Chirps from Center Ice

There is an arms race brewing for the Calder Cup this year. It would appear that for the seventh year in a row a team out of the East Division will be competing for the Calder Cup again this year. The question seems to only be who.

Below are my Third Quarter Grades for the East Division. Discussion welcome in the comments section below. Enjoy!

Adirondack Phantoms:  (20-31-3-6 – 49 pts., 6^th place) Mentioned last time we did this that Adirondack would not finish last and I still stand by this sentiment. Will end up playing spoiler if nothing else against the top five in the division and fight off Albany and Syracuse for last place in the division if nothing else. Michael Leighton makes them stout in goal and I am still scratching my head as to why no one wanted Denis Hamel at the start of the year. If you looked at most improved teams in the second half, Adirondack is in the top three. Grade: C+

Albany Devils: (22-32-1-3 – 48 pts., 7^th place) The Devils will be a three team race to see which finishes last in the division. Problems all over the place with this team starting in goal. Mike McKenna gives them some stability in net, when he is there. Not much left to be said or analyzed here. However I do feel for the fans of the team in the 180 degree turn from having a successful parent in Carolina one year to a parent in New Jersey the other which sees a minor league affiliate more as a place to stick guys rather than building a foundation of winning. Grade: C-

Binghamton Senators: (32-21-3-4 – 71 pts., 5^th place) Hottest team in the league right now. I said in January that this team was making the playoffs and it is going to. They will either crossover into the Atlantic or play Wilkes-Barre in the first round. I don’t see Binghamton getting any higher than third though. The B-Sens just have the Penguins number right now. Barring a cleaning house from parent Ottawa, look for Binghamton to maybe win a first round series and face Wilkes-Barre in the East Division Finals, which by all means can happen and be a downright I-81 war. Barry Brust can carry this team far. Corey Locke is a more than point per game producer and look for Ottawa to send Bobby Butler back for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Ryan Potulny was a deadline trade acquisition from Chicago yesterday who will be in town when the playoffs start in April. You just don’t want to play Binghamton right now. My only fear if I am a B-Sens fan is if the team is peaking at the wrong time. Time will tell. Grade: A

Charlotte Checkers: (34-20-2-6 – 76 pts., 3^rd place) First AHL team to score 200 goals. I will be watching the parent Carolina Hurricanes closely this upcoming fourth quarter because if the Hurricanes don’t make the playoffs, the Checkers will be chock full of lethal scoring threats. Big question is in goal, 192 goals allowed ties them for sixth in the division with lowly Syracuse and only puts them behind cellar dwellers Albany and Adirondack. Defense is key in the playoffs. Losing Brett Carson on a waiver claim to Calgary hurts a little but I still see them making the playoffs but and ending up crossing over to play in the Atlantic, where the top two in the Atlantic (Manchester / Portland) are legit threats to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final. Grade: B+

Hershey Bears: (38-19-1-3 – 80 pts., 2^nd place) – Barring an implosion, the Bears will yet again make the playoffs and yet again be odds on favorites to win the Calder Cup for third year in a row. Braden Holtby can’t stay healthy, and Bears fans hardly feel confident with the Todd Ford – Jared DiMichiel goaltending experience, but yet somehow the Bears remain in the mix for the East Division Championship and the #1 overall seed in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Bears are going to be road and battle tested come playoff time. A WBS / Hershey first round playoff matchup will be a fun one to watch, from an outsiders perspective at least. Regardless of what is going on in Hershey, you don’t want to face this team come playoff time. Lower grade than WBS based off of standings position and head to head matchup record with the division leader. Grade: A-

Norfolk Admirals: (29-17-8-5 – 71 pts., 4^th place) Norfolk has slipped a bit, but is in a good enough position to make the playoffs either here in the East or crossing over into the Atlantic. The Admirals would fare better I think in the East first round, I think that matchup wise all potential opponents Norfolk would face over in the Atlantic would make a team like Manchester or Portland favorites in a first round playoff series. Gives WBS fits, games against Charlotte are wars, must beat Hershey to guarantee itself a first round berth in the East in my opinion rather than crossing over. This final quarter is huge for the Admirals. Grade: B

Syracuse Crunch: (20-32-3-4 – 47 pts., 8^th place) Really expected more out of this team with the Anaheim affiliation as did several others. Plays WBS strong, but yet cannot beat Adirondack. My pick to finish last in the division. There may be hope for next year with this squad, but not much else. Grade: D-

Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins: (44-16-0-0 – 88 pts., 1^st place) – The farm was raided in the third quarter with the rash of call-ups to Pittsburgh, and yet WBS managed to keep pretty much an eight to twelve point lead on second place Hershey, including a 7-1 thrashing of the Bears with basically an ECHL unit. With Pittsburgh getting healthy, Joe Vitale and Brett Sterling are back in town and as soon as Nick Johnson and Eric Tangradi get healthy expect them back too. Dustin Jeffrey appears up in Pittsburgh for good but is still eligible to be on the Clear Day roster. The team keeps rolling, refusing to quit, refusing to lose. Playoffs are their own animal though. Big question for the Penguins doesn’t seem to be can it beat Hershey, but can it beat the Binghamton Senators. Time will tell. Grade: A+

So there you have it. Clear Day rosters are due next Monday and AHL additions can still be made which can make teams even better. One thing is for sure, this stretch run is going to be fun to watch and be a part of.