AHL West Part II - ADK, MAN, NOR, OKC, & WOR

[Ahl comets]

The Winnipeg move really messes up the alignment, but it's not like AHL alignment has ever been logical. Different year, same nonsense.

Here's my stab at it. It's a "hybrid" alignment. 2 conferences of 15, but one conference has 3 divisions and the other has two divisions.

WEST
One division is the 5 Cali teams
One division is the Midwest cluster (the 5 teams from IA, IL, WI, MI)
One division is the "travel" division: 2 from Texas, Charlotte, Lk Erie and Manitoba.

EAST
"Eastern" division of 8 teams: 5 New England teams and 3 PA teams
"Northern" division of 7 teams: 2 Canada teams and 5 NY teams

I like the east side. But if they are gonna do that then toss the Texas teams in with the west and put all the Midwest together.any way this shakes out, someone is going to be screwed. Utica of the east teams has the least seniority and could end up in the west somehow. I could also see the 3 canadian teams in the same division.

 

[IceCapsFanNL]

I like it. It makes sense to put the IceCaps in with the NY teams. They usually fly to YYZ and bus from there. It would be fairly easy for the NY teams to bus to YYZ to get here. there are more non stop flights to YYZ daily than anywhere else.

 

[cometshockey]

I like it. It makes sense to put the IceCaps in with the NY teams. They usually fly to YYZ and bus from there. It would be fairly easy for the NY teams to bus to YYZ to get here. there are more non stop flights to YYZ daily than anywhere else.

i would not be surprise if they stay with the 3- 5 team divisions.

North
St Johns, Albany, Utica, Rochester, Toronto

New England

Portland, Providence, Springfield, Hartford, Bridgeport

Atlantic

Syracuse, Binghamton, Hershey, LV, Scranton wb

mid west

Grand Rapids, Lake Erie, Chicago, Rockford, Milwaukee

south

Texas,San Antonio,Iowa, Manitoba,Charlotte

and the west coast 5 together

 

[IceCapsFanNL]

Also good.

 

[ZekeA]

My guess for the Eastern Conference Divisions next season.........

East Division
Hershey Bears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Binghamton Senators
Syracuse Crunch

Northeast Division
Utica Comets
Rochester Americans
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Albany Devils
Hartford Wolf Pack

Atlantic Division
Providence Bruins
Portland Pirates
St. John's IceCaps
Toronto Marlies
Springfield Falcons

I have a hard enough time keeping up with the east will let others who follow the west make suggestions for the west.....

 

[210]

My guess for the Eastern Conference Divisions next season.........

East Division
Hershey Bears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Binghamton Senators
Syracuse Crunch

Northeast Division
Utica Comets
Rochester Americans
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Albany Devils
Hartford Wolf Pack

Atlantic Division
Providence Bruins
Portland Pirates
St. John's IceCaps
Toronto Marlies
Springfield Falcons

I have a hard enough time keeping up with the east will let others who follow the west make suggestions for the west.....

I'm pretty sure you've got no chance of being correct with Hartford and Toronto being where you've placed them.

 

[ZekeA]

I'm pretty sure you've got no chance of being correct with Hartford and Toronto being where you've placed them.

"#210":

Could be who knows what this league will do for sure anymore, and I would be open to your idea on how the divisions will be next season.........................

 

[210]

"#210":

Could be who knows what this league will do for sure anymore, and I would be open to your idea on how the divisions will be next season.........................

I could not possibly care less what the divisions look like next year.

 

[ZekeA]

I could not possibly care less what the divisions look like next year.

Sorry I just noticed that you are from Worcester Ma..................

I am sorry that you are losing your team after this season..........

We lost our AHL team also took what seems like forever till the AHL came back ...................

 

[JungleJON]

My guess for the Eastern Conference Divisions next season.........

East Division
Hershey Bears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Binghamton Senators
Syracuse Crunch

Northeast Division
Utica Comets
Rochester Americans
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Albany Devils
Hartford Wolf Pack

Atlantic Division
Providence Bruins
Portland Pirates
St. John's IceCaps
Toronto Marlies
Springfield Falcons

I have a hard enough time keeping up with the east will let others who follow the west make suggestions for the west.....

