Hello. This season as an innocent by stander to the AHL, I feel like nobody has really done a solid "write up" in a while. Just a short and sweet spitball of ideas and opinions. Therefore I am just here to make a few predictions and a little insight to why I think what I think. I'm going to just talk about my personal top 5 ahl teams and who I think of these 5, have the best shot of winning. First up: #1 Cleveland Monsters: This team needs no real explanation as I'd say they're the odds on favorites to win the cup. Currently 53-15-4 they seem to have no real weakness..... except.. their third line. Now I know in the AHL this season, that Clevelands third line is actually pretty solid. However in playoffs when it matters I could see it being Clevelands downfall. All it takes is for a team like Chicago or Rockford to put out a solid second line against Clevelands third. If they can win those 2 games, it leaves guys like purefishin or Daghost to split against Clevelands best. Or for their third line to just upset Cleveland one game. Smart line matching against this team could REALLY help if you're looking to make an upset. That's why I think that if Rockford maintains the #1 seed, they could line match their roster and beat Cleveland in a playoff series. At the end of the day though, the Monsters are still odds on favorites. #2. The Rockford IceHogs Lead by Im4thLineWorthy with 80 points, Rockford looks like a serious threat to the Monsters and Wolves. At 53-14-5 they are currently in first place. They seem to have that dominant first line that you need to win in playoffs. DaGhost 4thLine and Dugganator are most likely the best regulat season line by the numbers. The one shaky part is that 2/3 losses are to Cleveland and Chicago. Their defense may be top heavy aswell with Dutchlover and lingros at the top. Upfront I think Rockford has the most overall depth of any team and that's why I can see them going far in playoffs. To win you need 3 lines and they have that upfront. The question is if their bottom 4 d can play to their potential vs the leagues best lines. #3. Wilkes Barre. The little pens seem to be the best team in the east. Lead by great goaltending from studs scopes an Ellis I can see this team having an easy stroll until the conference finals. Ellis is arguably the Carey price of LGAHL while Scopes is King Henrik. Dimitri at 500k is a stud, and maxwell on defense is another good get. I don't think this team has that one stud but they have a good strong team. The balance between offense and defense is evident in their 84.4 PK % (2nd to Hartford) and their #3 power play that cranks at 28%. If the Penguins can draw penalties and keep possession I could see them representing the east in the finals. Their key to success is if the competition in net can bring the BEST of both goalies. #4. Chicago Wolves This team could easily be higher on the list. However the lack of overall depth up front seems to be holding me back. We all know what fisher, squid, gentry, and Gonzalez or antonucci bring. But the other guys like pirx or face blunted look like they're struggling. I'd put this team in the same situation as Cleveland. Great top 6 and top 2 d, but lack of a dominant third line despite great overall depth. In net the one two punch of tarasenko and sanctify look good. Motown and Devils night are big names that could carry the bottom line. And you got Dan Hutton as an X factor to his team. I think this team can do damage in playoffs for 2 reasons. 1. Fishers line can almost guarantee 2-0 in each series. 2. You have the depth in guys like blunted, dan, potato who can upset a top tier line on any given night. If the wolves can stay out of the box with their 76% mediocre penalty kill, I think they could emerge into one the ultimate favorites for the cup. #5. Syracuse Crunch. Now now.. I'm not being biased. There's a reason Hershey isn't in my top 5. They are A. Bottom 10 in PP% B. Not going to win imop against WBS in a playoff series. Here's the thing. Syracuse is on a hot streak. 8-2 in their last 10 while ranking top 10 in every stat category. The defense on Syracuse is very strong. Landeskog, sniz, johnny, griz, etc. Match that with a top tier goaltending duo and you have a very solid team. The issue tho with the crunch is STAH POWAH. Sure ghost mferra Nelson stoner upfront are good... but if you're Cleveland or Chicago, does that really scare you?!? Exactly. Syracuse is similar to WBS. There's not that one line that screams Dominance. This could hurt them in playoffs if they make it far. The reason I have them at #5 aside from the obvious stats, is the fact that the overall depth of Syracuse is the best in the east in my opinion. 3 lines deep could mean trouble for the opponents bottom 6. Final note: and Lastly before I go. I guarantee 160% that one of these 5 teams are going to win it all. From an Owner perspective it kinda sucks this season lol. In the NHL it may seem competitive but you already know the 4 real contenders. In the ahl it's top heavy and you also know who's going to win, unlike last season. I mean anything can happen in yoffs right ? Meh, usually I say yes. But this season is different. Let's be real, in the AHL, who else really has a shot ? Sure 4 of these 5 teams can choke, but I guarantee not all 5 will. Anyhow, Thank you <3
My Predicitions: Conference Finals: Eastern Conference Syracuse VS Wilkes Barre Western conference Cleveland VS Tucson Final Predicitions Cleveland vs Wilkes Barre Cleveland in 6. Now, I am to lazy to go look at all the stats and mention people but thkse are my predictions for the finals.
none of those top 5 have me on the roster, therefore this cannot be accurate. However, it does give me a nice list of names to wreck or put in the sin bin with me.
Idk about Rockford. If @Lingross x 88 is considered their top dman, they may not get as far as some people think. He tends to get burned out easily + he struggles against those top lines. Very sketchy defenseman.
never under estimate the unknown ... they will creep up on you and bite you when ur not expecting it and it will HURT!!!!
When no1 talks to you upthere what should you do? Create a post in the league where you got carried! Hi Sakic
Let's not forget @King Ellis101 carried my division to victory in the all star tournament. He stepped up when our division needed a goalie, despite getting snubbed on a trade technicality. What a beast. Get this guy the all start MVP too.
