AHL American Hockey League

AHL 2006-07 Season Preview

Published on October 4, 2006 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The American Hockey League begins its 71st season as 27 teams start down the road to the 2007 Calder Cup championship. The 2006-07 campaign gets underway tonight when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins host the Manitoba Moose at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. It marks the seventh consecutive year in which the Penguins have hosted the AHL's regular-season opener.

The 2006 Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears drop the puck on their title defense on Saturday night, Oct. 7, when they visit Wilkes-Barre. After opening the season with four consecutive road contests, the Bears will celebrate their ninth AHL championship at their home opener at the Giant Center on Sat., Oct. 21, when they host the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

The Lowell Devils begin their first season on Oct. 7 when they take on the Albany River Rats at Tsongas Arena. Those teams swapped NHL parent clubs in the offseason, with the New Jersey Devils taking over in Lowell and the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche now supplying players to Albany.

The AHL's other first-year club, the Worcester Sharks, kicks off its inaugural season in Portland on Oct. 6. The Sharks' home opener at the DCU Center is scheduled for Oct. 14, also against the defending Atlantic Division champion Pirates.

The AHL has added several new rules for the 2006-07 season, the most noticeable being the mandatory use of facial protection. All AHL skaters, regardless of age or experience, are now required to wear approved visors.

The regular season comprises 1,080 games leading up to the start of the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs in April. On Jan. 28-29, the 2007 Rbk Hockey AHL All-Star Classic will be held at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, featuring the top talent in the AHL competing in both the Skills Competition and the All-Star Game.

Established in 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the exclusive top development league for all 30 NHL teams. More than 82 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2005-06 were AHL graduates, and more than 6.3 million fans have attended AHL games across North America in each of the last five seasons.



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Atlantic Division


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Hartford Wolf Pack (NHL Affiliate: New York Rangers)
Home Rink: Hartford Civic Center (cap. 9,801)
2005-06: 48-24-2-6, 104 pts. (lost division final)
Head Coach: Jim Schoenfeld (3rd year in AHL, 65-32-8; 2nd year in Hartford, 48-26-6)
Notable Alumni: Dan Cloutier, Marc Savard, Derek Armstrong
What to watch: F Dwight Helminen (32) and F Jarkko Immonen (30) were 30-goal scorers in 2005-06... G Al Montoya was 23-9-1 in 40 appearances as a rookie last year... D Daniel Girardi earned AHL All-Rookie honors from the Wolf Pack blue line last season.

Lowell Devils (NHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils)
Home Rink: Paul E. Tsongas Arena (cap. 6,400)
2005-06: 1st year in AHL... Lowell Lock Monsters were 29-37-6-8 last season (DNQ)
Head Coach: Kurt Kleinendorst (1st year in AHL/Lowell)
Notable Alumni: Roberto Luongo, Eric Brewer, Zdeno Chara, Cam Ward all played in Lowell
What to watch: F Stephen Gionta scored five goals in his first three AHL games out of Boston College last spring... G Jordan Parise led North Dakota to the Frozen Four in 2005 and 2006... F Nicklas Bergfors had 40 points as an 18-year-old rookie in Albany last year.

Manchester Monarchs (NHL Affiliate: Los Angeles Kings)
Home Rink: Verizon Wireless Arena (cap. 9,916)
2005-06: 43-30-3-4, 93 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Mark Morris (1st year in AHL/Manchester)
Notable Alumni: Mike Cammalleri, Cristobal Huet, Joe Corvo
What to watch: New Hampshire native Jeff Giuliano played 48 NHL games with Los Angeles in 2005-06... F Konstantin Pushkarev recorded 19 goals for the Monarchs last season... Rookie F Matt Moulson had 138 points in 134 games over four years at Cornell.

Portland Pirates (NHL Affiliate: Anaheim Ducks)
Home Rink: Cumberland County Civic Center (cap. 6,733)
2005-06: 53-19-5-3, 114 pts. (lost conference final)
Head Coach: Kevin Dineen (2nd year in AHL/Portland, 53-24-3)
Notable Alumni: Andrew Brunette, Olaf Kolzig, Sergei Gonchar, Dustin Penner
What to watch: F Pierre Parenteau scored a career-best 22 goals for the Pirates last season... F Colby Genoway netted 26 goals as a rookie for Hartford last year... F Drew Miller is the younger brother of two-time AHL All-Star G Ryan Miller.

Providence Bruins (NHL Affiliate: Boston Bruins)
Home Rink: Dunkin' Donuts Center (cap. 11,909)
2005-06: 43-31-1-5, 92 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Scott Gordon (5th year in AHL/Providence, 122-102-25)
Notable Alumni: Andrew Raycroft, Glen Murray, Jozef Stumpel, Brad Boyes
What to watch: D Matt Lashoff was Boston's first-round pick in the 2005 draft... F Tyler Redenbach scored 26 goals and was a team-leading plus-19 as a rookie last season... F Pascal Pelletier recorded 46 points in 53 games after signing with Providence in December.