I say throw all these teams in ONE division - play 8 games with your closest 6 rivals (48 games) and then the next 6 closest play them 4 games each (24 games) = 72 games - top 8 make the playoffs. I guess they like have so many divisions, because then more teams can claim they were "division champs".
Also this way the top 8 teams as far as points make the playoffs.
Too simple, but that's me.

 

[randyc]

210

210 and I are in the same boat. What is important to you is an academic exercise to us. Appreciate your thoughts that after a period in the hockey wilderness we will be back. But in today's environment, no franchise means no AHL hockey for you. The Ducks not only left town but took our franchise with them. Correct me if I am wrong but I think the Sharks franchise was already owned by the NHL Sharks.

We got an ECHL team but unfortunately Worcester was left empty handed.

Shifts like we are seeing now have consequences. Worcester and Norfolk are left out in the cold and will suffer a loss, but those places that got our teams there is happiness and joy.

In the end it is what it is. Not whining just stating the facts.

 

[Theoriginalalex]

Might as well throw in my own alignment guess for the East. The West is pretty obvious, as others have posted already.

Tor/Rch/Syr/Uti/Alb
Bng/Wbs/Lv/Her/Bri
Hfd/Spr/Prv/Por/Stj

This keeps everyone's travel against division opponents minimized and everyone together with their previous rivals, except for Bridgeport. I returned them to their pre-2009 division with the PA teams, and assumed they would soon be in Long Island anyway.

 

[Speed]

What's weird is I am pretty certain Worcester will get an ECHL team. Not sure if we will for this upcoming season, but I think it will happen. Here's the thing now that reality is setting in. Pretty much all the NHL owned AHL teams could care less about winning. It's all about development. After years of watching this with the Sharks, I think we're ready just to have hungry ownership looking to win win win. And there's a better shot of that happening with locally owned ECHL than NHL owned AHL.

 

[IceCapsFanNL]

210 and I are in the same boat. What is important to you is an academic exercise to us. Appreciate your thoughts that after a period in the hockey wilderness we will be back. But in today's environment, no franchise means no AHL hockey for you. The Ducks not only left town but took our franchise with them. Correct me if I am wrong but I think the Sharks franchise was already owned by the NHL Sharks.

We got an ECHL team but unfortunately Worcester was left empty handed.

Shifts like we are seeing now have consequences. Worcester and Norfolk are left out in the cold and will suffer a loss, but those places that got our teams there is happiness and joy.

In the end it is what it is. Not whining just stating the facts.

Been there, I know how it feels, probably have to go through it again after two more seasons. Hang tough.

 

[randyc]

Appreciate It

Thanks for the kind words. We are history in the AHL but I hope you get to stick around more than the two years you mentioned. The fans deserve better.

 

[tank44]

Might as well throw in my own alignment guess for the East. The West is pretty obvious, as others have posted already.

Tor/Rch/Syr/Uti/Alb
Bng/Wbs/Lv/Her/Bri
Hfd/Spr/Prv/Por/Stj

This keeps everyone's travel against division opponents minimized and everyone together with their previous rivals, except for Bridgeport. I returned them to their pre-2009 division with the PA teams, and assumed they would soon be in Long Island anyway.

I keep seeing people post hat St John's should be with Portland, and the far north east teams. I think it would make more sense for StJ to be with Toronto since it will have to fly 100% of the time to away games and vice versa and flying in/out of YYZ would be easiest.

StJ/Tor/Roch/Syr/Ut
Port/Hfd/Spr/Prv/Bri
Bng/Wbs/Lv/Her/Alb

 

[ZekeA]

My guess for the Eastern Conference Divisions next season.........

East Division
Hershey Bears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Binghamton Senators
Syracuse Crunch

Northeast Division
Utica Comets
Rochester Americans
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Albany Devils
Hartford Wolf Pack

Atlantic Division
Providence Bruins
Portland Pirates
St. John's IceCaps
Toronto Marlies
Springfield Falcons

I have a hard enough time keeping up with the east will let others who follow the west make suggestions for the west.....

My revised guess for next seasons Eastern Conference Divisions.

