Chirps from Center Ice

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

Category Archives: The AHL

Week 2 AHL Power Rankings

2 Comments Posted by on October 14, 2013

I’m back for the Week 2 AHL Power Rankings. With all the teams now having played a game, I have a full 30 team table to share.

No change at the top, a spot currently held by the Toronto Marlies, who are making it look easy right now.

Biggest riser this week are the Manchester Monarchs, up 12 spots from 21st last week. They would have gone higher but won two games this week via shootout.

Biggest slide this week belongs to the St. John’s IceCaps, down 18 spots from 4th last week to 21st after losses to Hamilton and Toronto.

Here’s what I have for this week. If you disagree, comments are open. Hopefully, Week 3 goes as easy as Week 2 did and so on and so forth…

Oh, but if you are not directly linked through and just on the main page, click here to jump through

Power Rankings

Who Changed These Questions?

Comments Off on Who Changed These Questions? Posted by on October 10, 2013

Just when we thought we had the answers to the goaltending situation here in Wilkes-Barre, the questions change.

Reported yesterday by Jonathan that Eric Hartzell is day-to-day. Peter Mannino’s trip to Wheeling was a brief one.

Mannino stuck around and played in the Nailers exhibition game last night, playing two periods and stopping 21 of 22 shots, getting beat once shorthanded.

My guess is that Jeff Deslauriers starts Saturday for the home opener. If he does well and wins, he gets it again Sunday in Syracuse. If he loses, Peter Mannino makes his debut.

Of course I could be wrong and the roles could be reversed, or Deslauriers and Mannino split weekend games no matter what happens. We just have to wait and see.

Bombulie also reported today that Bobby Farnham is ready to go this weekend as well. This should make for a fun couple of days for fans as Farnham doesn’t know anything other than 110%. Check out the quote from Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond on Farnham.

Finally, the AHL announced it’s 2014 Hall of Fame class today. One of the names on the list is John Slaney, who is up for another Hall of Fame nomination here in Wilkes-Barre. I believe that Slaney will be the first player enshrined to the AHL Hall of Fame with Wilkes-Barre ties. A great honor for him and the City of Wilkes-Barre, no doubt.

Unless there is more newsworthy stuff Friday, the next update here won’t be until Saturday afternoon, which will be the Gameday setup for the home opener vs. Hershey.

Let’s Go Pens!

The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

Mannino to Wheeling

Comments Off on Mannino to Wheeling Posted by on October 8, 2013

Announced today that G Peter Mannino was assigned to Wheeling of the ECHL.

Color me shocked that this transaction occurred. I would have never imagined this to come to fruition.

Jonathan had some quotes today from John Hynes on the goaltending competition.

It’s actually a good thing, really. If Jeff Deslauriers or Eric Hartzell falter in Wilkes-Barre and Mannino dominates in Wheeling (like I expect him to) then you have that option of a call-up and you can feel good about it. So we will see. When was the last time that anyone felt confident with a goaltender in Wheeling as a reliable call-up option?

With two games this weekend vs. Hershey Saturday and at Syracuse Sunday, expect Deslauriers and Hartzell both to get a game. Wheeling is in preseason right now.

Some Page Two’s….

— Out of the same Bombulie from today, Brian Dumoulin is practicing again. Dumoulin is also involved in a case of mistaken identity. (h/t, Russ Hryvnak)
— Carter Rowney was assigned to Wheeling Monday.

That’s all for now. Take a look at the first ever AHL Power Rankings I put together yesterday. I’m hoping these become a regular thing every Monday.

The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

Week 1 AHL Power Rankings

Comments Off on Week 1 AHL Power Rankings Posted by on October 7, 2013

So I have been kicking around the idea of an AHL Power Rankings feature for the blog for a while now. I figure that with the start of a new season, now is as good a time as ever to start a “power rankings” and see how it goes. Throw it at the wall and see if it sticks, etc.

This will probably be a fluid feature that runs on Mondays. I really have no idea how this is going to go. Let’s wing it.

In fairness, Portland, Milwaukee, Iowa, Worcester, Hamilton and Utica haven’t played yet so they cant be ranked yet. They all play next week.