Springfield Falcons (NHL Affiliate: Tampa Bay Lightning)
Home Rink: MassMutual Center (cap. 6,679)
2005-06: 28-43-3-6, 65 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Steve Stirling (3rd year in AHL, 83-58-19; 1st year in Springfield)
Notable Alumni: Daniel Briere, Robert Esche, Nikolai Khabibulin
What to watch: F Zdenek Blatny had 29 points in 31 games in a Springfield uniform last season, while F Norm Milley added 48 points in 53 contests for the Falcons... D Andy Delmore won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's top defenseman in 2005-06.

Worcester Sharks (NHL Affiliate: San Jose Sharks)
Home Rink: DCU Center (cap. 6,800)
2005-06: 1st year in AHL... San Jose's prospects were 27-48-2-3 in Cleveland last season (DNQ)
Head Coach: Roy Sommer (9th year in AHL, 278-305-57; 1st year in Worcester)
Notable Alumni: Dwayne Roloson, Barret Jackman, Ladislav Nagy all played in Worcester
What to watch: The Sharks' debut marks the AHL's return to Worcester after a one-year absence... F Mike Iggulden scored 22 goals for Cleveland as a rookie last year, second on the club... F Graham Mink won the Calder Cup with Hershey in 2006... F Grant Stevenson played 47 NHL games with San Jose last season, tallying 10 goals and 12 assists.




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East Division


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Albany River Rats (NHL Affiliates: Carolina Hurricanes/Colorado Avalanche)
Home Rink: Pepsi Arena (cap. 6,982)
2005-06: 25-48-4-3, 57 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Tom Rowe (3rd year in AHL, 76-71-13; 1st year in Albany)
Notable Alumni: Steve Sullivan, Patrik Elias, John Madden
What to watch: F Keith Aucoin was a top-10 AHL scorer with 85 points last season... F Matt Murley, a native of nearby Troy and a product of nearby RPI, played 41 NHL games with Pittsburgh last year... Rookie G Justin Peters was a second-round draft pick by Carolina in 2004.

Binghamton Senators (NHL Affiliate: Ottawa Senators)
Home Rink: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (cap. 4,710)
2005-06: 35-37-4-4, 78 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Dave Cameron (3rd year in AHL/Binghamton, 82-67-11)
Notable Alumni: Jason Spezza, Ray Emery, Brian Pothier
What to watch: Newcomers F Ryan Vesce and F Josh Hennessy were two of the AHL's top seven rookie scorers in 2005-06... F Grant Potulny scored 23 goals last season after netting four as a rookie in 2004-05... G Kelly Guard was 25-19-1 in his first AHL campaign.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NHL Affiliate: New York Islanders)
Home Rink: Bridgeport's Arena at Harbor Yard (cap. 8,412)
2005-06: 38-33-6-3, 85 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Dan Marshall (1st year in AHL/Bridgeport)
Notable Alumni: Rick DiPietro, Raffi Torres, Trent Hunter
What to watch: F Robert Nilsson (2003) and F Petteri Nokelainen (2004) were first-round draft picks by the Islanders... Veteran additions D Mark Wotton and F Peter Ferraro are former Calder Cup champions... F Matt Koalska recorded 49 points in 75 games last year.

Hershey Bears (NHL Affiliate: Washington Capitals)
Home Rink: Giant Center (cap. 10,500)
2005-06: 44-21-5-10, 103 pts. (Won Calder Cup)
Head Coach: Bruce Boudreau (8th year in AHL, 281-224-55; 2nd year in Hershey, 44-26-10)
Notable Alumni: Frank Mathers, Willie Marshall, Mike Nykoluk, Ron Hextall, David Aebischer
What to watch: F Tomas Fleischmann led the Bears with 32 playoff points in 2006... Sixth-year pro F Alexandre Giroux has increased his goal output each season, netting 36 for Hartford last year... F Eric Fehr scored 25 goals for Hershey as a rookie in 2005-06.

Norfolk Admirals (NHL Affiliate: Chicago Blackhawks)
Home Rink: Norfolk Scope (cap. 8,823)
2005-06: 43-29-4-4, 94 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Mike Haviland (2nd year in AHL/Norfolk, 43-33-4)
Notable Alumni: Mark Bell, Kyle Calder, Rene Bourque
What to watch: F Martin St. Pierre earned an AHL All-Rookie nod after posting 73 points for Norfolk last season... F Brandon Bochenski had 46 points in 33 AHL games at Binghamton in 2005-06... F Michael Blunden had six points in 11 games after joining the Admirals from Erie (OHL) last spring.