East Division
Hershey Bears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Binghamton Senators
Syracuse Crunch

Northeast Division
Utica Comets
Rochester Americans
Albany Devils
St. John's IceCaps
Toronto Marlies

Atlantic Division
Providence Bruins
Portland Pirates
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Hartford Wolf Pack
Springfield Falcons

As others have pointed out it makes more sense to move Toronto & St John's into the Northeast Division with Hartford & Bridgeport moving to the Atlantic Division.....................

 

[IceCapsFanNL]

Thanks for the kind words. We are history in the AHL but I hope you get to stick around more than the two years you mentioned. The fans deserve better.

I'll never forget the year you guys won the cup. St John's had a good team that first season for the IceCaps, but were not in the same league as the Ads.

While the team made the Calder cup finals last season, i think the first season team was better.

All I can suggest is to give the ECHL a shot, and hope for the best.

 

[RFA]

Flames are raising ticket prices with the introduction of the ECHL. $20-50 on season tix. I didn't notice anyone happy about that at the game last night.

 

[Theoriginalalex]

My revised guess for next seasons Eastern Conference Divisions.

East Division
Hershey Bears
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Binghamton Senators
Syracuse Crunch

Northeast Division
Utica Comets
Rochester Americans
Albany Devils
St. John's IceCaps
Toronto Marlies

Atlantic Division
Providence Bruins
Portland Pirates
Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Hartford Wolf Pack
Springfield Falcons

As others have pointed out it makes more sense to move Toronto & St John's into the Northeast Division with Hartford & Bridgeport moving to the Atlantic Division.....................

My problem with that is that you have to drive right through Syracuse to get from Rochester to Albany and Utica, and the Crunch's two biggest rivals are the Comets and Amerks. It doesnt make geographical sense, although we've seen in the last couple years that the Crunch basically get to choose whatever division/conference they'd like, so it shouldn't suprise me.

St. John's with Toronto would make sense, though, as the old STJ Leafs played in the same division as the other Canadian teams and Rochester.

 

[Ahl comets]

My problem with that is that you have to drive right through Syracuse to get from Rochester to Albany and Utica, and the Crunch's two biggest rivals are the Comets and Amerks. It doesnt make geographical sense, although we've seen in the last couple years that the Crunch basically get to choose whatever division/conference they'd like, so it shouldn't suprise me.

St. John's with Toronto would make sense, though, as the old STJ Leafs played in the same division as the other Canadian teams and Rochester.

I can't see the new england teams being split up. The only other thing to do with st johns is put the 3 Canadian teams together with chicago and grand rapids. But that really creates issues elsewhere. Rockford,Milwaukee,Iowa,Texas,sa.
Charlotte,lake Erie,and 3 pa teams
All ny teams together
All ne teams together

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

My problem with that is that you have to drive right through Syracuse to get from Rochester to Albany and Utica, and the Crunch's two biggest rivals are the Comets and Amerks. It doesnt make geographical sense, although we've seen in the last couple years that the Crunch basically get to choose whatever division/conference they'd like, so it shouldn't suprise me.

St. John's with Toronto would make sense, though, as the old STJ Leafs played in the same division as the other Canadian teams and Rochester.

Rochester has been asked in the past realignments if they would switch conferences, that's why Syracuse has been the compromise to be the 2nd Western tier team in the East.

the problem w/ St. John's is there's not as many Canadian teams as there were even to create a division.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I could not possibly care less what the divisions look like next year.

me either.
yes I am bitter and ticked off.
remember when I used to see you by the Monarchs booster club table back in the day. Didn't get to many games this year and last year do to work and all so I am not sure if you had been back around.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

I could not possibly care less what the divisions look like next year.

me either.
yes I am bitter and ticked off.
remember when I used to see you by the Monarchs booster club table back in the day. Didn't get to many games this year and last year do to work and all so I am not sure if you had been back around.

Hmmmmmm....... Maybe you guys can try to get an NHL team since anything lower than the AHL won't do...

 

[offkilter]

Hmmmmmm....... Maybe you guys can try to get an NHL team since anything lower than the AHL won't do...

Hmmmmmm.......
Maybe you can try and keep the wise guy comments to yourself since Worcester isn't getting any damn level of hockey next year...