how these games prepare the kids, not just for a championship run but the next level as well, since the intensity of the games at times matches the intensity at the next level.
Prospects have a choice between junior and college hockey. Each has its advantages. Junior, for one, has the games where the kids play a schedule that’s similar to the NHL or the AHL. College, while lacking the quantity, has the quality or is closer to it, as the players are more pro-ready and the games are heavier and harder-hitting.
It’s fun to note the differences between the college game and the pros. College hockey isn’t as exciting at least the on-ice product, that is. The game isn’t as structured, and the skill is a rarity, allowing players like Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, and James Hagens to stand out.
Speaking of Hagens, he didn’t have a great game in Hartford. Of course, it’s hard to judge a player based on one game but it was the second of a back-to-back, and the Boston Bruins top prospect looked slow and was a non-factor offensively. To be fair, he scored a hat trick the night before against the same Husky team. So, the talent is there, and the Bruins must hope he adapts to the grind that is the AHL and certainly, the NHL (where back-to-backs and long road trips are commonplace).
Now, back to the AHL.
AHL Quick Hits
The Phantoms put together two impressive wins on the road against the Hershey Bears, and after a five-game losing streak, they needed a bounce-back. It was the first time in a long time that their stars played like stars.
Oliver Bonk looked confident on the defense and finally showed off his skill on the offensive end with a goal and an assist. Bonk entered the weekend with only one point in six games, so if he’s starting to find his footing, it goes a long way. Then there’s the play from Alex Bump, the winger who scored three goals in the two games, including one in the interior of the offensive zone, something Phantoms head coach John Snowden has preached all season to the forwards.
The Providence Bruins saw their 13-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday with a 3-2 loss to the Thunderbirds. They lost 5-2 on Sunday to the Wolf Pack but otherwise, it’s been a dominant season from the Bruins, and the winning streak reflects it.
The Thunderbirds won both their games this weekend, and also closed the gap on the playoff teams. Five teams in the Atlantic Division are within eight points of each other, and it shows how bunched up the division is.
The Cleveland Monsters and the Syracuse Crunch have won seven of their last 10 games. So, the top three teams in the North Division are starting to separate themselves, at least for now.