Here goes nothing. Let me know what you think in the comments…

Read more of this post

Power Rankings

East Division Preview

Comments Off on East Division Preview Posted by on October 4, 2013

Regular AHL

Welcome to the final day of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Previews. You can check out the five divisions discussed previously via handy drop down menu at the the top of the blog.

Yes, the East Division! Where the big boys play. For example, just yesterday the Northeast Division was previewed. That division sent one team, the division winner Springfield Falcons, to the Calder Cup Playoffs. The East Division sent FOUR, and very possibly could have sent all five. This is the best division in the American Hockey League.

The Penguins play everyone in this division multiple times (obviously) with all home games listed in bold.

Binghamton Senators (Ottawa Senators)

Last Year: 44-24-1-7 (96 pts., 2nd place East Division)

Playoffs: 4 seed — Lost in three games to the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins in the East Division Quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Luke Richardson

Arena: Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Elmira Jackals2012_BNG

Offseason Moves: Haven’t found any.

The case for: No one did more with less last year than this team on the Southern Tier of New York. Luke Richardson gets a lot out of his players night in and night out.

The case against: Someone forgot to tell the Sens that it’s OK to sign players in the offseason. That inactivity will doom this team in this division.

Media Coverage: Press & Sun-Bulletin — Matt Weinstein and Matt Verderame (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: Don Reiber for examiner.com (twitter / blog)

Twitter: @BSens_Hockey

Facebook: /binghamtonsenators

Instagram: bsens_hockey

Broadcaster: Grady Whittenburg (twitter)

vs. WBS: @ 10/25, 11/29, 1/5, @ 2/14, 2/19, @ 4/6, 4/12, @4/18

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Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals)

Last Year: 36-31-3-6 (81 pts., 4th place East Division)

Playoffs: 8 seed — Lost in five games to the Providence Bruins in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

Head Coach: Mike Haviland

Arena: Giant Center

ECHL Affiliation: Reading Royals2012_HER

Offseason Moves: Jamie Johnson, Derek Whitmore, Josh Brittain, David Leggio, David Kolomatis, Brandon Segal

The case for: A new age in Hershey. A new coach that wins. A new captain to be named in the Fall. Watch out for the Bears this year.

The case against: No one is afraid of the Bears anymore. The moves they made this offseason you can say only caught them up to the competition.

Media Coverage: Tim Leone for PennLive.com (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: Sweetest Hockey on Earth (twitter / blog)

Twitter: @TheHersheyBears

Facebook: /TheHersheyBears

Instagram: thehersheybears

Broadcaster: Scott Stuccio (twitter)

vs. WBS: 10/12, 11/1, @ 11/2, 11/16, @ 11/30, 12/13, @ 12/28, @ 1/26, @ 2/9, @ 2/15, 2/16, 2/25

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Norfolk Admirals (Anaheim Ducks)

Last Year: 37-34-4-1 (79 pts., 5th place East Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Head Coach: Trent Yawney

Arena: Norfolk Scope

ECHL Affiliation: Utah Grizzlies2012_NOR

Offseason Moves: Alex Grant, Stefan Noesen, Jakob Silfverberg, Zack Stortini, Nolan Yonkman

The case for: The Admirals were a lot like the B-Sens last year in that they did a lot with less. The results weren’t there in the win column. I have the Admirals as a playoff team this season.

The case against: Just like the Western Conference team with the same name, it can’t be that hard to name eight teams better than Norfolk in this Conference.

Media Coverage: Virginia Pilot

Fan Blog: I don’t think there is another team out there that has so many fans blogging them up. You have Shawn Dulin for AdsAftermath (twitter / blog), Ken Peacock for Vultures Row (twitter / blog), and Beneath the Scope (twitter / blog)

Twitter: @NorfolkAdmirals

Facebook: /NorfolkAdmirals

Instagram: norfolkadmirals

Broadcaster: Pete Michaud (twitter)

vs. WBS: 10/26, 12/27, @ 1/24, @ 1/25, 1/31, 3/15, @ 3/28, @ 3/29

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Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Last Year: 43-22-6-5 (97 pts., 1st place East Division)

Playoffs: 3 seed — Lost in six games to the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Calder Cup Finals.

