The AHL Eastern Conference Playoff Preview kicks off the last professional league to begin their postseason. As a reminder, the AHL seeds the teams based on winning percentage, not points. A primer on the interesting rankings is found here.
AHL Eastern Conference Playoff Preview
Hershey Bears vs. Portland Pirates
Both teams hail from the Atlantic Division, which the Bears won the with 98 points, and the Pirates finished fourth with 90 points. They split their four regular-season meetings with the home teams winning each of the matches. No team had a better shooting percentage during the 2015-16 season than the Bears’ 11.92%.
The Bears offense features the American Hockey Leagues’s leading scorer and the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player in Chris Bourque. The veteran winger scored 30 goals and added 50 assists in his return engagement with the Washington Capitals organization. Super prospect Jakub Vrana had a tough year dealing with injuries, but had 34 points in 36 games and looks to be hitting his stride. Defensively, 20-year-old Madison Bowey had a solid rookie season, leading the Bears blueline in scoring with 29 points and playing in 70 games. The former Kelowna Rockets captain will be leaned on heavily to combat the shifty Pirates forwards. Vitek Vanecek was recently called up and could be the started after mediocre seasons by Dan Ellis and Justin Peters.
Portland has been the definition of a balanced attack with 17 skaters recording at least 20 points. The Pirates added two players from the CHL late in the year with two very different pedigrees. Rihards Bukarts signed an ATO with the Pirates following his Portland (Oregon) Winterhawks season ended early in the WHL playoffs. He is a shifty and skilled winger who plays a mature and feisty game and could be a shot in the arm for the Pirates. Lawson Crouse has also joined the Pirates to much fanfare. A polarizing player in the 2015 NHL entry draft, many are following Crouse closely in his first dose of professional hockey. Veteran netminder Mike McKenna figures to get the bulk of the starts for Portland and will be a calming presence for the underwhelming defensive corps.
Last Word on the Series: Bears in four games.
Toronto Marlies vs. Bridgeport Sound Tigers
The Marlies and Tigers did not meet in the 2015-16 regular season. The Marlies .750 winning percentage was best in the AHL. The Tigers .572 win percentage was good for the last playoff spot in the East. The Marlies scored on 11.75% of their shots which was the second-best shooting percentage in the AHL.
The Marlies are back at full strength now that the dreadful Maple Leafs season is over. Even with the solid offensive abilities of the rest of the roster, defenseman T.J. Brennan the Marlies in scoring with 25 goals and 43 assists while playing in 71 games. Many of the young Marlies spent time in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which should give them a boost of confidence ahead of what figures to be a long postseason run. William Nylander, Connor Brown, Connor Carrick, Kasperi Kapanen and Zach Hyman are all key pieces for the future of the Maple Leafs, and the playoffs will allow additional experience for the loaded prospect pipeline. Garret Sparks started 20 games for the Marlies and statically was the best of the eight goalies to see action for the team this year.
Bridgeport Sound fought hard to get into a playoff position and now has to face the toughest team in the entire AHL for the effort. Bracken Kearns spent the last year in Finland and quickly readjusted to the North America game. His 23 goals and 53 points were both bests on a Tigers team that faced a lot of turnover on its roster. Mike Halmo and James Wright both recorded 41-point seasons and will need to shoulder more responsibility if the Tigers are to compete. Forward Alan Quine and defenseman Ryan Pulock are part of the Islanders playoffs squad, for now, keeping the second leading scorer and arguably the top defender off the roster. Goaltending is also an issue as Stephon Williams, and newly signed Eamon McAdam will go against the AHL’s best squad.
Last Word on the Series: Marlies in three games.
Albany Devils vs. Utica Comets
The Comets .581 win percentage was the last among the Eastern playoff teams. The Devils posted a .667 win percentage, good for second in the conference and third in the AHL. The Devils won six of the eight meetings, four of which required overtime to decide.
Two key pieces have been added to the roster for the post-season in Damon Severson and Joseph Blandisi. Blandisi was a revelation for the New Jersey Devils and his diving antics, and scoring ability got him on the radar of hockey fans everywhere. Severson completed his second season with the Devils and the additional experience and skills on the blueline will be welcome. The Devils also have brought in two prominent prospects from the Sarnia Sting. The 2015 sixth overall pick Pavel Zacha dazzled many in his NHL debut and will be counted on to show those skills in the AHL Playoffs. Career minor leaguer Yann Denis provides a veteran presence in net.
Alexandre Grenier is the Comets leading scorer with only 48 points, and the team felt the departure of Hunter Shinkaruk on the scoresheet, as his 21 goals scored in only 45 games before he was traded, which is still the team lead. Brendan Gaunce will be a key cog in the offensive machine but will get a lot of attention from Albany. Defender Jordan Subban leads all Comets defensemen in scoring with 11 goals and 25 assists. Goaltenders Joe Cannata and Richard Bachman were a steady platoon for Utica all season, but neither goalie could be considered a standout.
Last Word on the Series: Devils in four games.
Providence Bruins vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Bruins and the Penguins played six times this season. The Penguins won the first two meetings before Providence won the remaining four meetings. Providence has won its last five games and comes into the playoffs with a hot hand. The Penguins have not been as fortunate, only winning three games in their last ten.
The Bruins possess some of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the entire AHL. Seth Griffith had another solid year for Providence and finished second in AHL scoring with 77 points. Alexander Khokhlachev’s 23 goals and 45 assists were good for second on squad and fourth on the team. Amazingly, Frank Vatrano has won the Willie Marshall Award as the AHL’s leading goal scorer. Vatrano played in only 36 games in the AHL but averaged a goal per game and added 19 assists as well. Vatrano was also the Co-Rookie of the Year and a forward on both the AHL All-Rookie Team and AHL First All-Star Team. Many players that figure to play prominent roles for Providence spend a good deal of the season in Boston helping the parent club. It remains to be seen if they can re-gel quickly now that the playoffs are here.
Carter Rowney split the last two years between the ECHL and the AHL but is all together this year and finished second on the Penguins with 56 points. Team captain Tom Kostopoulos is one of the oldest players in the AHL but is contributing heavily with 19 goals and 33 assists in addition to his seasoned leadership and guidance. Dustin Jeffrey came over from Springfield midseason and continued his hot hand, scoring 18 points in 19 games for the Pens and finishing with 64 points in 64 games. Veteran defenseman Will O’Neill had 50 points to go with 78 penalty minutes.
Last Word on the Series: Bruins in four games.
The Western Conference Preview can be found here.
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