It’s that time of the year when all eyes are on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well, almost all eyes are on the playoffs. There’s nothing like playoff hockey, and the American Hockey League (AHL) features the Calder Cup Playoffs, which are already underway and provide great moments for hockey fans. The first round took place last week, and the round of 16 is set and ready to go.
Related: In a League Built on Maturity, Lehigh Valley Is Built for a Calder Cup Run
Now is when the playoffs heat up and the grind to the Calder Cup begins. There are plenty of intriguing matchups, so for those who are following from a distance or have a team but don’t know much about the other teams in the playoffs, here’s a rundown of the upcoming matchups and the teams featured in them.
Hershey Bears vs Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- The Calder Cup runs through Chocolatetown. The Hershey Bears are the reigning back-to-back champions and are still the team to beat in the AHL.
- Unlike the past two seasons, the Bears feature a team that isn’t as talented as they’ve lost a few key contributors from the previous teams, notably Ethen Frank and goaltender Clay Stevenson. That said, their star players can still carry them, and they are a well-coached team with Todd Nelson leading them from behind the bench.
- The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are the AHL team that can go on a run and shock the hockey world. They had an underwhelming season, but their young roster is maturing at the right time, and a wave of prospects (notably Alex Bump and Jett Luchanko) has changed the way they’ve played. They swept the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a series upset and will look to do the same this week.
Charlotte Checkers vs Providence Bruins
- The Charlotte Checkers are one of the more complete teams in the AHL. They score (averaging 3.25 goals per game), defend (allowing only 2.56 goals per game), and forecheck. While they don’t have a lot of prospects to watch, they play the right way and are built for a playoff run.
- The Providence Bruins are led by their goaltending, and it showed in their recent series against the Springfield Thunderbirds. Michael DiPietro had a .945 save percentage (SV%) and allowed only three goals on 55 shots in the three-game series, and if this team makes a run, it will be because of their goaltending and defense.
- Because of the travel between the two cities, the Bruins will host the first two games, while the final three will be hosted by the higher-seeded Checkers.
Laval Rocket vs Cleveland Monsters
- A good case can be made that the Laval Rocket are the best team in the AHL. They earned a league-leading 101 points and have plenty of young prospects who might be on the NHL roster in no time (as if the Montreal Canadiens needed more youth in the lineup).
- Owen Beck is the forward to watch as the 21-year-old scored 15 goals while adding 29 assists to the offense, while defensemen Logan Mailloux and Adam Engstrom add a spark at the blue line, combining for 17 goals and 43 assists.
- The Cleveland Monsters have a few skaters to keep an eye on, with Luca Del Bel Belluz leading the way with 27 goals and 26 assists, but the player who can take over this series and lead a deep playoff run is Denton Mateychuk. He is the defenseman who can make an impact at both ends of the ice, and after scoring two goals and adding two assists in the series against the Toronto Marlies, he’s poised for a big series ahead.
- The Rocket have the head-to-head advantage, winning two of the four meetings and earning points in all four games. However, the Monsters have a lot of talent returning from last season’s team, which made a deep playoff run and came only five wins away from a Calder Cup. On a side note, this is the “Revenge Series” as the Monsters can avenge the Canadiens knocking the Columbus Blue Jackets out in the final games of the regular season while Pascal Vincent can prove to his former organization that he’s still a great coach (and worthy of another shot in the NHL).
Rochester Americans vs Syracuse Crunch
- This series is already underway with the Rochester Americans taking Game 1 on Friday, April 25, with a 3-2 win and then doubling their series lead with a 4-0 victory on Sunday, April 27. One more win and they advance to the next round.
- The Americans are a juggernaut and have been all season. They have prospects on top of prospects, including a rookie trio of Noah Ostlund, Konsta Helenius, and Anton Wahlberg that combined for 44 goals and 57 assists. It makes you wonder why the Buffalo Sabres are still rebuilding and haven’t taken that next step.