Philadelphia Phantoms (NHL Affiliate: Philadelphia Flyers)
Home Rink: Wachovia Spectrum (cap. 17,380)
2005-06: 34-37-2-7, 77 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Craig Berube (1st year in AHL/Philadelphia)
Notable Alumni: Antero Niittymaki, Jeff Carter, Vaclav Prospal
What to watch: Philly native F Tony Voce led the Phantoms with 28 goals and 55 points last season... F Ryan Potulny led the nation with 38 goals and 63 points at the U. of Minnesota in 2005-06... F Mark Cullen had 68 points in 54 games for division rival Norfolk last year.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh Penguins)
Home Rink: Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza (cap. 8,143)
2005-06: 51-18-5-6, 113 pts. (lost division final)
Head Coach: Todd Richards (1st year in AHL/Wilkes-Barre)
Notable Alumni: Marc-Andre Fleury, Andrew Ference, Tom Kostopoulos
What to watch: F Rob Schremp, who led the OHL with 145 points in just 57 games for London last year, has been assigned to Wilkes-Barre by Edmonton... F Erik Christensen led the Pens with 24 goals in 48 AHL contests last season... D Noah Welch was one of the AHL's top rookie defensemen in 2005-06.



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North Division


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Grand Rapids Griffins (NHL Affiliate: Detroit Red Wings)
Home Rink: Van Andel Arena (cap. 10,834)
2005-06: 55-20-1-4, 115 pts. (lost conference final)
Head Coach: Greg Ireland (3rd year in AHL/Grand Rapids, 72-35-5)
Notable Alumni: Niklas Kronwall, Jason Williams, Mark Mowers
What to watch: F Matt Ellis and F Darryl Bootland are the only returnees among the Griffins' eight 20-goal scorers last season... G Jimmy Howard was 27-6-2 as a rookie for Grand Rapids in 2005-06, while G Stefan Liv has starred in Sweden for the last seven seasons.

Hamilton Bulldogs (NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens)
Home Rink: Copps Coliseum (cap. 8,819)
2005-06: 35-41-0-4, 74 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Don Lever (4th year in AHL, 117-98-25; 2nd year in Hamilton, 35-41-4)
Notable Alumni: Fernando Pisani, Michael Ryder, Jarret Stoll
What to watch: F Corey Locke led the Bulldogs in scoring with 59 points last season... F Andrei Kostitsyn (2003) and F Kyle Chipchura (2004) were first-round picks by Montreal... D Jean-Philippe Cote owns a plus-52 rating over his first three seasons in Hamilton.

Manitoba Moose (NHL Affiliate: Vancouver Canucks)
Home Rink: MTS Centre (cap. 8,812)
2005-06: 44-26-3-7, 98 pts. (lost conference final)
Head Coach: Scott Arniel (1st year in AHL/Manitoba)
Notable Alumni: Jason King, Alex Auld, Ryan Kesler
What to watch: F Jesse Schultz scored 37 goals for the Moose in 2005-06... F Lee Goren has recorded four straight 20-goal seasons... D Dustin Wood enters the season having played 220 consecutive AHL games, the longest active streak in the league... D Alexander Edler had 53 points in 62 games at Kelowna (WHL) last season.

Rochester Americans (NHL Affiliates: Buffalo Sabres/Florida Panthers)
Home Rink: Blue Cross Arena (cap. 11,200)
2005-06: 37-39-2-2, 78 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Randy Cunneyworth (7th year in AHL/Rochester, 234-190-56)
Notable Alumni: Al Arbour, Don Cherry, Gerry Cheevers, Derek Roy
What to watch: F Anthony Stewart, a first-rounder by Florida in 2003, was limited to 14 games by injury last season... F Dylan Hunter topped 100 points in each of his last two seasons at London (OHL)... F Clarke MacArthur scored 21 goals and added 32 assists to place second on the Amerks in scoring as a rookie in 2005-06.

Syracuse Crunch (NHL Affiliate: Columbus Blue Jackets)
Home Rink: Onondaga County War Memorial at Oncenter (cap. 6,230)
2005-06: 47-25-5-3, 102 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Ross Yates (1st year in AHL/Syracuse)
Notable Alumni: Michael Peca, Adrian Aucoin, Scott Walker, Pascal Leclaire
What to watch: D Filip Novak registered 52 points in 64 AHL games for Binghamton last year and appeared in his second AHL All-Star Classic... F Joe Motzko scored 27 goals for Syracuse last year after netting 28 the year before... F Eric Boguniecki was the AHL's most valuable player in 2001-02.

