Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States. It makes for a rare off day on the AHL schedule, though there are plenty of games on Thanksgiving Eve, Black Friday and Saturday to keep fans filling buildings around the league.
Some teams will be on the road, of course, and a team Thanksgiving dinner is a long-time tradition that a player from any country will embrace. And for the teams who are home, players are sure to have get-togethers and fill up before a busy weekend of hockey.
What do AHL teams have to be thankful for as they dig into their meal Thursday? Let’s look at the Eastern Conference teams, with a rundown of the Western Conference to follow.
Belleville Senators
With the Ottawa Senators performing well and staying healthy, the B-Sens have had some better luck with a more stable roster than what has hampered them in the past. Wyatt Bongiovanni, acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for future considerations in 2024, had 22 goals last season and is strong again. Now it’s undrafted rookie goaltender Jackson Parsons who has helped to fill in and has delivered encouraging early results. The Ottawa organization has a knack for unearthing overlooked talent.
Bridgeport Islanders
Following a trying 2024-25 season, the Islanders had a busy offseason that included bringing in Rocky Thompson as their new head coach and adding a number of key veterans via free agency. This new mix still needs time to come together fully, but the Islanders have started well enough to stay in the middle of the Atlantic Division race.
Charlotte Checkers
Charlotte went the Calder Cup Finals last spring and gave the Abbotsford Canucks a dogged fight until the end. Then came several summertime departures that could have drained Charlotte of talent. Instead their affiliation with the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers has actively worked to replace key players up and down the lineup. Jack Devine has been one of the AHL’s leading rookies.
Cleveland Monsters
The Monsters got their captain back when the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Brendan Gaunce from the Minnesota Wild this past June. Now Gaunce is up with Columbus after a good start with the Monsters, and leading scorer Luca Pinelli was recalled by the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Monsters also debuted their throwback Cleveland Barons jerseys last week and looked sharp doing so. Cleveland is also drawing nearly 11,400 fans per game through seven home dates, and could challenge the AHL’s single-season attendance record (12,002).
Hartford Wolf Pack
Home ice got a whole new look for the Wolf Pack as the newly renamed PeoplesBank Arena has undergone a $145-million renovation. The building itself turned 50 this year, but it doesn’t look like it. New seating, bunker suites, loge boxes and a concourse makeover – in addition to locker room renovations – have the Wolf Pack living in style.
Hershey Bears
So much for a rebuilding year: With most of the veterans from the Bears’ back-to-back Calder Cup teams having moved on to other opportunities, a substantial influx of rookies took their spots on the Hershey roster, but growing pains have been minimal. New head coach Derek King has his Bears looking dangerous already and in the Atlantic Division’s top four, and 19-year-old rookie Ilya Protas is leading the team with 15 points in 16 games.
Laval Rocket
After finishing first overall in the 2024-25 regular season, the Rocket gave their fans a memorable trip all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Jacob Fowler’s sparkling debut in the crease during last year’s playoffs has carried over to his rookie season. Expectations are one thing, but nobody really knows how a prospect is going to pan out until he takes on competition one step below the NHL level; Fowler has a 2.10 GAA, a .918 save percentage and three shutouts through his first 11 appearances.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
As the Philadelphia Flyers continue to outpace expectations, there’s a new enthusiasm around the organization that extends to the Phantoms. Rookie forwards Denver Barkey and Alex Bump are matching their hoped-for promise, while the goaltending pair of Carson Bjarnason and Aleksei Kolosov has shown well. Eventually injured defenseman Oliver Bonk, a first-round pick, should move into the Lehigh Valley lineup, too. With new head coach John Snowden, development is well underway for the Phantoms.
Providence Bruins
The Boston Bruins always make sure to take care of their operation in Providence, the AHL’s longest-running affiliation. Boston’s aggressive offseason plan brought Matěj Blümel and Alex Steeves into the organization, and both have already earned recalls to the NHL. Former Eddie Shore Award winner Christian Wolanin was added to the P-Bruins’ roster last week, and Simon Zajicek joins reigning Baz Bastien Award winner Michael DiPietro in creating a formidable tandem in net.
Rochester Americans
While the Amerks have been able to churn out a parade of top picks onward to the Buffalo Sabres, they still have been able to win games. Konsta Helenius continues to develop in the AHL after going in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and fellow recent first-rounders Isak Rosén and Noah Östlund have already seen significant time in Buffalo this season. Newcomer Zac Jones leads all AHL defensemen in scoring with 16 points – all assists.
Springfield Thunderbirds
Dalibor Dvorský has impressed in St. Louis and Colten Ellis has since moved on to Buffalo, leaving the Thunderbirds without two of their key pieces from last year’s club. Nikita Alexandrov leads Springfield in scoring following a 21-goal season a year ago, and touted rookie Juraj Pekarcik has nine points through his first 16 games as a pro. Theo Lindstein, one of three first-round picks by the Blues in 2023, is a promising young defenseman beginning his North American career in Springfield.
Syracuse Crunch
The Crunch recently sent their 100th player on to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a milestone for one of hockey’s most enduring and productive affiliations. It takes a lot of work, a lot of give-and-take, to make the relationship flourish for both sides. Tampa Bay has been a top contender for years, and the Crunch have been a crucial part of that success while also winning plenty themselves. The additions of Jakob Pelletier and Nick Abruzzese have given the Crunch added offensive punch this season, while Dylan Duke and Conor Geekie continue to develop as second-year pros.
Toronto Marlies
Artur Akhtyamov came to Toronto in 2024 as a fourth-round pick with just 21 games of goaltending experience in the Kontinental Hockey League. If no one really knew what to expect from Akhtyamov as he took on the AHL for the first time, they certainly did by the end of last season. He has carried that standard and built on it this fall with the Marlies, providing a measure of stability while Toronto has gone through a number of roster changes.
Utica Comets
Let’s not sugar-coat it: It was a tough 2024-25 season in Utica. A 13-game winless streak to open last year all but sunk their playoff hopes by November. But Ryan Parent’s club never quit and instead became an unwelcome opponent down the stretch. This year’s Comets squad is facing similar adversity, but rookie defenseman Ethan Edwards has been a bright spot; the University of Michigan product has a goal and five assists through 14 games and earned a recall to New Jersey last week.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins were supposed to be an aging team on the decline, but the big club has emerged as one of the NHL’s best stories of the first quarter and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has more than exceeded expectations as well. Sergei Murashov was the AHL’s goaltender of the month for October, then was recalled and has been outstanding in Pittsburgh. Depth is a must at both the NHL and AHL levels, and the Pittsburgh organization has made sure to stock up.
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
