Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

AHL Power Rankings: Week 17

We are officially at the All-Star break here in the AHL and there are teams that are solidly in contention, teams that have yet to make up their minds and teams that don’t seem like participating.

It’s never more apparent in this weeks version, as there have been no change in the top four teams from last week to this week.

Toronto is the class of the AHL at the break, and are just steamrolling teams.

Tucson continues to impress and are tops in the Pacific, but are being chased by a few good teams.

Wilkes-Barre seems to have worked out the bugs and are tops in the Atlantic.

A five game point streak by Utica has the Comets still in fourth. The Marlies should have company soon if the Comets continue this run.

The Chicago Wolves debut this week in the top five after splitting a pair with the Roadrunners.

Past the Wolves, click past the jump if you didn’t link in direct to see six and beyond.

Enjoy the all-star festivities if you are going this weekend!

1

Last Week: RCH 0 @ TOR 2, TOR 4 @ SYR 2
We are at the break and now can start discussing early Calder Cup favorites. The Marlies are tops on that list. Toronto is pasting teams, 11 game point streak.

n/a

This Week: @ RCH 2/2, vs. LAV 2/3
Record: 32-11-0-1

2

Last Week: CHI 1 @ TUC 2 (OT), CHI 4 @ TUC 3
Split a pair with the Wolves. Still lead the Pacific. Roadrunners are playing good hockey and we see no reason for it to decline.

n/a

This Week: @ ONT 2/2, @ SD 2/3
Record: 23-13-2-1

3

Last Week: WBS 4 @ HER 0, WBS 2 @ LV 5, BNG 3 @ WBS 4 (OT)
Penguins lead the Atlantic at the break. Two horse race emerging with Lehigh Valley for that top spot. A pair this week at home against Hershey and the Phantoms.

n/a

This Week: vs. HER 2/2, vs. LV 2/3
Record: 26-12-3-1

4

Last Week: HFD 4 @ UTI 3 (OT), UTI 3 @ BNG 1, UTI 3 @ LV 2 (OT)
Five game point streak for your Utica Comets who are 7-1-2-0 in their last ten and pushing Syracuse for third and putting the heat on Toronto and Rochester.

n/a

This Week: vs. SYR 2/2, @ SYR 2/3
Record: 22-14-6-3

5

Last Week: CHI 1 @ TUC 2 (OT), CHI 4 @ TUC 3
Wolves back up to third in the Central after an OK week in Tucson. Central race will be one to watch.

+1

This Week: vs. MIL 2/2, vs. RFD 2/3
Record: 22-15-6-2

6

Last Week: PRO 2 @ LV 3, WBS 2 @ LV 5, UTI 3 @ LV 2 (OT)
Points in every game this week for the Phantoms, who are emerging with Wilkes-Barre as a solid two horse race for the top spot in the division.

+2

This Week: vs. CHA 2/2, @ WBS 2/3
Record: 26-13-3-3

7

Last Week: IA 4 @ CLE 3 (OT), IA 3 @ CLE 1
Wild are second in the Central, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. This team was built to contend and it looks like it is. Interesting second half ahead for Iowa.

+2

This Week: @ BAK 2/2, @ ONT 2/3
Record: 21-13-7-3

8

Last Week: BAK 1 @ RFD 4, ONT 2 @ RFD 3 (OT), RFD 1 @ GR 4
IceHogs in a battle with about five other teams for a playoff spot, not counting Manitoba. Interesting weeks ahead.

-1

This Week: vs. MTB 2/2, @ CHI 2/3
Record: 24-17-2-3

9

Last Week: RFD 1 @ GR 4
Played one game this week and won. Don’t count out the defending champs out at all yet. Three this week all in Cleveland.

+1

This Week: @ CLE 2/1, @ CLE 2/3, @ CLE 2/4
Record: 22-18-1-4

10

Last Week: MTB 4 @ BEL 1, MTB 4 @ LAV 1, MTB 5 @ LAV 2
Losing slide ended abruptly when they headed to Belleville and Laval, coming away with convincing victories.

+5

This Week: @ RFD 2/2, @ MIL 2/3
Record: 29-10-3-2

11

Last Week: SJ 2 @ TEX 3 (OT), STK 6 @ TEX 2, STK 3 @ TEX 4
Second in the Pacific with the most points, but that doesn’t matter, thanks to this division.

+5

This Week: @ SA 2/2, vs. SA 2/3
Record: 24-16-4-2

12

Last Week: RCH 0 @ TOR 2, RCH 4 @ BEL 3 (OT)
Amerks can start to eat into the Marlies lead in the North with a few head to head matches coming up this week, beginning this Friday at home.

-1

This Week: vs. TOR 2/2, @ BNG 2/3
Record: 25-10-5-5

13

Last Week: PRO 2 @ LV 3, HER 2 @ PRO 5, PRO 2 @ SPR 5
Bruins fade this week eating bookend losses to Lehigh Valley and Springfield.

-8

This Week: vs. HFD 2/2, @ HFD 2/3
Record: 25-15-3-1

14

Last Week: HFD 4 @ UTI 3 (OT), CHA 2 @ HFD 3 (SO), CHA 0 @ HFD 4
Five game win streak for the Wolf Pack have them right back up to sixth and closing in fast on Bridgeport and Charlotte for the last spot in the Atlantic.