- The Syracuse Crunch are led by great defense and better goaltending. Their starter, Brandon Halverson, is a great AHL story as he went from journeyman goaltender to out of the league to one of the best this season.
Milwaukee Admirals vs Rockford IceHogs
- The Milwaukee Admirals lost a top goaltending prospect and one of the best in 2023-24 in Yaroslav Askarov in the 2024 offseason. It didn’t phase them. They finished the season with the best record in the Central Division, with their defense leading the way (allowing only 2.55 goals per game).
- The Rockford IceHogs may be the five seed, but they have a talented group capable of pulling off an upset. Colton Dach returns for the series, and Aidan Thompson, who was a standout at the collegiate level, joined the team for the playoff push.
- As good as the IceHogs’ forward group looks, they are led by their defense. Artyom Levshunov and Kevin Korchinski are the top prospects in the Chicago Blackhawks’ farm system and make an impact at both ends of the ice, while Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan round out the unit.
Texas Stars vs Grand Rapids Griffins
- The Dallas Stars are a model franchise, and their AHL team is having a great season as well. They ended up with the second-best record in the Central Division with their offense leading the way, scoring 3.33 goals per game. They had five skaters score 50 points this season, including rookie Justin Hryckowian, who has 22 goals and 38 assists.
- The Detroit Red Wings had five goaltenders on their roster before the season started. Well, one of them was Sebastian Cossa, who has taken on the starting role for the Grand Rapids Griffins and done a good job at that, with a .911 SV% and a 2.45 GAA on 1,117 shots.
- The Griffins don’t have many difference-makers on offense, but one of them is Amadeus Lombardi. The 21-year-old forward only played in 44 games and had 19 goals while adding 21 assists, putting him nearly at a point-per-game pace.
Colorado Eagles vs San Jose Barracuda
- The Colorado Eagles were the best team in the Western Conference. They went 43-21-5-3 and averaged 3.47 goals per game while allowing only 2.56 goals per game, a small indication that they were great across the board.
- Jacob McDonald is the best defenseman in the AHL and arguably the best player in the playoffs. The veteran defenseman scored 31 goals this season, joining Cale Makar as defensemen to score 30 goals this season within the Colorado Avalanche organization.
- The San Jose Barracuda will win and lose high-scoring games. It’s in their DNA. They average 3.38 goals per game but also allow 3.20 goals per game. The good news is that Askarov is in the net to change that.
Abbotsford Canucks vs Coachella Valley Firebirds
- The Coachella Valley Firebirds have become the gold standard in the Western Conference. They appeared in the Calder Cup Final in 2023 and 2024 with a roster featuring plenty of talented players. This season, they’ve been a disciplined group, allowing only 742 penalty minutes, the fewest in the AHL.
- The problem is that the Firebirds are not the same team that went on deep playoff runs the past two seasons. They don’t have Dan Bylsma behind the bench, Shane Wright is in the NHL these days, and their goaltender, Chris Driedger, left in the offseason.
- The Abbotsford Canucks are a team built on fast pace and offense, which explains why they average 3.34 goals per game. Aatu Raty has emerged as a top forward prospect with 17 goals and 23 assists in 43 games, while Arturs Silovs has played great in the net. Add it all up, and the Canucks could pull off an upset this week.
Other Calder Cup Storylines
The big one is if the Bears can win the Calder Cup title for the third year in a row. It’s something that hasn’t happened in the modern league, where there’s stability across the league, it’s a more even playing field, and there are significantly more teams (we’re up to 32 for those keeping track). It would be the biggest storyline in hockey, and the Bears would be the first team to do it since the 1960s when Springfield won three in a row (they had a nickname that is better off not mentioned).
The other long-time AHL team eager for a title are the Americans. The “Amerks” have six titles in team history, but haven’t won one since 1996. Interestingly, their head coach was John Tortorella (who said he can’t work with younger skaters! That’s a myth, at least 30 years ago it was the case). This could be their year as they have the team to do it.
Is there something you’ll watch as the Calder Cup Playoffs heat up? Let us know in the comments section below!
