AHL Power Rankings: Oct. 22-28 Edition

As the month of October draws to a close in the AHL, teams are beginning to find chemistry and establish an identity. This means that there will be plenty of room for shifting in this week’s edition of the AHL power rankings. 

This week, we have established a new quality-based system. Teams are awarded points based on their performance as well as the quality of teams they are winning and losing against. The system is as follows:

Statistics Points: 10 points for a win, five points for overtime or shootout loss, zero points for regulation win

Quality Points: 10 points for a win to a higher-ranked team, eight points for a win over an equally-ranked team, five points for a win to a lower-ranked team, three points for a loss to a higher-ranked team, two points for a loss to an equally-ranked team, no points for a loss to a lower-ranked team. The quality points are based on current AHL conference standings, as the league uses a conference format for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Without further ado, let’s see how the new system works when put into place.

30. Syracuse Crunch

Last Week: 2

Weekly Record: 0-1-1

After being one of the top teams last week, Syracuse stumbled, losing 4-1 to a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team notching their second win of the year. Cory Conacher scored 38 seconds into the game, but the Crunch were unable to generate any additional offense.

On Sunday, Syracuse dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Adirondack Phantoms. Alex Killon had two goals, and the Crunch went 2-for-7 on the power play.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday, November 2 at Adirondack

29. Milwaukee Admirals

Last Week: 25

Weekly Record: 0-2

The Admirals started off the weekend with a 3-1 loss to the Texas Stars. Mark Van Guilder had the Ads’ lone goal. Things didn’t get better on Sunday, when Milwaukee lost to the Houston Aeros by a score of 4-0.

Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday, October 31 vs. Charlotte Checkers, Friday vs. Lake Erie Monsters, Saturday, November 3 at Peoria Rivermen

28. Providence Bruins

Last Week: 8

Weekly Record: 0-2

The Bruins were shut out, 3-0, by the Springfield Falcons on Friday. Providence goalie Niklas Svedberg made 26 saves on 29 shots in defeat.

The Baby Bruins could not rebound on Sunday, losing 6-3 to the Connecticut Whale. Chris Bourque had two assists, while Svedberg and Michael Hutchinson had 17 saves on 23 shots. Providence went 2-for-6 on the power play, but gave up a power-play goal to the Whale, who scored on one of their two advantages.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Worcester Sharks, Sunday vs. St. John’s IceCaps

27. Binghamton Senators

Last Week: 13

Weekly Record: 0-2

The Senators lost 4-2 to the Portland Pirates on Saturday despite a Jacob Silfverberg shorthanded goal and Robin Lehner saving a penalty shotIt only got worse on Sunday with a 4-0 loss to the Manchester Monarchs. Ben Bishop made 34 saves in the loss, while the Sens gave up a power-play goal on one of the Monarchs’ three chances.

Upcoming: Friday and Saturday at Norfolk Admirals

26. San Antonio Rampage

Last Week: 23

Weekly Record: 0-1-0-1

On Thursday, San Antonio lost to the Rockford IceHogs 2-1 in a shootout after failing to scsore on four attempts. In regulation, Andre Deveaux scored and Dov Grumet-Morris had 42 saves in goal. The Rampage followed that up with a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Wolves, but Jason DeSantis still had three assists as the team went 4-for-10 on the power play.

San Antonio closed the weekend with a 3-1 loss to Rockford. Grumet-Morris had 22 saves, while Casey Wellman had the goal.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Grand Rapids Griffins, Sunday, November 4 vs. Oklahoma City Barons

25. Norfolk Admirals

Last Week: 1

Weekly Record: 1-1

The Admirals’ historic regular season win streak came to an end on Saturday in a 3-2 loss to the St. John’s IceCaps. Despite this, Devante-Smith Pelly had two points, while Fredrik Andersen made 40 saves on 43 shots.

On Sunday, Norfolk bounced back with a 2-0 shutout of the IceCaps. Igor Bobkov made 38 saves in goal.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday vs. Binghamton

24. Adirondack Phantoms

Last Week: 17

Weekly Record: 1-2

The Phantoms lost 5-1 to the Albany Devils on Friday, but in a rare feat, Zac Rinaldo scored on one of two penalty shots in the game.

