AHL Power Rankings: Nov. 19-25 Edition
What a week it was in the American Hockey League.
Fans looking for some AHL action had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. For the first time this season, there was a three-way battle for the No. 1 spot in the rankings, and players on two different teams made league history. Also, one hit a career milestone in a much-needed win for his team. 
This week, the AHL came to Atlantic City, which surely made any of you sports-betting types excited.
Check out the latest shakeups in this week’s rankings as we get ready for the final week of November.
30. Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Last Week: 11
Weekly Record: 0-3
Bridgeport hit rock bottom this week after failing to produce against three teams on fire. It scored just one goal in two of its three games, a 5-1 loss to the Adirondack Phantoms and a 6-1 defeat against the Binghamton Senators.
On Saturday, the Sound Tigers got three points each from Johan Sundstrom and David Ullstrom, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 7-5 loss to the Connecticut Whale.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday, November 30 at Hershey Bears, Saturday, December 1 vs. Worcester Sharks, Sunday, December 2 vs. Norfolk Admirals
29. Toronto Marlies
Last Week: 2
Weekly Record: 0-3
After spending some time at the top, Toronto came back down after losing all three of its games. It came into Binghamton on Thanksgiving night and lost 3-2 before falling 2-1 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday. Will Acton had the only goal in defeat.
On Sunday, the Marlies lost to a struggling Hershey Bears team by a 4-2 score. Keith Aucoin had two points against his former team in defeat.
Marlies forward and ex-Hershey Bear Keith Aucoin had two points in the Marlies’ 4-2 loss to the Bears on Sunday (MR_53/Flickr)
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Rochester Americans, Saturday vs. Rochester, Sunday vs. Lake Erie Monsters
28. Norfolk Admirals
Last Week: 21
Weekly Record: 0-3
Norfolk is still trying to string together wins and didn’t help its cause this week, losing 5-2 to both the Charlotte Checkers (Wednesday) and the Whale (Saturday). Fredrik Andersen made 33 saves in goal in the loss to the Whale.
The Admirals also fell to the Phantoms, 2-1, on Friday. Peter Holland had the lone goal in defeat. Norfolk goes into the upcoming week losers of five straight games.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday, November 28 vs. Hershey, Saturday at Hershey, Sunday at Bridgeport
27. Springfield Falcons
Last Week: 12
Weekly Record: 0-1-1-1
One of the Eastern Conference’s top teams had a tough week, but gained points in two of its three games, a 6-5 overtime loss to the Portland Pirates on Friday and a 4-3 shootout loss to the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Falcons lost to the Whale 3-2. Sean Collins scored both goals in the loss.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Manchester, Saturday vs. Manchester, Sunday at Connecticut
26. Albany Devils
Last Week: 8
Weekly Record: 0-2-0-1
The Devils came crashing back to reality after starting the week with two regulation losses. After a 5-2 loss to the Rochester Americans on Friday, the Devils lost to intrastate rivals Syracuse Crunch by a score of 4-1. Joe Whitney had the lone goal for Albany.
On Sunday, the Devils traveled to Atlantic City for the first of four games at Boardwalk Hall this year. However, they lost a back-and-forth battle to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5-4, in a shootout. Albany failed to score in the shootout round and still has yet to win in one.
Bobby Butler had two points for the Devils in Sunday’s loss, their fifth in six games.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. St. John’s IceCaps, Saturday at Adirondack
25. San Antonio Rampage
Last Week: 23
Weekly Record: 0-2-0-1
The Rampage lost 2-1 to the Houston Aeros on Friday, with Scott Timmins getting their only goal. They followed that up with a 3-2 loss to the Abbotsford Heat in an 11-round shootout, and James Wright and Casey Wellman each had two points in regulation.
San Antonio could not get it together, though, and closed the week with a 5-3 defeat to the Texas Stars for its eighth straight loss. Jon Rhealut and Drew Shore each had three points.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday at Rochester, Friday and Saturday at Lake Erie
24. Rochester Americans
Last Week: 20
Weekly Record: 1-0
The Amerks came out on top in their only game of the week, a 5-2 victory over the Devils. Brian Flynn had four points, including a hat trick.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday vs. San Antonio, Friday vs. Toronto, Saturday at Toronto
23. Charlotte Checkers
Last Week: 10
Weekly Record: 1-2
A 5-2 win to Norfolk on Tuesday was all the momentum the Checkers got this week, as they lost a pair of games to the red-hot Oklahoma City Barons. After losing 4-2 on Saturday, Charlotte got embarrassed, 7-2, on Sunday. Justin Peters and Dan Ellis combined for 40 saves on 47 shots.
