AHL divisions and NHL expansion

Lately in the NHL there has been a lot of talk about expansion. Adding potentially two teams to fill out 32 teams, making it closer to the NHL format and there's a question on if its necessary, where they would go, so forth.

If the AHL is any indication, it seems like not only do we know where the AHL, and potentially NHL stand on the topic of expansion, but we might have a general idea of where the expansion affilliate teams might be located. 

So, that image can be found here on the AHL website. What is notable right off the bat is the divisions are uneven... Atlantic and Central each have eight teams, North and Pacific have seven. This is part of the reason why the schedule is so flawed in my opinion, though this doesn't explain some of the inconsistencies. It feels more like the division system is just aesthetic right now and they are using the old scheduling system in the mean time.

I'll do a blog on the playoff setup with the new division system when I can look more in depth to it, but right now I'm going to focus on those missing two spots. I think the AHL has tipped its hand as to what it wants and where it thinks expansion teams might go. North, so Canada or upstate New York might get a new AHL team, which will probably mean that one expansion team might be in Canada as well. This might be good since Canada's interest in hockey has been on the decline in recent years so the more hockey thrown there is a good way to help Canada's chief export of hockey players. Though part of me wants to shout "Bring back the whalers!" If to be nothing but obnoxious. 

The other spot is in the pacific division, where there has been a lot of talk about Vegas being an expansion spot. I was never really a fan of having Vegas as an expansion spot, but it would appear as though the AHL thinks a team might go there, whether it be an AHL team, or an NHL team in Vegas, and maybe an AHL team in Reno. Or maybe California, but if we're being honest, there is no better spot for little affiliate brother to go to than Vegas's little brother. 

AHL Twitter wars

AHL twitter is something that immediately caught my eye. While NHL twitter is usually specific to team and team events, AHL seems more relaxed. Memes, gifs, jokes, its a more fun.

For example, when waiting for the schedule's release:

Hey @TheAHL, it's about that time! #AHLSchedule pic.twitter.com/x0cEP5djY3

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) August 27, 2015

4 HOURS TILL THE SCHEDULE'S HERE! Any guesses on who our first opponent will be? pic.twitter.com/c2RR76Dsfd

— Charlotte Checkers (@CheckersHockey) August 27, 2015

 While you might occasionally get a team to call out another on twitter in the large but the opening game, teams were throwing out little tweets like this:

Hey @AlbanyDevils... See you October 10th 😜 pic.twitter.com/yS76Eh5Axq

— Binghamton Senators (@BSens_Hockey) August 27, 2015

ICYMI:#AHLSchedule was released today. Home opener against @TheHersheyBears has them concerned http://t.co/mVNlQHt6EL pic.twitter.com/adtPK7dCcN

— Springfield Falcons (@TheFalconsAHL) August 27, 2015

Its silly stupid but its fun. I guess if the schedule isn't going to encourage a rivalry, the social media can. 

PS: The twitter beef between the Falcons and Wolfpack was gold...

.@TheFalconsAHL The Wolf Pack have won more playoff games in the last 4 months than the Falcons have in 10 years. pic.twitter.com/ckk1IMMx8O

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) August 17, 2015

But the tweet below sucks. Clean it up Hartford.

The Wolf Pack will play at home on April Fools day. Or will we? Maybe it's an April fools joke. Maybe there is no game...

— Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) August 27, 2015

 As a side note, you can follow me on twitter @dmeczywor. I assure you I will offer you nothing of value there.

2015-16 schedule

On August 27th, the new schedule was released.

First impressions: yeah, its a schedule.

Some things to be aware of is the new divisions and how they seem to work out. They do have games every day of the week with the lions share will be on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. No Monday games until December, so if that's your day off for the week, it might be harder to get to a game. Also, the new divisions don't seem like as much of a factor. I did an in depth look at the Falcons schedule and see that they face Hershey four times vs Providence fourteen times vs non-divisional rival the Albany Devils six times, and Hartford Eight times, and some eastern conference team no times.

I don't think its in the best interest of the league to have a team playing a non-divisional opponent more than a divisional one. I understand that there's travel times and expenses that have to be moderated, but the beauty of divisions is the rivalry that builds in the hunt for play-off spots. I want to be able to see those teams go at it more because I want to believe that they have to hate each other more. They're competing for the same glory and are in larger competition for the same spots in the play-offs.

Some that is probably coming from the understanding of how NFL scheduling works, and not necessarily AHL scheduling, but fanaticism is driven by common enemies. In the NFL you know the teams you have to hate. The AHL, I have an idea of whom they may want me to hate, but are Falcons fans really supposed to hate Providence six game more than Hartford? Or Syracuse as much as Hershey? Divisions would be a great idea if the AHL just used them properly.

In later blogs I'll get more in depth with teams and dates a casual fan might want to target for the best or at least most interesting action. They will all be rendered moot probably by mid season when the thugs and contenders are more clear. I know I'll be going to the first game for the Falcons on Oct. 10. Probably the only time I'll get to see Hershey in action.

Maiden Voyage

I find myself standing before an interesting idea, and a series of questions.

Entering its 80th season, the American Hockey League, is perhaps the most notable farm system for the NHL. It's where you see the big time stars develop and grow.. Its fun to watch, and being from the northeast its nice to see a game, but as a Bruins fan and a fan of the NHL in general, wandering into the AHL feels like I'm a man with no country.