Unfortunately, the Phantoms ran into more trouble against the Rochester Americans on Saturday, losing 6-2. Sean Couturier had two assists and Scott Munroe made 45 saves, but the Phantoms still gave up two power-play goals and one shorthanded goal while going 0-for-7 on their own power play.

Adirondack salvaged the weekend with a 4-3 win over Syracuse in overtime. Brayden Schenn had four points, while Tye McGinn scored twice.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Syracuse, Saturday vs. Albany

23. Toronto Marlies

Last Week: 24

Weekly Record: 1-0

Toronto doesn’t shift much in this week’s rankings after playing just once this week. In a 5-4 overtime win over Ontario rivals the Hamilton Bulldogs, Keith Aucoin had three assists, while Ben Scrivens made 35 saves on 39 shots in goal.

Upcoming Schedule: Thursday, November 1 and Friday at Abbotsford Heat

22. Texas Stars

Last Week: 29

Record: 1-1

Texas beat Milwaukee 3-1 on Wednesday behind a 23-save performance from Jack Campbell. But on Saturday, it lost 4-2 to Oklahoma City despite holding the Barons to 19 shots.

Upcoming Schedule: Saturday vs. Grand Rapids

21. Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Last Week: 4

Weekly Record: 1-2

The Sound Tigers struggled against a 12th-place Worcester Sharks team this weekend, losing twice. The first loss was by a 5-1 score on Friday to end their three-game winning streak, while a 5-2 defeat took place on Sunday. Colin McDonald had two points in the rematch.

On Saturday, Bridgeport managed to beat the Falcons by a 3-2 score in the shootout. The Tigers had four goals on seven shootout attempts, and Aaron Ness had two points in regulation.

Upcoming Schedule: Saturday vs. Hershey Bears, Sunday vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

20. Lake Erie Monsters

Last Week: 3

Record: 1-2

The Monsters lost 4-3 on Tuesday to Oklahoma City, a frequent opponent in the early goings of the season. This ended their three-game winning streak. Bryan Lerg had two goals, while Mike Sgarbasa had two assists. Calvin Pickard had 34 saves on 38 shots.

Lake Erie lost to Abbotsford 5-3 on Friday, but came back on Saturday for a 4-3 shootout win. Geoff Walker had two assists, and the Monsters went 2-for-6 in the shootout.

Upcoming Schedule: Thursday, November 1 at Peoria, Friday at Milwaukee, Saturday at Rockford

19. Peoria Rivermen

Weekly Record: 1-2

Last Week: 22

Peoria beat Chicago by a score of 4-1 on Friday, led by T.J. Hensick and Derek Nesbitt with two points each. Jake Allen made 32 saves in goal.

Unfortunately, that was all the fortune the Rivermen would get. They were shut out by the Charlotte Checkers by scores of 4-0 and 6-0 on Saturday and Sunday.

Upcoming Schedule: Thursday vs. Lake Erie, Saturday vs. Milwaukee

18. Manchester Monarchs

Last Week: 11

Weekly Record: 2-0

The Monarchs, who have won five of six games to start the year, beat Worcester by a 5-1 score on Saturday. Three players had two points as the team went 1-for-4 on the power play.

Manchester finished its weekend with a 4-0 shutout victory over Binghamton. Andrei Loktionov and Brandon Kozun each had two points, and Martin Jones earned the win with 29 saves in goal.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Sunday at Worcester

17. Houston Aeros

Last Week: 7

Weekly Record: 2-0

Houston beat Oklahoma City by a 6-4 score on Friday night, with Justin Fontaine leading the way with three points. The Aeros followed that up with a 4-0 shutout against Milwaukee. Charlie Coyle had two goals and Mikael Granlund had two points. Darcy Kuemper earned the win in goal with 33 saves.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday at Oklahoma City, Sunday vs. Grand Rapids

16. Hamilton Bulldogs

Last Week: 21

Record: 1-2

The Bulldogs lost 5-4 to the Marlies on Friday night, but got help from Steve Quailer, who had two assists. This came after a 3-1 loss to Rochester to begin the week on Tuesday.

However, on Sunday, Blake Geoffrion had two points and the Bulldogs went 1-for-3 on the power play to defeat the Heat by a 2-1 score.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Rochester, Saturday vs. Rochester

15. Grand Rapids Griffins

Last Week: 14

Weekly Record: 1-1-1

The Griffins lost 6-4 to the dominant Checkers on Friday, but Gustav Nyquist had a strong performance with three points. Another loss followed to the IceHogs on Saturday, a 6-5 overtime decision. Chad Bilens had two points.

