Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
The AHL officially reached the halfway point of the 2024-25 regular season schedule last weekend.
Three months of play have started to provide some – though hardly all – of the answers that NHL front offices are seeking to learn about their prospects and their respective AHL affiliates.
What’s working? What isn’t? When the pressure builds as teams battle to lock down berths in the Calder Cup Playoffs, which prospects are positioned to take a significant step in the second half? Is there a veteran out there who may be able to come in and lend help?
And how, if at all, will the March 7 NHL trade deadline impact an AHL roster? Will a top prospect depart in a trade that is made to bolster the NHL parent club? Will a group of prospects arrive if an NHL front office opts to trade and build for the future instead?
A few teams have already start to shake up their looks already. In need of scoring help following several recalls to the Nashville Predators, the Milwaukee Admirals snagged proven forward Chase De Leo off AHL waivers; the veteran had signed an AHL contract with Charlotte after beginning this season overseas. Wednesday brought a swap of forwards between Anaheim and San Jose that landed Justin Bailey with the San Diego Gulls and Pavol Regenda with the San Jose Barracuda. The Checkers inked former AHL All-Star forward C.J. Smith. And this morning, Belleville added 1,043-game NHL vet Sam Gagner on a tryout.
More decisions and moves are sure to come. How has the first half of this season shaken out for each AHL team and where are they positioned as the schedule moves into the second half?
Let’s review the Eastern Conference first. A team-by-team review of the Western Conference will follow.
BELLEVILLE SENATORS
Eight points below the North Division playoff line, the B-Sens have six games in hand on the team that they are chasing, the Syracuse Crunch. They have been able to stay in contention despite upheaval in net caused by injuries and recalls to the Ottawa Senators. They have been doing their job for Ottawa, sending several players up to their parent club at different points this season. Forward Wyatt Bongiovanni has been a great story with 13 goals through just 23 games. Having to fight for a playoff spot is something that Belleville proved capable of doing down the stretch last season.
BRIDGEPORT ISLANDERS
Chris Terry has been his usual productive self, and AHL All-Star Brian Pinho has developed an excellent scoring touch in Bridgeport. Rookie forward Alex Jefferies, a 2020 fourth-round pick, has made a successful transition to the pro game. Isaiah George and Marc Gatcomb have made their NHL debuts on Long Island this season.
CHARLOTTE CHECKERS
With one of the AHL’s best offenses, the Checkers are capable of dominating when they are at their best. Management brought in several players on AHL contracts in the offseason, and those moves have come through successfully. That starts with leading scorer John Leonard and AHL All-Star defenseman Trevor Carrick. Ken Appleby, another offseason AHL signing, has a league-high four shutouts. Injuries have hit the Checkers hard in the first half, but they are a top contender.
CLEVELAND MONSTERS
The Monsters have seen three top prospects depart, with defenseman David Jiricek traded to the Minnesota Wild and AHL All-Star picks Denton Mateychuk and Luca Del Bel Belluz earning extended looks with the Columbus Blue Jackets. But there the Monsters are, still right there in the mix for the North Division lead. Head coach Trent Vogelhuber’s team turned heads last spring on a run to overtime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and even after significant turnover and so many new faces his team still has that same fight in its identity.
HARTFORD WOLF PACK
AHL All-Star prospect Dylan Garand has taken another step to become one of the league’s top netminders. First-round pick Brennan Othmann has returned following an extended injury absence. Brett Berard, Victor Mancini and Matt Rempe have all earned long looks with the New York Rangers.
HERSHEY BEARS
Aiming to become the first team to be a three-peat Calder Cup winner since the Springfield Indians did so back in 1962, the Bears had to fight their way through a challenging first-half schedule. Top sniper Ethen Frank is with the Washington Capitals, but the Bears also have gained forwards Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre, the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winner as the MVP of last year’s Calder Cup Playoffs. A 10-game road trip awaits the Bears in March; the good news for them, however, is that they have been stellar on the road with a 13-1-3-0 performance so far.