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday and Sunday vs. Rockford IceHogs
22. Texas Stars
Last Week: 9
Weekly Record: 1-1-1
Colton Sceviour had three points on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 6-4 loss to the Barons. The Stars followed up with a 1-0 overtime loss to the Abbotsford Heat on Friday before beating the Rampage 5-3 on Sunday. Three players had two points in the win, and Texas was also 1-for-4 on the power play.
Upcoming Schedule: Tuesday, November 27 at Rockford, Friday and Saturday at Grand Rapids Griffins, Sunday at Peoria Rivermen
21. Lake Erie Monsters
Last Week: 27
Weekly Record: 1-1-0-1
Mike Sgarbossa had two points in the Monsters’ 4-2 loss to Rockford on Friday, then added two goals in a 4-3 shootout loss on Saturday. The Monsters went 2-for-5 on the power play in regulation and overtime before scoring twice on six shootout attempts.
Mike Sgarbossa had four points in two of the Monsters’ losses this week. (Ross Bonander/THW)
In Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs, Sami Aittokallio made 42 saves as Lake Erie broke a five-game losing streak.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday vs. San Antonio, Sunday at Toronto
20. Peoria Rivermen
Last Week: 1
Weekly Record: 1-2
The Rivermen are back in the bottom half of the rankings after taking the top spot last week. They lost 5-4 to Rockford on Tuesday despite getting three points from Mark Cundari. On Saturday, a 4-1 loss to Grand Rapids, Chris Bruton had the only goal, while Mike McKenna made 40 saves in goal.
In between the losses, Peoria beat the Milwaukee Admirals 5-4 in overtime on Friday. Anthony Peluso and Ian Cole had two points in the victory.
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday at Chicago Wolves, Sunday vs. Texas
19. Providence Bruins
Last Week: 5
Weekly Record: 1-1
Providence split a weekend series with the St. John’s IceCaps, winning 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday. Chris Bourque had two points in regulation, and the Bruins went 1-for-4 in the shootout.
But on Sunday, the Bruins were shut out by a score of 6-0. Niklas Svedberg made 31 saves on 37 shots.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Connecticut, Saturday at Portland, Sunday vs. Worcester Sharks
18. Chicago Wolves
Last Week: 29
Weekly Record: 1-1-0-1
Chicago got its only win of the week on Tuesday, a 5-3 victory over Milwaukee that saw three players post two points. On Friday, the Wolves lost 4-3 to Grand Rapids, but got two points from Mark Matheson in defeat.
On Saturday, the Wolves lost 4-3 to Milwaukee in a shootout. Darren Haydar and Zack Kassian each had two points.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday vs. Rockford, Friday at Milwaukee, Saturday vs. Peoria
17. Hershey Bears
Last Week: 16
Weekly Record: 1-2
The Bears lost to the Penguins for the first time this season, falling by a score of 4-0 on Wednesday. Then, on Friday, they lost to the Phantoms 3-1, with Zach Hamill getting the only goal in defeat.
Hershey got a needed victory on Sunday, beating ex-Bear Keith Aucoin and the Marlies 4-2. Jon DiSalvatore scored his 500th AHL point in the win.
Jon DiSalvatore scored his 500th career point in Hershey’s 4-2 win over Toronto on Sunday (MR_53/Flickr)
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday at Norfolk, Friday vs. Bridgeport, Saturday vs. Norfolk
16. Hamilton Bulldogs
Last Week: 17
Weekly Record: 1-2
Hamilton switches places with Hershey after losing 3-1 to St. John’s on Tuesday, with Brendan Gallagher scoring the only goal. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs took the rematch 2-1, but closed out the week with a 4-1 loss to the Monsters on Sunday. Aaron Palushaj scored the goal.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday at Abbotsford
15. Grand Rapids Griffins
Last Week: 26
Weekly Record: 2-1
Tomas Tatar scored twice for the Griffins in Friday’s 4-3 victory over the Wolves and Saturday’s 4-1 win against the Rivermen. Landon Ferraro added two assists in Saturday’s game, and Grand Rapids also scored on one of its two power plays.