Head Coach: Rob Zettler

Arena: Onondaga County War Memorial Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Florida Everblades and the Brampton Beast of the Central Hockey League.2012_SYR

Offseason Moves: Geoff Walker, Joey Mormina, Evan Rankin

The case for: The Crunch can repeat as division winners.

The case against: They will have serious company this year. Hershey and Wilkes-Barre aren’t going to play the roles of an overachieving Binghamton team like last year.

Media Coverage: The Post-Standard — Lindsay Kramer (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: Chairman How’s Glorious Army (twitter / blog)

Twitter: @SyracuseCrunch

Facebook: /syracusecrunch

Instagram: officialsyracusecrunch

Broadcaster: Dan D’Uva (twitter)

vs. WBS: @ 10/13, 11/6, @ 11/15, 12/21, 12/31, 1/8, 1/29, @ 2/28, @ 3/21, @ 4/11

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Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Last Year: 42-30-2-2 (88 pts., 3rd place East Division)

Playoffs: 5 seed — Lost in five games to the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Head Coach: John Hynes

Arena: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

ECHL Affiliation: Wheeling Nailers2012_WBS

Offseason Moves: Tom Kostopoulos, Peter Mannino, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Chris Conner, Andrew Ebbett, Nick Drazenovic, Brendan Mikkelson

The case for: Instead of signing flashy, household AHL names in seasons past, the Pens went out and signed more veteran guys who know how to win.

The case against: Goaltending. The Penguins may have the fifth best goaltending duo…..in the division. If Tomas Vokoun’s injury is more long term and Jeff Zatkoff stays up, the Pens could be in deep trouble in goal this season.

Media Coverage: The Citizens’ Voice — Jonathan Bombulie (twitter / blog) and The Times Leader — Tom Venesky

Fan Blog: I’m not bragging, but I don’t know anyone that does it any better. (twitter / blog)

Twitter: @WBSPenguins

Facebook: /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins

Instagram: wbspenguins

Broadcaster: Mike O’Brien (twitter)

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So there you have it. If you have a team that’s playing tonight in the AHL opener, Happy New Year and good luck this season. The Penguins kick off Season Fifteen tomorrow night in Bridgeport. The Gameday setup will be up on the blog at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

The AHL

Captain Obvious

1 Comment Posted by on October 3, 2013

Today, the Penguins announced that Tom Kostopoulos has been named team captain for the 2013-14 campaign.

Zach Sill and Brendan Mikkelson will serve as Kostopoulos’ alternate captains.

Official press release here. Reaction from Jonathan Bombulie here.

The choice of Kostopoulous as captain was obvious from when he signed in the offseason, so this comes as absolutely no surprise whatsoever.

In other news, Carter Rowney and Cody Sylvester have signed AHL pacts with the Penguins. Also, in the same release, Coal Street makes official the 25 game PTOs of Jeff Deslauriers and Mike Carman.

Warren Peters has himself a 25 game PTO with the Iowa Wild.

I’m off now to collect my 2013-14 season tickets. Maybe I will post some pictures on Instagram.

Make sure you check out the AHL Previews, currently ongoing on the blog. East Division Preview wraps it up tomorrow at noon.

The AHL, WBS

Northeast Division Preview

Comments Off on Northeast Division Preview Posted by on October 3, 2013

Regular AHL

We are almost wrapped up here in the annual Chirps from Center Ice AHL Previews. To get caught up on the Western Conference Divisions from a few days ago and the Atlantic Division from yesterday, use the drop down box at the top of the blog and select your division.

No affiliation or realignment changes with the Northeast Division. The Penguins play everyone in this division with home games in bold.

Adirondack Phantoms (Philadelphia Flyers)

Last Year: 31-38-3-4 (69 pts., 5th place Northeast Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Terry Murray

Arena: Glen Falls Civic Center

ECHL Affiliation: Greenville Road Warriors2012_ADK

Offseason Moves: Steven Delisle, Yann Danis, Kris Newbury

The case for: The Danis and Newbury signings were huge for Adirondack this offseason. The Phantoms can contend in this division.