LAVAL ROCKET
Possessing a roster brimming with prospects, Laval is fun to watch on any given night. Rather than rushing that young talent, the Montreal Canadiens elected for more seasoning in Laval with new head coach Pascal Vincent. Joshua Roy, Owen Beck, Jared Davidson, Adam Engström, Logan Mailloux and Florian Xhekaj provide a strong young core, and goaltender Jakub Dobeš has gone up to the Habs and become a quick success story as they have surged into contention.
LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS
Even with a schedule featuring its fair share of of dates with Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Phantoms have managed to keep themselves above the Atlantic Division playoff line. Goaltender Alexei Kolosov returned Wednesday from the Philadelphia Flyers and can ease some of the work for Cal Petersen. Samu Tuomaala and Olle Lycksell provide offensive punch, while Jacob Gaucher leads the club with 14 goals.
PROVIDENCE BRUINS
It’s another typical Providence season: Start slowly, find themselves, and go on a tear as the calendar begins to move toward December. After a 6-7-2-0 start, the Bruins’ 15-6-1-1 surge has put them into the thick of the playoff discussion. Recalls to the Boston Bruins have hit the Providence roster, but their depth makes them dangerous. Georgii Merkulov is having another strong season, and Michael DiPietro has emerged as one of the top goaltenders in the league.
ROCHESTER AMERICANSÂ
Jostling with Charlotte to be the Eastern Conference’s highest-scoring team, the Amerks can run-and-gun with any team on their schedule. Devon Levi’s arrival in November quickly energized the Amerks as they tore through their schedule with a 13-2-0-0 run. AHL All-Star forward Isak Rosén has continued to produce, and Brett Murray’s 17 goals so far already match his total last season.
SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS
St. Louis Blues first-round pick Dalibor Dvorsky has been exceptional as a 19-year-old forward taking on the AHL. Bringing in forward Matt Luff after the team’s slow start has turned out well, and goaltender Colten Ellis has thrived in his first time getting a regular AHL workload. Right now the Thunderbirds sit outside of the Atlantic Division playoff sextet, but by only two points. This is a team that put together a 9-1-2-1 effort earlier this season and can be a threat.
SYRACUSE CRUNCH
Ninth-year pro goaltender Brandon Halverson has one of the best stories in the AHL this season, rebuilding himself into an All-Star after injuries had sidetracked a career that saw him drafted in the second round in 2014. Veterans Derrick Pouliot and Conor Sheary have led the offense, while rookie Dylan Duke has a team-best 11 goals.
TORONTO MARLIES
Much like Halverson, Matt Murray has been working to revive his own career. The two-time Stanley Cup winner, who missed most of last season with an injury, has helped to carry the Marlies with a .934 save percentage in 15 appearances. Toronto’s typically deep pipeline has again come through, led by two-time AHL All-Star Alex Steeves and his league-high 21 goals.
UTICA COMETS
Since an 0-10-1-2 start nearly capsized them, the Comets are playing above .500 over the last two months (13-9-1-0) and have done an impressive job putting their season back together. Isaac Poulter has found a rhythm in net and provided a nice complement to Nico Daws for interim head coach Ryan Parent, who replaced Kevin Dineen on Nov. 6. Defenseman Simon Nemec has 19 points and a plus-7 rating in 27 games since coming back from New Jersey.
WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON
Change dominated as the theme for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this past summer, as Kirk MacDonald arrived behind the team’s bench and Pittsburgh management brought in several veterans to bulk up their AHL affiliate’s roster. But how would all of those new faces mesh? Quite well, as it turns out. They have succeeded despite being without injured forward Jimmy Huntington, a key offseason signing. Emil Bemström leads the team scoring, and 21-year-old forward Ville Koivunen has 27 points in 33 games during his first full AHL season.
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.