Grand Rapids saved its weekend with a 3-2 overtime win against Chicago on Sunday. Tomas Tatar led the way with two points.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at San Antonio, Saturday at Texas, Sunday at Houston

14. Chicago Wolves

Last Week: 20

Weekly Record: 1-1-1

After losing 4-1 to Peoria on Friday, the Wolves beat the Rampage 6-5 on Saturday behind two points from Brad Hunt. Their weekend ended with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Griffins. Brett Sterling had two assists, and Eddie Lack made 34 saves.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Rockford, Sunday at Charlotte

13. Abbotsford Heat

Last Week: 16

Weekly Record: 1-1-1

The Heat move up after beating Lake Erie 5-3 on Friday. Brett Olson was the top performer with three points, while Roman Horak added two goals. But on Saturday, they fell in their rematch by a 4-3 shootout score. Horak scored the only goal in the shootout round.

On Sunday, Abbotsford lost 2-1 to Hamilton.

Upcoming Schedule: Thursday and Friday vs. Toronto

12. Hershey Bears

Last Week: 10

Weekly Record: 2-1

Hershey started off its weekend with a 3-1 loss to a weak Connecticut team. Dmitry Orlov scored in the loss.

On Saturday, Braden Holtby made 35 saves for a 3-0 shutout win over Albany. Tomas Kundratek added two points. The Bears added another win against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Sunday by a score of 3-2 and scored a shorthanded goal in the victory.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Springfield, Saturday at Bridgeport

11. Albany Devils

Last Week: 17

Record: 1-2

Albany lost to Connecticut 5-2 on Wednesday as the Whale secured their first win of the season. They came back to beat Adirondack 5-1 on Friday as Adam Henrique scored on one of the game’s two penalty shots. Adam Larsson added two assists.

Unfortunately, the Devils ended the weekend with a 3-0 shutout loss to the Bears.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Connecticut, Saturday at Adirondack

10. Rochester Americans

Last Week: 6

Record: 2-0-1

The Americans defeated the Bulldogs on Tuesday, 3-1, as Cody Hodgson had two points and David Leggio made 36 saves on 37 shots. On Friday, they traveled to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but lost 5-4 in overtime despite scoring twice to erase a 4-2 WBS lead and force overtime. Three players had two points, while T.J. Brennan posted a plus-four rating.

Rochester came back strong on Saturday with a 6-2 win over Adirondack. Rick Schofield had two goals.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Hamilton, Saturday at Hamilton

9. Springfield Falcons

Last Week: 5

Record: 2-0-1

The Falcons shut out the Bruins 3-0 on Friday night, with top prospect Ryan Johansen posting two assists. Curtis McElhinney had another shutout with 33 saves.

Springfield then lost to Bridgeport, 3-2, in a shootout on Saturday. Paul Dainton made 36 saves in regulation and overtime, but the Falcons were 3-for-7 in the shootout to miss out on two points.

The team concluded the weekend with a 3-2 win over Portland. David Savard had two assists.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Hershey, Sunday at Connecticut

8. Oklahoma City Barons

Last Week: 12

Record: 2-1

Oklahoma City jumps four spots after beating Lake Erie 4-3 on Tuesday. Jordan Eberle had four points, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a three-point performance.

The Barons then lost 6-4 to the Aeros on Friday despite a two-goal night from Mark Arcobello and two assists from Justin Schultz. But on Sunday, Schultz had two power-play goals as they beat the Stars 4-2.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday and Saturday vs. Houston, Sunday at San Antonio

7. St. John’s IceCaps

Last Week: 18

Record: 2-2

St. John’s won a wild game against Portland on Tuesday by a score of 8-7. Mark Dekanich and Eddie Pasquale had 39 saves on 46 shots, while Ben Maxwell had three points. Eric O’Dell and Spencer Machacek each had two goals. The IceCaps were shut out 4-0 in the rematch, but held the Pirates to 19 shots.

On Saturday, they beat Norfolk 3-2 to end the Admirals’ lengthy regular season win streak. Jason Jaffray and Zach Redmond had two points.