Toronto Marlies (NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs)
Home Rink: Ricoh Coliseum (cap. 8,295)
2005-06: 41-29-6-4, 92 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head coach: Greg Gilbert (5th year in AHL, 145-138-37; 1st year in Toronto)
What to watch: G Justin Pogge won gold with Canada at the 2006 World Junior Championships and was named Canadian Major Junior Goaltender of the Year in 2005-06... C Erik Westrum had a career year in 2005-06, notching 98 points in 71 games for Houston... 18-year-old F Jiri Tlusty was the 13th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft.



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West Division

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Chicago Wolves (NHL Affiliate: Atlanta Thrashers)
Home Rink: Allstate Arena (cap. 16,692)
2005-06: 36-32-4-8, 84 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: John Anderson (6th year in AHL/Chicago, 207-159-34)
Notable Alumni: Kari Lehtonen, Dan Snyder, Kurtis Foster
What to watch: F Darren Haydar had 127 points (53g, 74a) in 101 regular-season and playoff games for Milwaukee last season... Rookie D Boris Valabik (6-6, 225) was the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft; F Alex Bourret went 16th overall in 2005.

Houston Aeros (NHL Affiliate: Minnesota Wild)
Home Rink: Toyota Center (cap. 8,939)
2005-06: 50-24-3-3, 106 pts. (lost division final)
Head Coach: Rob Daum (2nd year in AHL/Houston, 50-27-3)
Notable Alumni: Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Johan Holmqvist
What to watch: F Roman Voloshenko scored 20 of his 33 goals last season on the power play... G Josh Harding went 29-8-0 and tied for the AHL lead in save percentage (.922) in 2005-06... F Alex Leavitt was the ECHL's rookie of the year and scoring champion last year.

Iowa Stars (NHL Affiliate: Dallas Stars)
Home Rink: Wells Fargo Arena (8,851)
2005-06: 41-31-1-7, 90 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Dave Allison (5th year in AHL, 122-114-27; 2nd year in Iowa, 41-32-7)
What to watch: F Marty Sertich won the 2005 Hobey Baker Award as a junior at Colorado College... F John Lammers scored 38 goals for Everett (WHL) last season... Iowa's leading scorer last year, F Toby Petersen is back after helping Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Milwaukee Admirals (NHL Affiliate: Nashville Predators)
Home Rink: Bradley Center (cap. 17,845)
2005-06: 49-21-6-4, 108 pts. (lost Calder Cup Final)
Head Coach: Claude Noel (4th year in AHL/Milwaukee, 142-82-16)
Notable Alumni: Dan Hamhuis, Ryan Suter, Jordin Tootoo
What to watch: F Alexander Radulov led all of junior hockey with 152 points in 62 games, winning a Memorial Cup at Quebec (QMJHL) last season and earning CHL player of the year honors... F Ramzi Abid led Chicago (AHL) with 34 goals and 76 points last season... F Rich Peverley picked up 46 points in 65 games for the Admirals in 2005-06.

Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (NHL Affiliate: Calgary Flames)
Home Rink: Omaha Civic Auditorium (cap. 7,994)
2005-06: 35-31-3-11, 84 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Ryan McGill (5th year in AHL, 162-120-38; 2nd year in Omaha, 35-34-11)
What to watch: F David Moss potted 21 goals during his rookie 2005-06 season for Omaha... G Brent Krahn (2.50) and G Curtis McElhinney (2.52) both ranked among the top five GAA's in the AHL last year... F Dustin Boyd was third in the WHL with 90 points for Moose Jaw.

Peoria Rivermen (NHL Affiliate: St. Louis Blues)
Home Rink: Peoria Civic Center - Carver Arena (cap. 9,919)
2005-06: 46-26-3-5, 100 pts. (lost division semifinal)
Head Coach: Dave Baseggio (2nd year in AHL, 38-39-3; 1st year in Peoria)
What to watch: The Rivermen's top four goal-scorers from last year - Fs Jon DiSalvatore, Mike Glumac, Trent Whitfield and Peter Sejna - are all on the opening night roster... Rookie F David Backes had 10 points in 12 games with Peoria last year after leaving Minnesota State... G Marek Schwarz was the Blues' first-round pick in 2004.

San Antonio Rampage (NHL Affiliate: Phoenix Coyotes)
Home Rink: AT&T Center (cap. 7,035)
2005-06: 23-50-3-4, 53 pts. (DNQ)
Head Coach: Pat Conacher (3rd year in AHL, 46-105-9; 2nd year in San Antonio, 23-53-4)
Notable Alumni: Jay Bouwmeester, Stephen Weiss, Mike Van Ryn
What to watch: San Antonio added G Philippe Sauve, D Travis Roche and reigning AHL MVP F Donald MacLean, all one-time AHL All-Stars... F Bill Thomas made his pro debut with the Coyotes last spring and picked up three points in nine NHL games... D Matt Jones had a solid rookie season for the Rampage last year, earning five separate recalls to Phoenix.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 4, 2006


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