So I shook things up a lot with this weeks version of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.
First things first, the curse is very real and sorry Ontario Reign fans, you’re next on the list to get the number one spot in the Rankings after winning six straight and 9-1 in your last ten.
There is only one team (Calgary) left in the top five that wasn’t there last week. Brand new top five but for the Wranglers. Oh, and the Records are back! Let’s jump right in.
1. Ontario Reign
Last Week: 7th (up 6)
Record: 16-8
Sweep the Firebirds in a home and home series. The Reign have won six straight and are 9-1 in their last ten.
2. Calgary Wranglers
Last Week: 1st (down 1)
Record: 20-9-1
Uncharacteristically shutout at home to last place Henderson Sunday. When you have as big a lead as the Wranglers do, you can have a clunker every once in a while.
3. Tucson Roadrunners
Last Week: 18th (up 15)
Record: 16-10
Roadrunners have won six straight and are 8-2 in their last ten. Huge matchup looms this weekend at home against the Eagles.
4. Rochester Americans
Last Week: 8th (up 4)
Record: 17-9-3
Split with Syracuse and beat Cleveland. You take weeks like that if you are the Americans.
5. Chicago Wolves
Last Week: 12th (up 7)
Record: 14-9-2
Well look here, all of a sudden the Chicago Wolves are one of the hottest teams in the AHL. Points in eight straight and in a dead heat with Milwaukee for second in the Central, pursuing old IHL rival Grand Rapids.
6. Toronto Marlies
Last Week: 11th (up 5)
Record: 15-5-2-3
Not a bad Pennsylvania trip for the Marlies who take two of three wins home with them. Home and home with Belleville to close out the year.
7. Charlotte Checkers
Last Week: 10th (up 3)
Record: 16-7-1-2
Checkers could have cut the deficit back to Hershey to two but fall on their face Sunday against the Bridgeport Islanders.
8. Laval Rocket
Last Week: 15th (up 7)
Record: 18-8-1-1
Rocket with wins over Belleville and Springfield to maintain their slim lead atop the North Division heading into the final full week of 2024.
9. Providence Bruins
Last Week: 16th (up 7)
Record: 15-11-3
Bruins have been good enough, but that 4-2 Saturday setback to Hartford stings a bit and tightens things right back up with the rest of the Atlantic.
10. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins
Last Week: 5th (down 5)
Record: 16-8-1
Not a bad week all things considered for the Penguins with wins over their in state rivals. Close to within six points of the division lead with a ton of games in hand on the other division contenders. Oh, and in case you are wondering I would have made the Pens the number one team this week had they swept the week.
11. Grand Rapids Griffins
Last Week: 2nd (down 9)
Record: 17-9-3
Griffins drop three straight this week but get two loser points out of it. Clinging to a narrow lead in the Central over a hard charging Stars, Wolves and Admirals teams.
12. San Jose Barracuda
Last Week: 3rd (down 9)
Record: 16-9-0-2
Barracuda had their momentum slowed down a bit after running into the Condors this week. Two with Henderson should get San Jose back on track, though.
13. Hartford Wolf Pack
Last Week: 17th (up 4)
Record: 13-11-2-1
Split a pair with the Bruins. One more with Providence Saturday but first the Thunderbirds on Friday.
14. Cleveland Monsters
Last Week: 4th (down 10)
Record: 17-8-1-2
Narrow margin for tops in the North and the Monsters drop two of three at home this past work. Eight game homestead wraps Saturday with a stop in from the Griffins.
15. Hershey Bears
Last Week: 6th (down 9)
Record: 18-9-3
Bears are banged up and that’s taking a toll on them and their once double digit lead on the rest of the division.
16. Texas Stars
Last Week: 25th (up 9)
Record: 15-11-1
Close to six points behind Grand Rapids from the Central Division lead. One game this week, Sunday, against Manitoba.
17. Milwaukee Admirals
Last Week: 19th (up 2)
Record: 13-8-1-3
Admirals have been so-so and that’s allowed Chicago to pull even with them in pursuit of the Griffins.
18. Bakersfield Condors
Last Week: 26th (up 8)
Record: 11-10-3-1
Six point week and the Condors are pulling themselves into the discussion in the Pacific Division.
19. Colorado Eagles
Last Week: 22nd (up 3)
Record: 14-8-1-2
Swept San Diego which is something you need to do if you are the Eagles, in just trying to keep up with a hornets nest of other really good teams.
20. Springfield Thunderbirds
Last Week: 9th (down 11)
Record: 12-12-2-1
Bad time to be winless in four when it seems like the Atlantic Division is all of a sudden up for grabs.
21. Abbotsford Canucks
Last Week: 13th (down 8)
Record: 14-12-0-1
Canucks found out that the Tucson Roadrunners are not the Manitoba Moose and dropped two straight 4-2 decisions to their visitors. In this ultra tight Pacific, those points are going to cost them at some point.
22. Belleville Senators
Last Week: 14th (down 8)
Record: 13-7-0-4
Most teams have time off to look forward to but not the Senators who have to work a Boxing Day match up against the Toronto Marlies.
23. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Last Week: 21st (down 2)
Record: 12-11-4-1
A good week was ruined by a 7-2 throttling from the Penguins Saturday. Rematch with Wilkes-Barre Friday and then Charlotte closes out 2024.
24. Henderson Silver Knights
Last Week: 29th (up 5)
Record: 7-20
Shutting out one of the best teams in the AHL on their home ice has to be a stepping stone towards something, right? Right?
25. Coachella Valley Firebirds
Last Week: 20th (down 5)
Record: 13-11-1-3
Zero points for the Firebirds this week in three contests and are mired in the mix with a half a dozen other teams all trying to figure out who will finish out 2024 chasing Calgary into 2025.
26. Rockford IceHogs
Last Week: 27th (up 1)
Record: 11-12-3-1
Salvage week with nice win against the Moose in Winnipeg. Close out 2024 with three against the Wild, whom the IceHogs have seen three times already this month.
27. Syracuse Crunch
Last Week: 28th (up 1)
Record: 11-9-4-3
Split a pair with Rochester this week. Syracuse has a lot of work to do.
28. Utica Comets
Last Week: 30th (up 2)
Record: 6-14-1-2
Split with the Monsters which isn’t bad, all things considered with the last place team Comets beating North Division leading Cleveland.
29. Bridgeport Islanders
Last Week: 31st (up 2)
Record: 6-18-2-2
Islanders show some life finally and get a big win in Charlotte Sunday. Providence and Springfield to close out 2024.
30. Manitoba Moose
Last Week: 32nd (up 2)
Record: 7-17-0-1
Split at home against the IceHogs. One of those wins was in a shootout but a win is a win, right? Homestead continues this week with Texas.
31. Iowa Wild
Last Week: 23rd (down 8)
Record: 10-15-1
Wild get run over by a Wolves team on its way to the top of the Central Division this week. Iowa will close out 2024 with a trio against Rockford.
32. San Diego Gulls
Last Week: 24th (down 8)
Record: 8-16-1-2
Swept in Colorado and schedule doesn’t look any better with Ontario which has won six straight and the Condors who took six points last week coming up this week.
Have a nice holiday and thanks for reading. Merry Christmas!
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