But the IceCaps could not sweep the Admirals, losing 2-0 on Sunday. Pasquale still managed 25 saves on 27 shots in the loss.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Portland, Saturday at Worcester, Sunday at Providence

6. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Last Week: 30

Weekly Record: 2-1

The Penguins earned their first win of the season on Friday, but not before providing some suspense by blowing a 4-2 lead to force overtime against Rochester. Paul Thompson had three points, including the overtime game-winner.

WBS then went up to Syracuse to defeat a strong Crunch team 4-1 after giving up a goal 38 seconds into the game. Eric Tangradi had two goals, and Jeff Zatkoff made 34 saves in net.

The Pens fell to intrastate rivals Hershey on Sunday, 3-2, and had a goal disallowed on account of video replay.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Manchester, Sunday at Bridgeport

5. Worcester Sharks

Last Week: 28

Weekly Record: 2-1

Worcester is another team that started sluggish but came on strong this weekend, beating Bridgeport by scores of 5-1 and 5-2. The 5-1 victory on Friday was the team’s first win of the season, and Bracken Kearns and Tim Kennedy each had three points. Kennedy had an additional three-point game in Sunday’s 5-2 win.

The Sharks failed to go perfect, though, as they lost 5-1 to the Monarchs on Saturday. Sebastian Stalberg scored the lone goal, while Alex Stalock and Harri Sateri made 24 saves on 29 shots.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Providence, Saturday vs. St. John’s, Sunday vs. Manchester

4. Rockford IceHogs

Last Week: 26

Weekly Record: 3-0

The IceHogs won 2-1 on Thursday over the Rampage in a shootout. Two out of the four shooters scored, with Marcus Kruger scoring the winning goal. In regulation and overtime, Brandon Pirri had the lone goal, while Carter Hutton made 29 saves.

On Saturday, Rockford beat Grand Rapids 6-5 in overtime. Pirri led the way with a three-point game, and three players had two points.

The IceHogs defeated the Rampage a second time on Sunday by a score of 3-1. Jeremy Morin had two assists, while Ben Smith had one goal and one helper. Hutton made 23 saves on 24 shots.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. Chicago, Saturday vs. Lake Erie

3. Charlotte Checkers

Last Week: 15

Weekly Record: 3-0

The Checkers began a big weekend by defeating Grand Rapids 6-4 on Friday. Marc-Andre Gragnani had four points, while Justin Faulk had three points. Chris Terry had two goals, including one shorthanded goal, and the Checkers scored on four of their eight power plays.

They went on to shutout the Rivermen by scores of 4-0 and 6-0 on Saturday and Sunday. In Saturday’s win, Dan Ellis made 27 saves, which earned him AHL Player of the Week honors. Jeremy Welsh had two goals and Drayson Bowman had two points.

Justin Peters picked up 19 saves in Sunday’s defeat, but Brett Sutter led the way with a hat trick. Four players had two points as Charlotte scored on both of its power plays.

Upcoming Schedule: Wednesday at Milwaukee, Sunday vs. Chicago

2. Portland Pirates

Last Week: 9

Weekly Record: 2-1-1

Portland lost 8-7 to St. John’s in overtime on Tuesday, but managed 46 shots on goal. Rob Klinkhammer led the Pirates with five points and Jordan Szwarz added three assists. They got their revenge on Wednesday with a 4-0 shutout over the IceCaps. Chad Johnson had 27 saves in goal, while Alexandre Bolduc scored twice and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two assists.

The Pirates beat Binghamton 4-2 on Saturday behind two-point games from Chris Conner and Ekman-Larsson. They ended the weekend on a down note with a 3-2 loss to Springfield. Mark Visentin made 38 saves on 41 shots.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday vs. St. John’s

1. Connecticut Whale

Last Week: 27

Record: 3-0

Connecticut makes a huge jump to be the top AHL team this week. It started things off with a 5-2 victory over Albany for its first win of the season. Jason Nissiaen made 31 saves in goal as Chad Kolarik and Brandon Segal added three points.

On Friday, the Whale beat Hershey 3-1, and they finished up on Saturday with a 6-3 win over the Bruins. Cameron Talbot made 37 saves on 40 shots as Kris Newbury chipped in three points.

Upcoming Schedule: Friday at Albany, Sunday vs. Springfield