Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The AHL's 90th anniversary season kicks off tonight with eight games.
The league began play on November 7, 1936 with eight teams and now has 32 teams stretching from San Diego to Quebec. Let's set this anniversary season.
new champion
The Abbotsford Canucks take over summer Calder Cup duties from the Hershey Bears.
After a three-peat Hershey Calder Cup failed to materialize, Abbotsford made a five-game playoff charge and finally hoisted the Calder Cup on a hot and humid night at Charlotte's Bojangles Stadium. This is the first Calder Cup championship for a Vancouver Canucks-affiliated team. Abbotsford's first step toward a repeat bid will begin Friday night on the road against the Henderson Silver Knights. Their home opener will be on October 24 against the Ontario Reign.
Defending the Calder Cup proved to be an extremely difficult task. Hershey's 2023 and 2024 championships and the 2009 and 2010 championships are the only teams to win since the Springfield Indians won in 1990 and 1991.
stand behind the bench
As with players, developing coaches is an important task for NHL organizations.
Todd NelsonA dual-title tenure with Hershey led to a stint as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marco Sturm Returning to Boston; the former Bruins player becomes the team's new head coach after a stint in Ontario. Neil GrahamHe rose through the coaching ranks with the Dallas Stars and now serves as an assistant coach with the NHL club. Aaron Schnicklos Also took the leap, going from the Colorado Eagles to the Seattle Kraken as an assistant coach while Trent Carr (Calgary Wranglers) Now a full-time assistant coach with the Calgary Flames after serving as interim assistant coach last season.
Greg Cronin (Iowa Wild), Derek King (Hershey), Mark Lightstu (Colorado), Andrew Lord (Ontario), Jared Nightingale (Rockford IceHogs), Toby Peterson (Texas), John Snowden (Lehigh Valley Phantom), Brett Sutter (Calgary) and Rocky Thompson (Bridgeport Islanders) All will take over as head coaches. Ryan ParentHe served as the interim head coach of the Utica Comets last season and now has full-time coaching status.
take next step
There will once again be a slew of first-round picks in the AHL, and the 2023 NHL draft class is also well represented. Tucson Roadrunners forward Daniel Bootranked 12th overall that year; he was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 232 pounds. Manitoba Moose to receive two first-round draft picks Braden Younger (No. 14 overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins, acquired via trade) and Colby Barlow (18th overall). Yeager captained Team Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship last season. Following Barlow in the first round of that year was the striker Oliver Moorewho was with Rockford. Hartford Wolf Pack Gabe Perot (22nd) Entered AHL Quentin Musti (26th) vs. San Jose Barracuda. The blue line is Abbotsford Tom Weiland (Ranked 11th overall). he joins Tanner Molendik (No. 24) Milwaukee Admirals and Springfield Thunderbirds first-year rookie Theo Lindstein (28th).
Several 2023 first-rounders already had early starts in the AHL last season and will return for more practice. they are Dalibor Dvorsky (Springfield), David Edstrom (Milwaukee), Sam Honzek (Calgary), Bradley Nadeau (Chicago Wolves), and Edward Salley (Coachella Valley Firebirds).
say goodbye
Several AHL veterans ended their careers this offseason.
Three captains from last season are also included – Zach Dalp (Charlotte Checkers), Gabriel Dumont (Syracuse Crunch) and Stefan Matto (Cleveland Monsters). Dalpe has since joined the Seattle organization as a player development consultant, while Matto will remain in Cleveland as an assistant coach with the Monsters. Kyle Clifford He ended his career with the Toronto Marlies last season and will continue to develop with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Anthony Angelo (Syracuse), Aaron Dale (San Jose), Joe Gambardella (Utica) and Garrett Roy (Hershey) has also played its final game.
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
