Well, last week I said that I thought the Hershey Bears would take residence at the top of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings and after one week, I was wrong.
The team that came to Hershey this weekend is the new number one team this week but there is a hard charging 8-1 Laval team that has my attention.
Bears didn’t go far, though, as you will read below.
1. Charlotte Checkers
Last Week: 3rd (up 2)
Record: 6-1-0-1
Three out of four points isn’t bad for Charlotte, taking these points out of Hershey. Toronto swings by this weekend.
2. Hershey Bears
Last Week: 1st (down 1)
Record: 7-3-1-0
Bears salvage the week with a shootout win over Charlotte. This was a down week for the Bears with regulation losses to Lehigh Valley Wednesday and Charlotte on Saturday. Two with Springfield next.
3. Laval Rocket
Last Week: 10th (up 7)
Record: 8-1
Rocket are 8-1 and rocket (pun intended) up the rankings. There’s some daylight between them and Toronto and Belleville, too.
4. Calgary Wranglers
Last Week: 8th (up 4)
Record: 9-1
Wranglers are in the midst of an eight game home stand. Didn’t play this weekend but swept the Gulls last week.
5. Milwaukee Admirals
Last Week: 6th (up 1)
Record: 8-1
Sweep the Moose in Winnipeg which is exactly what you would expect from a good team like Milwaukee. Home and home with the Wolves this weekend.
6. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins
Last Week: 7th (up 1)
Record: 6-2
Penguins have won three straight. Home and home with Lehigh Valley and then Rochester stops by.
7. Rochester Americans
Last Week: 15th (up 8)
Record: 5-3
Swept sorry Utica, have won four straight and are still in the bottom half of a very competitive North Division.
8. Toronto Marlies
Last Week: 2nd (down 6)
Record: 6-1-0-1
One game this weekend and a loss in Cleveland, Toronto’s first of the season.
9. Belleville Senators
Last Week: 19th (up 10)
Record: 4-1-0-3
Three out of four points this week isn’t bad for the Senators, who are banking as much early season credit as they can. Two this week with big bad Laval.
10. Grand Rapids Griffins
Last Week: 5th (down 5)
Record: 6-3-1-0
Griffins in the midst of 7 of 8 on the road. Kids game at Iowa Wednesday and then in Rockford on Friday night.
11. Bakersfield Condors
Last Week: 12th (up 1)
Record: 3-2-2-1
Split with Coachella Valley. Five game Canada road trip starts in Calgary.
12. Syracuse Crunch
Last Week: 11th (down 1)
Record: 5-4
Beat the Wolf Pack in overtime Friday and lost big against the Senators. Hartford again and Cleveland this week.
13. San Jose Barracuda
Last Week: 4th (down 9)
Record: 6-3
Oof. Swept in Des Moines by a bad Wild team that may not be as bad as we think. Five game home stand starts with Colorado this weekend.
14. Hartford Wolf Pack
Last Week: 17th (up 3)
Record: 4-3-1-1
Three out of a possible six for the Wolf Pack. Rochester and Providence next, decent tests for Hartford who are off to an okay start.
15. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Last Week: 25th (up 10)
Record: 3-3-1-1
Phantoms beat the Bears and Thunderbirds this week and take on the Penguins on the road this week and last overall Utica.
16. Colorado Eagles
Last Week: 23rd (up 7)
Record: 4-3-0-1
It’s amazing what a sweep of a team (Texas) will do for a teams standings wise this early on. It’s a sweep the Eagles needed against exactly the right team, we think. Coachella Valley and San Jose on the docket this week.
17. Abbotsford Canucks
Last Week: 13th (down 4)
Record: 5-4-0-1
Ontario and Bakersfield on the docket this week after tangling with the Roadrunners and Gulls.
18. Tucson Roadrunners
Last Week: 14th (down 4)
Record: 4-4
Roadrunners had midweek action against Abbotsford where they split. Host San Diego next week.
19. Texas Stars
Last Week: 9th (down 10)
Record: 5-3
Swept in Colorado. Next five are Iowa and Rockford so the Stars should be fine.
20. Ontario Reign
Last Week: 28th (up 8)
Record: 3-4
Swept Henderson in home and home action. Schedule stiffens somewhat with Abbotsford and Coachella Valley.
21. Coachella Valley Firebirds
Last Week: 16th (down 5)
Record: 3-4
Two out of six points for the Firebirds who are losing touch with the tops of the division. After two straight trips to the Calder Cup Finals is this a regression to the mean?
22. Bridgeport Islanders
Last Week: 30th (up 8)
Record: 2-5-1-1
Islanders split the week and had Saturday and Sunday off. Take on a depleted Springfield team midweek before a home and home with Providence.
23. Iowa Wild
Last Week: 31st (up 8)
Record: 3-6-1-0
Wild with a very impressive week, sweeping all six points against Chicago and San Jose. Iowa looks to carry the momentum this week with Grand Rapids and Rockford.
24. Cleveland Monsters
Last Week: 24th (no change)
Record: 4-3-0-1
Cleveland looking to keep the turn around going through Western and Central New York this week.
25. Rockford IceHogs
Last Week: 18th (down 7)
Record: 3-4
Swept by Grand Rapids and Chicago this weekend. Said last week that splitting weeks wasn’t good for Rockford, getting swept sure isn’t either.
26. Chicago Wolves
Last Week: 26th (no change)
Record: 2-4-1-0
Lost to last place Iowa and then beat Rockford. Is it bad that you still can’t get a handle on this team?
27. Providence Bruins
Last Week: 29th (up 2)
Record: 3-6
Swept in Laval. Is worry starting to creep in a bit? Home and home with Bridgeport doesn’t seem like an automatic 3+ points.
28. San Diego Gulls
Last Week: 21st (down 7)
Record: 3-7
Gulls need to dig out of the Pacific basement here after a bunch of losses last week.
29. Manitoba Moose
Last Week: 22nd (down 7)
Record: 3-5
Swept at home against the Admirals. Moose are a bit of a mess, but it seems like it’s a correctable mess.
30. Springfield Thunderbirds
Last Week: 20th (down 10)
Record: 3-7
Injury ravaged Thunderbirds are 3-7 and things aren’t looking great. Bridgeport midweek and a trip to Hershey seem cruel at this juncture.
31. Henderson Silver Knights
Last Week: 27th (down 4)
Record: 2-7
Blowout losses to what looked like a bad Reign team. It’s too early to start writing off teams, but not too early about thinking about them.
32. Utica Comets
Last Week: 32nd (no change)
Record: 0-8-0-1
Finally get a shootout loser point out of Rochester, but were obliterated 8-1 the night before by the Amerks. You think things are bad with your team?
Keep at it Utica, maybe one week you will get a win!
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