The 2024-25 season has reached its quarter mark with American Thanksgiving around the corner. Most fans are laser-focused on the NHL, yet the American Hockey League (AHL) has provided plenty of thrills of its own. Aside from being a more convenient and cheaper alternative, the games are just one notch below NHL quality.
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Now, the great teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack, while some elite prospects are finding their footing and making significant strides towards the NHL. Here’s a look at a few big stories, starting with the best team in the league.
The Calder Still Runs Through Hershey
The Hershey Bears are the reigning back-to-back Calder Cup champs and could be again. They are a complete team with no flaws on the roster. Their offense averages 3.52 goals per game, and defense allows only 2.89 goals per game. On top of that, there’s star power throughout the lineup, with Ethen Frank, Alex Limoged, and top prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko emerging as three of the best forwards in the league.
Success at the AHL level starts at the top. The Bears are always viewed as a Calder-or-bust team with an ownership group willing to spend and a front office that develops its prospects while also hoping to ice the most talented roster in the game. The Bears have a head coach poised to find a job in the NHL, with Todd Nelson leading the group. He has the team playing a disciplined and balanced game while also forechecking and defending in all three zones. It’s a matter of time before Nelson makes the jump.
The Bears have all the pieces in place for a “three-peat” and will be the team to beat throughout the season. That said, some teams are hot on their heels, and some are in the same Atlantic Division.
Hershey Will Have Some Competition
The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins are off to a great start, and there’s an argument that they are better than the Bears early on. While the Bears are 13-4-2 and have an Atlantic Division-leading 28 points, and the Penguins are 9-4-1 with 19 points, they have five games in hand and can easily close that gap, especially with a defense that allows 2.42 goals per game.
The Charlotte Checkers and the Hartford Wolf Pack are also off to a great start and look poised to compete for the Calder Cup. The Checkers play a physical brand of hockey but win with offense, as they’ve run up the score multiple times, while the Wolf Pack have a talented roster from the top down, with Dylan Garand emerging as a high-upside goaltender.
It’s not just the Atlantic Division. There are super teams that are starting to show that are ready to challenge the Bears. The Laval Rocket, Cleveland Monsters, and Toronto Marlies have become the trio of juggernauts in the North Division, with the Marlies being a pleasant surprise this season, considering the Toronto Maple Leafs have an underwhelming prospect pool. Out west, Calgary has been a shock both at the NHL and AHL level, with both teams having great seasons, while the Milwaukee Admirals and Grand Rapids Griffins have been great as well.
The Bears remain the team to beat, but this season won’t be easy for them. The matchups at the top will be fun to watch with plenty of talent, making the games down the stretch and into the playoffs all the more exciting.
Utica is Bad, Historically Bad
The Chicago White Sox had one of the worst seasons in baseball history, with a 41-121 record in 2024. Yet, the Utica Comets appear to be giving them a run for their money. The AHL is where stats and numbers are often amplified, but the Comets have started the season with a shocking 0-10-1-2 record.
They fired their head coach, Kevin Dineen, and hired Ryan Parent in the hopes that he could turn things around. While they are now on a two-game winning streak with a 2-10-1-2 record, they remain the worst team in the AHL by far. The season already looks like a lost cause, just 15 games in.
The bright spot is that this season, as bad as it is, has given them the green light to play some of their younger skaters. The New Jersey Devils have a few prospects, notably Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey on defense, who can use more ice time, and this is the season to give it to them. These prospects can develop into great players to add more youth to a young and talented Devils team.
No Askarov, No Problem for Milwaukee
During the offseason, all the talk surrounded Yaroslav Askarov, the top goaltending prospect in the NHL, who wanted out of the Nashville Predators system after Juuse Saros received his extension and the team signed Scott Wedgewood as their backup. Askarov got his wish and was traded to the San Jose Sharks.
The question was how this would affect the Admirals and if they’d struggle this season. At 9-4-1-1, they are one of the best teams in the Central Division, and interestingly enough, goaltending has remained a strength. The Matthew Murray and Magnus Chrona duo have given the team stability in net with a combined .919 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.45 goals-against average (GAA).
Pair the great goaltending with a group of veterans upfront, and the team is poised for a great season. Vinnie Hinostroza has six goals and 17 assists to lead the AHL in points, while Keiffer Bellows and 21-year-old Reid Schaefer have added 15 goals and nine assists to the offense. Askarov will become a great goaltender in the NHL, but the Admirals look unfazed by his departure and are poised to make a run at the Calder Cup.
Other Takeaways From The AHL Season Thus Far
The Coachella Valley Firebirds are still one of the top teams in the AHL. However, they aren’t the same juggernaut from the last two seasons, which saw them reach the Calder Cup Final. To be fair, they lost their head coach, Dan Bylsma, and associate head coach, Jessica Campbell, to the NHL – both were promoted to the Seattle Kraken – and they lost a lot of talent, notably goaltender Chris Drieger.
The bigger takeaway is that the league overall is in a more stable place than it’s ever been. In 2019-20, the season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2020-21 season was canceled. The league has not only rebounded since then but attendance is up and all 32 teams are in good shape financially. While expansion is on the horizon, relocation or teams folding looks like a thing of the past.
The AHL season is just starting to heat up, and it’s going to be fun to watch it unfold. The games are fast-paced, but compared to other development leagues, the AHL has plenty of defense and is hard-hitting as well. The league is one step below the NHL, and the quality of play reflects that.