+9

This Week: @ PRO 2/2, vs. PRO 2/3
Record: 20-20-3-3

15

Last Week: SPR 1 @ BRI 3, BRI 3 @ SPR 5, HER 1 @ BRI 3
Sound Tigers hit the break 6-3-0-1 in they last tend and are virtually tied with Charlotte for the four spot in the Atlantic.

-3

This Week: vs. SPR 2/2, vs. BEL 2/3
Record: 22-16-4-2

16

Last Week: SJ 0 @ SA 3, SJ 5 @ SA 1
Split with San Jose last week. A pair with Texas this week. Are fourth, and are a lot better than that seeding would indicate.

-3

This Week: vs. TEX 2/2, @ TEX 2/3
Record: 23-17-4-0

17

Last Week: ONT 2 @ RFD 3 (OT), ONT 4 @ MIL 3
Reign run to third in the Pacific as we hit the break. 7-2-1-0 will do that.

+3

This Week: vs. TUC 2/2, vs. IA 2/3
Record: 22-16-2-1

18

Last Week: SD 3 @ BAK 2 (SO), SD 4 @ BAK 2
Swept the Condors this week, it’s a jam of good teams in the Pacific. Are the Gulls one of them?

+1

This Week: vs. TUC 2/3
Record: 22-17-1-0

19

Last Week: SYR 3 @ LAV 2, BEL 2 @ SYR 5, TOR 4 @ SYR 2
No one at the Politburo think that the Crunch can overcome the Marlies for tops in the North. Yet.

-5

This Week: @ UTI 2/2, vs. UTI 2/3
Record: 26-15-2-2

20

Last Week: SPR 1 @ BRI 3, BRI 3 @ SPR 5, PRO 2 @ SPR 5
Thunderbirds show that styles indeed make fights, with the two wins over Bridgeport and Providence this week.

+7

This Week: @ BRI 2/2
Record: 21-24-1-1

21

Last Week: SJ 2 @ TEX 3 (OT), SJ 0 @ SA 3, SJ 5 @ SA 1
Salvage the week with a nice win against the Rampage Saturday. Still a lot of work to do for the Western Conference regular season champs from last year.

-4

This Week: @ STK 2/2, vs. STK 2/3
Record: 20-17-1-2

22

Last Week: STK 6 @ TEX 2, STK 3 @ TEX 4
Split with Texas this week and the Heat are on the outside looking in as we hit the break. Too many good teams in the Pacific and while the Heat have been above average, they’ve flattened out a bit.

-1

This Week: vs. SJ 2/2, @ SJ 2/3
Record: 20-15-2-3

23

Last Week: CHA 2 @ HFD 3 (SO), CHA 0 @ HFD 4
Free fall continues for the Checkers. When will it end? Gotta be this week, right?

-5

This Week: @ LV 2/2, @ HER 2/3, @ HER 2/4
Record: 24-18-0-2

24

Last Week: CLE 5 @ MIL 0, IA 4 @ CLE 3 (OT), IA 3 @ CLE 1
Better week for the Monsters in terms of weeks past, but still at the bottom of the Central Division.

+5

This Week: vs. GR 2/1, vs. GR 2/3, vs. GR 2/4
Record: 13-22-4-3

25

Last Week: UTI 3 @ BNG 1, BNG 3 @ WBS 4 (OT)
Battled Wilkes-Barre to an overtime loss Saturday, otherwise still miles out of touch in the North Division race.

+5

This Week: vs. BEL 2/2, vs. RCH 2/3
Record: 12-23-6-2

26

Last Week: CLE 5 @ MIL 0, ONT 4 @ MIL 3
Milwaukee sliding, but it looks like in the Central that who ever is the hottest team in the seasons final weeks will be there for the playoff spot.

-2

This Week: @ CHI 2/2, vs. MTB 2/3
Record: 21-18-4-0

27

Last Week: BAK 1 @ RFD 4, SD 3 @ BAK 2 (SO), SD 4 @ BAK 2
Things are so tight in the Pacific Division that the Condors, in last, are just .087 percentage points out of second place.

-5

This Week: vs. IA 2/2
Record: 17-17-7-1

28

Last Week: MTB 4 @ BEL 1, BEL 2 @ SYR 5, RCH 4 @ BEL 3 (OT)
Bad week in what is turning out to be a forgettable maiden season in Belleville.

-3

This Week: @ BNG 2/2, @ BRI 2/3
Record: 18-24-1-3

29

Last Week: SYR 3 @ LAV 2, MTB 4 @ LAV 1, MTB 5 @ LAV 2
Another bad week for Laval. You keep waiting for them to flip the switch and they haven’t yet.

-3

This Week: @ TOR 2/3
Record: 17-22-5-2

30

Last Week: WBS 4 @ HER 0, HER 2 @ PRO 5, HER 1 @ BRI 3
Bears have lost 8 straight and are about to lose Chris Bourque, arguably their best player, to the Olympics for the next month. This toothless Bears offense is dead last in the Atlantic and the book is closing on their hopes of turning the ship around.

-2

This Week: @ WBS 2/2, vs. CHA 2/3, vs. CHA 2/4
Record: 17-21-3-4

Have a great week, everyone!

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