The case against: Did you laugh as you read that last sentence?

Media Coverage: The Post Standard — Diana Nearhos (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: None — or I haven’t found it yet.

Twitter: @PhantomsHockey

Facebook: /ADKhockey

Instagram: phantomshockey

Broadcaster: Bob Rotruck (twitter)

vs. WBS: 10/18, @ 11/27, @ 1/10, 2/8

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Albany Devils (New Jersey Devils)

Last Year: 31-32-1-12 (75 pts., 4th place Northeast Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Rick Kowalsky

Arena: Times Union Center

ECHL Affiliation: None2012_ALB

Offseason Moves: Rostislav Olesz, Riley Boychuk, Rod Pelley

The case for: The majority of the corps returns, including leading scorer Joe Whitney. Rookie Reid Boucher broke Steven Stamkos’ OHL goals scored record (62)

The case against: Consistency. The Devils just aren’t consistent in the AHL’s known “back to back games” league. Also, the Devils were a league worst in shootouts last season with 12 losses. Those 12 points lost add up at the end of the season.

Media Coverage: Albany Times Union – Pete Dougherty (twitter / blog) and The Daily Gazette – Bill Cain (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: Thoughts Inside the Box (twitter / blog)

Twitter: @AlbanyDevils

Facebook: /albanydevils

Instagram: albanydevils

Broadcaster: Josh Heller (twitter)

vs. WBS: 11/8, @ 3/1*, @ 3/23, 4/5

* – at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers (New York Islanders)

Last Year: 32-32-7-5 (76 pts., 3rd place Northeast Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Scott Pellerin

Arena: Webster Bank Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Stockton Thunder2012_BRI

Offseason Moves: Justin Johnson, Shane Harper, Chris Bruton

The case for: The Sound Tigers will improve on last seasons mistakes under Pellerin and should be expected to contend.

The case against: The above is easier said than done.

Media Coverage: Connecticut Post — Michael Fornabaio (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: None — or I haven’t found it yet.

Twitter: @TheSoundTigers

Facebook: /soundtigers

Instagram: thesoundtigers

Broadcaster: Phil Giubileo (twitter)

vs. WBS: @ 10/5, 4/4

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Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers)

Last Year: 35-32-6-3 (79 pts., 2nd place Northeast Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Ken Gernander

Arena: XL Center

ECHL Affiliation: Greenville Road Warriorshartford wolf pack

Offseason Moves: Brendon Nash, Danny Syvret, Danny Kristo

The case for: Someone has to win this division. Why not the Wolf Pack?

The case against: The answer for the Wolf Pack may be the Springfield Falcons.

Media Coverage: The Hartford Courant — Paul Doyle (twitter / blog) and Mitchell Beck for Howlings Today (twitter / blog)

Fan Blog: None — or I haven’t found it yet.

Twitter: @WolfPackAHL

Facebook: /HartfordWolfPack

Instagram: hartford_wolfpack

Broadcaster: Bob Crawford (twitter)

vs. WBS: @ 1/3, 1/11

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Springfield Falcons (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Last Year: 45-22-5-4 (99 pts., 1st place Northeast Division)

Playoffs: 2 seed — Lost in four games to the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Head Coach: Brad Larsen

Arena: MassMutual Center

ECHL Affiliation: Evansville IceMen2012_SPR

Offseason Moves: Joe Lavin, Mike McKenna, Jeremy Smith, Frédéric St. Denis

The case for: The Falcons look like the class of the Northeast Division. I don’t see a reason why the Falcons can’t repeat as division winners.

The case against: Instead of getting younger, the Falcons added two aging goaltenders in McKenna and Smith. Last year may have been a flash in the pan.

Media Coverage: Francis Sypek for MassLive.com — (twitter)

Fan Blog: None — or I haven’t found it yet.

Twitter: @TheFalconsAHL

Facebook: /falconsahl

Instagram: thefalconsahl

Broadcaster: Mike Kelly (twitter)

vs. WBS: @ 11/10, 12/11

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We wrap up the Fourth Annual Chirps from Center Ice AHL Previews with the East Division, Friday at noon.

The AHL

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