You see, I grew up in Western Massachusetts, not too far from AHL headquarters. I was surrounded by ads for the Wolfpack, the Falcons, with other teams not too far away. I went to a college on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, where I would pass by billboards for the Worcester Sharks and be a short drive away from Providence, home of the Bruins affiliate. But I never really cared. They weren't the NHL and I want to see the cream of the crop.

Somewhere that all changed I don't know exactly why. It must have been a series of questions. A co-worker was trying to organize a work related outing to a Springfield Falcons game. I started getting excited, since it was hockey and I thought out of anything it could be really fun and I started to dig deeply into what games we should aim for getting. Springfield? Obviously Hartford should be a goal game, if not that then the Providence Bruins, or the... and so forth.

I began to wonder if the AHL was something I should be getting that excited about, and if its something other people could be getting more excited about. There isn't much out there, so it could be an interesting experiment of sorts. Is the AHL something worth caring about, how do you care for it when your hometown AHL team might be an NHL opponent? Can passion be built around the Semi-Pros as much as it can be for the top players? While the Calder Cup isn't THE CUP, can't winning it be just as deserving of a parade? Can't these games be just as fun?

I will try to see.

The AHL is also going through a lot of changes this year. They changed the divisions, and the teams seem to have spread out more so geographically.  A few teams have moved around and affiliations have changed, most notably last years Calder Cup winner, Manchester Monarchs going to the ECHS. It's a very volatile league in that aspect, coupled with the amount of players moving in and out as they go up an down the chain or get traded. Perhaps the recent rash of changes and going into a marquee year is what makes this such a good place to jump in head first.

So, my goals with this blog:

• Provide fan perspective on all AHL teams, although I reserve the right to form biases. (No Hartford, I don't want to like you.)
• Listen to at least one game from every AHL team and provide a recap or commentary on it.
• Comment on AHL news and happenings, scandals and what not.
• Try to help others develop interest in local teams and the AHL.
• Develop my own passion and have fun with this.

My promises are:

• I will deliver my opinions and insight as genuinely as possible. I will try my best to deliver humorous, interesting and inspiring insight into the AHL teams.
• Operate this blog independently from the AHL and AHL influences. (In other words, I'm not the AHL's cheerleader or spokesperson.)
•  Provide as much of a complete picture as to the goings on of the AHL that any sane person with a full time job could provide. 

Why should the AHL matter to you...

...and more importantly me.

There are a few big things on why these teams are important I want to touch on before I start handling news aspects in depth. These are the reasons I think the AHL could be interesting to me, and potentially others.

1. Local economy.
This one is regional specific. I live in the Hartford-Springfield area where a good majority of people love the Bruins while mourning the loss of the Whalers, I am a 20 minute drive rivalry drive away from the Falcons and the Wolfpack. Most interesting aspect of this to me is that AHL headquarters is located in Springfield, so now that the AHL is doing their own hall of fame inductees (Since 2006, More on that in a later blog) means that Springfield is the historical epicenter for guns and sports. (Take that Canton!) Make no mistake, if you live in Western Mass, or Connecticut, the AHL should matter to you because it does bring in a certain level of business and the best way to help it is to encourage its growth.

Even if you don't live in Western Mass, or CT, local teams can help grow local economy. Even at a third of the draw, that is tax money that is going to help the state and the region with better access to resources. By getting people more interested in local teams, you are helping assisting regional growth and...

2. Local Pride
What really is more galvanizing than sports?

Nothing.

This point is simple enough. With a strong enough interest in local minor league teams, then there is a chance for a source of local pride and unity that you may not be as accessible for NHL or other teams. While some AHL teams may be competing with NHL teams (another blog, another day) the ones that don't deserve your attention to help unify the community towards a greater competitive cause. Also, if you live that close to a local team, consider yourself lucky because its at least a level of professional sports. Some areas of the country only have high school football to look forward to.

3. Farm System
If you're a fan of the NHL, you should be keeping a very close eye on your AHL affiliate. They have your prospects that may get you a big name player in a trade or get called up to your team to fill in for an injured player. Its a chance to get an eye on the people who may make up your team in the future and their success in the AHL can help determine your NHL teams future. I've seen beat writers cover Pawtucket with immense scrutiny out of love of the Red Sox; the AHL is a fantastic gauge for talent. Expect a lot of these blogs, particularly as it pertains to the the Providence/Boston Bruins.

4. Beats Netflix
It's getting easier and easier to be a vegetable these days. Going to the games is good fun. It's a good chance to get kids into sports, or sports spectating. And even then, last AHL game I went to, they served beers, so if you get your heart into it, it can be similar to watching an NHL game. But how? Similar skill levels mean that while the playing style isn't elite, teams are comparable to each other. More depth, another blog, but long story short, the players know enough of what they're doing that a minor error that might be noticed at the NHL level won't be be noticed at the AHL level because it won't lead to the same consequences.

That is a brief summary of the 4 main points. There are more arguments I'm sure but this is still an introductory phase and I want to get out of these blogs and to the real meat of the blog soon enough. Not these Ra-Ra novels. I'll sprinkle in think pieces throughout for sure, but for now, I want to get to analysis and commentary. I'm gonna try to go full out for Monday. Watch out AHL, I'm coming for you...