How physical is AHL?

[Eye of Ra]

We all know that NHL has lost some physicality, but what is the status of AHL? Is AHL still a physical league? Is there still alot of fights and goons?

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[tigervixxxen]

There's less of the goon type stuff but there's still guys trying to run eachother and its overall still a bit reckless with more scrambling and players out of position. It's why there's more injuries in the AHL too, IMO.

 

[joshyhockey26]

We all know that NHL has lost some physicality, but what is the status of AHL? Is AHL still a physical league? Is there still alot of fights and goons?

I mean each player has a 10 fight rule before having to serve a one game suspension. Don't think any player has hit that yet. ECHL/SPHL has more scraps.

 

[BigRangy]

I mean each player has a 10 fight rule before having to serve a one game suspension. Don't think any player has hit that yet. ECHL/SPHL has more scraps.

I know there's one guy on the Flames' affiliate that has 8 and has started turning down fights because of it.

 

[Clinton Comets EHL]

It is nowhere as near as physical as it was even 3 years ago.. The game has changed. NOT for the better IMHO.

 

[ek93]

Well there was a fight in the hallway going to the locker rooms in the Chicago Wolves game last night, so there's that..

But seriously, yeah it's not really any more physical than the NHL. At least compared to what it used to be. I grew up watching guys like McGrattan, Bonvie, Yablonski, etc fight in Binghamton all the time. Honestly it helped me fall in love with the game. McGrattan's 551 PIM season in 2004-05 was awesome. All the "goons" are either out or on their way out of the league.

Physical play in terms of hitting has slowed down now too. You're lucky to see a couple big hits in a game. And god forbid someone does throw a huge clean hit, because he'll probably get jumped and tackled because of it.

Maybe it's just my team getting softer because I know there are still some good hitting/fighting players in the league. But the overall physical play and toughness in the AHL has gone down more than I can even express in words in the last 10-15 years, and especially in the last few years with all the new penalties for fighting off faceoffs, suspensions for too many fights, etc. It's honestly pretty boring hockey nowadays unless your team is good. At least a few years ago when your team sucked, you could at least see some fights.

 

[Crunchrulz]

The AHL is now on par with European hockey. The two and done rule for fighting majors has taken a lot of interest from the game. Add in the neater and sweeter attitude of the league, plus the lack of consistency from the same organization regarding rules and enforcement of the same, and what was once an enjoyable league to watch has turned into Disney on Ice. The AHL of old is dead. The new AHL cannot and will not hold the jockstrap of what was.

 

[Clinton Comets EHL]

the ahl is now on par with european hockey. The two and done rule for fighting majors has taken a lot of interest from the game. Add in the neater and sweeter attitude of the league, plus the lack of consistency from the same organization regarding rules and enforcement of the same, and what was once an enjoyable league to watch has turned into disney on ice. The ahl of old is dead. The new ahl cannot and will not hold the jockstrap of what was.

well said. True.

 

[GarbageGoal]

No it's not as physical as it was seven or eight years ago even but it's just a natural progression of how the players started to be taught in pee wees ten years ago. Don't hit when you see their numbers and all that. I would say the open ice hitting is more prevalent than the board checking now. Fighting is way down but to be honest some of the skilled guys are more likely to fight now than they were in the past.

 

[210]

There's less of the goon type stuff but there's still guys trying to run eachother and its overall still a bit reckless with more scrambling and players out of position. It's why there's more injuries in the AHL too, IMO.

Where did you see this information?

 

[Jackets Woodchuck]

It's difficult to compare injury numbers between the NHL and AHL because injury info is secret in the AHL.

 

[GarbageGoal]

It's difficult to compare injury numbers between the NHL and AHL because injury info is secret in the AHL.

If you follow the beat writers of each team it's not.

 

[Rigafan]

McGrattan's 551 PIM season in 2004-05 was awesome. All the "goons" are either out or on their way out of the league.

Brian is currently playing at the pinnacle of his career in the UK Elite League for the Nottingham Panthers!

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=8976

 

[vandymeer13]

Agree the game sucks now in most leagues but the echl. But the echl is dumb for not marketing and allowing fights on youtube. I still hold out hope the nhl will adjust after the lawsuits and goons and enforcers will come back. I know where I live a lot of fans including me have stopped going to ushl games because of there new fight rules a couple years ago. The games are like soccer on ice even my work stopped getting tickets because no one would go. I had one buddy went and he said there were no scrums or hits just skating back and fourth very boring hockey. He said most people that go are middle school age and they get dropped off by parents and don't even watch the GAME the atmosphere sucks compared to back in the day when they would fight all the time and had sellouts all the time.

 

[GarbageGoal]

Agree the game sucks now in most leagues but the echl. But the echl is dumb for not marketing and allowing fights on youtube. I still hold out hope the nhl will adjust after the lawsuits and goons and enforcers will come back. I know where I live a lot of fans including me have stopped going to ushl games because of there new fight rules a couple years ago. The games are like soccer on ice even my work stopped getting tickets because no one would go. I had one buddy went and he said there were no scrums or hits just skating back and fourth very boring hockey. He said most people that go are middle school age and they get dropped off by parents and don't even watch the GAME the atmosphere sucks compared to back in the day when they would fight all the time and had sellouts all the time.

Look I like an occasional fight and good hitting but this comes off as a "We stopped going to NASCAR races because they don't crash enough" post. Also, the USHL is junior hockey. I think it's pretty bizarre to want to see essentially high school and college age kids beat each other up.

 

[vandymeer13]

Look I like an occasional fight and good hitting but this comes off as a "We stopped going to NASCAR races because they don't crash enough" post. Also, the USHL is junior hockey. I think it's pretty bizarre to want to see essentially high school and college age kids beat each other up.

I want them to play hockey the way it's supposed to be played. Not shinny. I liked the ushl product better when they only had elite 17 and 18 year Olds ready to be drafted and more 19 and 20 year olds. But it unfortunately shifted to only a few 19 year olds and a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

As physical as a ballet recital.

 

[Sports Enthusiast]

I don't think people need to see fights but the ECHL and AHL have become so not exciting to watch. Free skating with very little intensity. All guys care about is the illusion of the next step when most are destined to be career minor leaguers riding the buses. The revamping of the affiliation game has hurt the on ice product.