AHL Roundup

The latest change came Tuesday as the league announced a significant divisional conference look to accommodate the addition of the St. John’s franchise the new farm team of the Winnipeg Jets relocated from Atlanta.

The new look is as follows;

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Manchester Monarchs (LA)
Portland Pirates (PHX)
Providence Bruins (BOS)
St. John’s (WPG)
Worcester Sharks (SJ)

Northeast Division
Adirondack Phantoms (PHI)
Albany Devils (NJ)
Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI)
Connecticut Whale (NYR)
Springfield Falcons (CBJ)

East Division
Binghamton Senators (OTT)
Hershey Bears (WSH)
Norfolk Admirals (TB)
Syracuse Crunch (ANA)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT)

Western Conference
North Division
Grand Rapids Griffins (DET)
Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL)
Lake Erie Monsters (COL)
Rochester Americans (BUF)
Toronto Marlies (TOR)

Midwest Division
Charlotte Checkers (CAR)
Chicago Wolves (VAN)
Milwaukee Admirals (NSH)
Peoria Rivermen (STL)
Rockford IceHogs (CHI)

West Division
Abbotsford Heat (CGY)
Houston Aeros (MIN)
Oklahoma City Barons (EDM)
San Antonio Rampage (FLA)
Texas Stars (DAL)

The format for the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs was also approved by the Board of Governors. Eight teams in each conference will qualify for the postseason, with the three division winners earning the top three seeds and the next five best teams in order of regular-season points seeded fourth through eighth.

The conference quarterfinals will be best-of-five series; the conference semifinals, conference finals and Calder Cup Finals will be best-of-seven series. Teams will be re-ordered after the first round so that the highest-remaining seed plays the lowest-remaining seed.

The changes will force European players to recalibrate their calling plans on their cell phones and GPS systems. The AHL is also adopting a shorter regular season schedule of just 76 games eliminating the dreaded four games in five night scenarios that have cropped up regularly the past two seasons in particular.

The travel will still have issues for teams because you have St. John’s at the further eastern part of Canada in Newfoundland and Abbotsford an hour from Vancouver out West.

The coaching carousel has been twirling over the past three weeks with the latest name to the list is Keith McCambridge, the former Manitoba Moose assistant coach being elevated to head the new St. John’s franchise, the new top farm team of the Winnipeg Jets according to Brendan McCarthy of the St. John’s Telegram.

The Houston Aeros hire minor pro vet John Torchetti to replace Mike Yeo who landed top billing with the parent Minnesota Wild. Bridgeport Sound Tigers named Brent Thompson who was last year’s ECHL John Brophy Coach of the Year whose Alaska Aces captured the ECHL Kelly Cup championship. Troy Ward who briefly was the Springfield Falcons head coach several years ago before leaving is now Calgary’s new top man with the Abbotsford Heat who watched last years head coach Jim Playfair sign on with the Phoenix Coyotes staff as their new assistant coach.

Providence Bruins assistant coach last year Brue Cassidy assumes top spot for the departed Rob Murray and in Milwaukee Kirk Muller takes over the reigns for Lane Lambert promoted to the assistant job with the parent Nashville Predators. Lambert was promoted because of Predators assistant Brent Petersons battle with Parkinson disease which has curtailed his ability to be on the ice.

Portland Pirates have a new affiliation with the Phoenix Coyotes and saw Kevin Dineen get his first NHL job with Florida will have Ray Edwards patrolling the bench. Adirondack Phantoms Joe Paterson shed the interim label and will guide the Flyers top farm team in 2011-2012. San Antonio with a return of the Florida Panthers as their parent team has Chuck Weber behind the bench.

The only teams minus head coaches  are Rochester Americans who reunited with the Buffalo Sabres as their parent , the Texas Stars who saw Glen Gultuzan promoted to the top spot with the parent Dallas Stars, the Chicago Wolves with a new affiliation with the Stanley Cup finalist Vancouver Canucks and the Rockford Ice Hogs who lost Bill Peters to become and assistant with the Detroit Red Wings . 

On the player side of ledger, the big name possible European signings have been limited such as Alexander Giroux who has opted to stay in North America (Columbus-NHL/Springfield-AHL) and Mark Mancari (Vancouver-NHL/Chicago-AHL).

However, some big names have made the switch. Jason Krog will take a second tour of duty in Europe with HV 71 in Sweden. The club has been the most active in summer signing season nabbing his Chicago teammate Noah Welch and Finnish winger Jesse Joensuu (Bridgeport) this week.

Young Alexsander Vasyunov (Albany) heads back to Russia and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL. AHL powerplay specialist Andrew Hutchison (Wilkes Barre-Scranton) signed with Barys Astana in Kazakhstan of the KHL joining two other recent AHL signees Nigel Dawes and Dustin Boyd from the Hamilton Bulldogs. Vaxjo in Sweden gets snipers Brad Moran and Liam Reddox (both of Oklahoma City), the Chicago Wolves see two other players exit to Germany in Jamie Sifers (Adler Mannheim) and Jared Ross (ERC Ingolstadt) as their affilauition switch to the Vancouver Canucks.

Connecticut Whale lose Jeremy Williams (EC Salzburg Austria) and Francis Lemieux (Heilbonner EC Germany). Calder Cup champs the Houston Aeros lose a trio in defenseman Jamie Fraser HDD Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), Brandon Buck (Sparta Norway) and Jean-Michel Daoust (EHC Straubing Germany). Also going to the DEL with ERC Ingolstadt in Germany hard working forward Jeremy Reich (Providence), two players from Wilkes Barre-Scranton goalie John Curry (Hamburg) and forward Chris Collins (Nuremburg).  

Players returning from Europe include Brock Trotter (Dynamo Riga in Latvia to Hamilton), Chris Bourque (Switzerland/Russia to Hershey) and Michel Ouellet (Hamburg to Norfolk), Josh Hennessey (HC Lugano Switzerland to Providence) and Yann Denis (Amur Khaborvsk Russia to Oklahoma City). All players have two way contracts with the parent NHL organization.

Writers Note: A portion of an AHL news release was used in this story.

 

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