On Sunday, the Milwaukee Admirals kept the Griffins from a perfect weekend, handing them a 3-2 loss. Brendan Smith posted two points as Grand Rapids’ four-game winning streak came to an end.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday vs. Texas
14. Syracuse Crunch
Last Week: 3
Weekly Record: 2-1
The Crunch lost to in-state rivals the Senators on Friday 2-1, with Richard Panik scoring the only goal. They then beat the Devils 4-1 on Saturday before blowing out the Sharks 6-1 on Sunday. J.T. Brown had four points, including a hat trick, to close out the weekend.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Saturday at Connecticut, Sunday at Binghamton
13. Worcester Sharks
Last Week: 24
Weekly Record: 2-1
Worcester beat Manchester 4-3 in overtime on Friday, with Tim Kennedy and Danny Groulx each posting two points. The success continued into Saturday, as Kennedy had three points and Yanni Gourde had two goals in a 5-1 win against Portland.
Tim Kennedy had five points in two of the Sharks’ victories this weekend. (Micheline/Synergymax)
However, on Sunday, the Sharks fell to the Crunch by a score of 6-1. Bracken Kearns had Worcester’s lone goal.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Portland, Saturday at Bridgeport, Sunday at Providence
12. St. John’s IceCaps
Last Week: 25
Weekly Record: 2-1-0-1
The IceCaps were busy this week, starting with a 3-1 victory over Hamilton on Tuesday. Alex Burmistrov had two points, while Eddie Pasquale made 45 saves in goal. St. John’s lost the rematch 2-1, though, getting a goal from Carl Klingberg.
The team went on to split a weekend set with Providence, losing 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday. It failed to score in the shootout, but Pasquale shined again, making 38 saves in regulation and overtime.
However, on Sunday, the IceCaps shut out the Bruins 6-0. Derek Meech and Spencer Machacek each had three points, while Pasquale made 40 saves.
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday at Adirondack, Friday at Albany, Saturday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
11. Abbotsford Heat
Last Week: 4
Weekly Record: 2-0-1
Chris Breen scored the only goal the Heat needed in a 1-0 overtime win against the Stars on Friday. Danny Taylor made 19 saves for the shutout.
On Saturday, Barry Brust broke a 55-year-old AHL record for longest shutout streak by a goaltender as Abbotsford beat San Antonio 3-2 in a shootout. Unfortunately, the momentum did not carry over to Sunday, a 3-2 overtime loss to Houston.
Barry Brust made AHL history this weekend, breaking a 55-year-old record for longest shutout streak. (Steve Bosch/PNG)
Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday vs. Hamilton
10. Houston Aeros
Last Week: 14
Weekly Record: 2-0
The Aeros beat San Antonio 2-1 on Friday thanks to two points from Justin Fontaine and a 2-for-6 power play. Then, on Sunday, they beat the Heat 3-2 in overtime. Jason Zucker made AHL history in the win by scoring five seconds into the extra period, the fastest overtime goal on record.
Upcoming Schedule: Thursday and Friday vs. Oklahoma City
9. Manchester Monarchs
Last Week: 30
Weekly Record: 2-0-2
The Monarchs return to the top 10 after beating Portland 5-1 on Tuesday and getting a hat trick from Tyler Toffoli. Martin Jones also stepped up to the plate with 42 saves in goal. Their second win of the week was a 4-3 shootout win against the Falcons on Saturday. Toffoli and Linden Vey each had two points, and the Monarchs scored on three of their four shootout tries.
Both of their losses came in overtime, starting with a 4-3 defeat against the Sharks on Friday. Thomas Hickey scored two points. On Sunday, they lost the rematch with the Pirates by a 3-2 score. However, Jones was strong in goal yet again with 47 stops.
Martin Jones made at least 40 saves twice for the Monarchs this weekend (BridgetDS/Flickr)
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Springfield, Saturday at Springfield, Sunday vs. Portland
8. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Last Week: 6
Weekly Record: 3-0
On Wednesday, the Penguins finally defeated the Bears this season, posting a 4-0 shutout. Benn Ferriero had two points, while Jeff Zatkoff had to make just 15 saves for his third shutout of the season.
The Penguins returned home on Saturday and beat the Marlies 2-1 behind two points from Simon Despres. They finished up a perfect week on Sunday with a 5-4 shootout win over the Devils. Tom Kuhnackl had two goals and Brian Gibbons had three points, and the Pens needed just one goal from Jayson Megna to clinch the shootout.
