AHL Power Rankings: Laval Rocket Take Top Spot

Every two weeks throughout the regular season, FloHockey AHL expert Patrick Williams will deliver the FloHockey AHL Power Rankings ranking all 32 teams.

This week there is a new team leading the way – the Laval Rocket, who came out of the early season led by some of the Montreal Canadiens’ young prospects. Another club full of hope, the Grand Rapids Griffins, also rose quickly on social media.

See where your favorite team ranks based on the Power Rankings and follow them throughout the season to see how your club rises or falls. You can also see the full AHL standings here to see how they compare to our power rankings.

1. Laval Rocket (+4)

What encouraged the Rockets the most is that they are players who do a great job of driving, players that the Montreal Canadiens are counting on for the future. Actors like Owen Beck, Jared Davidson, Adam Engstrom, Logan Mailloux, Joshua Roy, and others take on key roles and thrive. And what a story Connor Hughes has been. Released from Switzerland, the 28-year-old is looking for Laval’s starting job in his first pro season in North America.

2. Grand Rapids Griffins (+6)

Scoring has been an issue, but that has started to catch up to the Griffins. The Detroit Red Wings have managed Sebastian Cossa’s development with style and patience, and are seeing results from him. Like Laval, Grand Rapids is a team where top prospects are allowed to take on key roles but are also surrounded by good support from veteran players.

3. Calgary Wranglers (–)

After a 6-2-0-0 home run, the Wranglers are finally back on the road. They got a split over the weekend in San Jose to open a seven-game road trip and 10 of 14 games away from Calgary. If the Pacific Division-leading Wranglers can navigate this trip well, they could put themselves in a position to put a big gap between themselves and all of their division mates.

4. Milwaukee Admirals (-3)

The Admirals were able to make a small deal out of Chicago early, taking three of four meetings while the Wolves were still getting to know each other. Milwaukee has slipped a bit defensively each week, but there is no doubt that head coach Karl Taylor will address that issue before visiting Cleveland.

5. Hershey Bears (-1)

A 6-1 loss on home ice to Bridgeport left head coach Todd Nelson frustrated. The defending Calder Cup trailing Bears are still getting mostly winning results, but the process is nowhere near what should be expected with the current roster. The Bears hit the road earlier this week heading to Belleville, where they opened three games in four nights.

6. Toronto Marlies (+1)

Very quickly the Marlies tend to play tight games. Seven of their last eight contests have been one-goal decisions.

7. Coachella Valley Firebirds (+15)

It seemed only a matter of time before the Firebirds’ impressively adjusted schedule began to find its way. New coach Derek Laxdal has the ability to be a quick turnaround specialist, and he’s proving to be one just like he did with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals in his previous stop.

8. San Jose Barracuda (-2)

After Calgary defeated the Barracuda 6-2 at home, they battled to split the teams’ two-game series. But the recall of Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks is a big question if it is for a long time. A trip to Toronto is next.

9. Cleveland Monsters (+11)

The Monsters won a busy schedule last week and swept everything that was put in front of them. Striker Rocco Grimaldi, who went unsigned until the first day of the season, is a regular again. He had 3-7-10 in his games last week and now he has moved up to third place in scoring in the league.

10. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (-1)

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ struggles have certainly had an impact on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. His AHL affiliate already has a record five goal scorers with at least one decision this season. Joel Blomqvist was the latest to take his chance in net for new coach Kirk MacDonald this past Saturday night. The question that arises is if Pittsburgh’s problems continue, how much of an impact will that have on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton?

11. Texas Stars (–)

12. Hartford Wolf Pack (–)

13. Belleville Senators (-3)

14. Charlotte Checkers (-12)

15. Syracuse Crunch (–)

16. Colorado Eagles (-3)

17. Rochester Americans (-3)

18. Bakersfield Condors (–)

19. Dominion of Ontario (–)

20. Abbotsford Canucks (-3)

21. Tucson Roadrunners (-5)

22. Iowa Wild (+1)

23. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (+1)

24. Rockford IceHogs (-3)

25. Springfield Thunderbirds (+2)

26. Manitoba Moose (–)

27. Providence Bruins (-2)

28. Bridgeport Islanders (+1)

29. Chicago Wolves (+1)

30. San Diego Gulls (-2)

31. Henderson Silver Knights (–)

32. Utica Comets (–)

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