Brian Gibbons returned from being a healthy scratch to post three points in the Penguins’ win over Albany (Alison Myers/THW)
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Syracuse, Saturday vs. St. John’s
7. Portland Pirates
Last Week: 22
Weekly Record: 2-2
Portland was also busy this week, starting off with a 5-1 loss to Manchester on Tuesday. Evan Brophey had the only goal. The Pirates then beat the Falcons 6-5 in overtime on Friday, going 4-for-6 on the power play and getting four points from Andy Miele.
The Pirates’ second loss was a 5-1 defeat on Saturday. David Rundblad had the lone goal. However, they came back on Sunday with a 3-2 overtime win against the Monarchs. Rundblad had two points, while Chad Johnson posted 37 saves in goal.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Worcester, Saturday vs. Providence, Sunday at Manchester
6. Adirondack Phantoms
Last Week: 15
Weekly Record: 3-0
Adirondack moved up by going undefeated this week, starting on Wednesday with a 5-1 win over Bridgeport. Brayden Schenn and Jason Akeson each had three points, and the Phantoms were 3-for-7 on the power play.
After a 2-1 win over Norfolk on Friday which saw Erik Gustafsson post two points, Schenn had a two-point night in a 3-1 victory over the Bears.
Brayden Schenn had five points as the Phantoms went undefeated this week. (Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)
Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday vs. St. John’s, Friday vs. Binghamton, Saturday vs. Albany
5. Binghamton Senators
Last Week: 13
Weekly Record: 3-0
The Senators won their yearly Thanksgiving game 3-2 over the Marlies, getting two points from Jacob Silfverberg. Tyler Eckford then scored twice in Friday’s 2-1 victory against a top Crunch team.
Binghamton closed the week out by beating another Eastern Conference powerhouse in Bridgeport by a 6-1 score. Eric Gryba had three points for the Senators.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Adirondack, Sunday vs. Syracuse
4. Milwaukee Admirals
Last Week: 28
Weekly Record: 2-1-1
Milwaukee started the week with two losses, a 5-3 regulation loss to Chicago on Tuesday and a 4-3 overtime defeat against the Rivermen on Friday. However, they came back on Saturday to beat the Wolves 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday. Austin Watson had three points, and the Ads went 2-for-6 in the shootout.
The Admirals finished the 3-in-3 with a 3-2 win over the Griffins on Sunday.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Chicago
3. Rockford IceHogs
Last Week: 19
Weekly Record: 3-0
The IceHogs beat the Rivermen 5-4 on Tuesday thanks to two goals from Jeremy Morin and two power-play goals on six chances. Rockford then took a two-game set from Lake Erie, a 4-2 win on Friday and a 4-3 shootout win on Saturday. Adam Clendening had two points on Friday, while on Saturday, Alec Richards made 36 saves and the IceHogs scored three times in six shootout rounds.
Upcoming Schedule: Tuesday vs. Texas, Wednesday at Chicago, Saturday and Sunday at Charlotte
2. Connecticut Whale
Last Week: 18
Weekly Record: 3-0
The Whale make it into the top three after beating two top teams this weekend. Chad Kolarik had three points on Friday, and then added a hat trick on Saturday in a 7-5 win over Bridgeport and a 5-2 victory over Norfolk, respectively. Marek Hrivik had three points in Saturday’s victory as well.
Chad Kolarik had six points for the Whale this weekend, including a hat trick in a victory over Norfolk (BridgetDS/Flickr)
In Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Falcons, Ryan Bourque registered two points.
Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Providence, Saturday vs. Syracuse, Sunday vs. Springfield
1. Oklahoma City Barons
Last Week: 7
Weekly Record: 3-0
The Barons finally take the top spot after starting the week with a 6-4 win against the Stars on Wednesday. Taylor Hall had three points in the win and added three more on Saturday as Oklahoma City beat Charlotte 4-2. Jordan Eberle had two goals on Saturday, and the Barons went 2-for-6 on the power play.
On Sunday, the Barons beat the Checkers 7-2, getting three points from three players. Hall finished the week with nine points, earning the AHL Player of the Week award. Oklahoma City goes into the week winners of five straight games.
Taylor Hall’s nine-point performance this weekend earned him AHL Player of the Week honors (Ross Bonander/THW)
Upcoming Schedule: Thursday and Friday at Houston
