One thing about following the American Hockey League is that you have to be prepared for changes from season to season. Sometimes you've got teams shifting from franchise to franchise, sometimes you have rules being tested for possible inclusion in the NHL, and other times you've got teams simply being renamed or relocated.
So what's changed for the 2016-17 AHL season? Let's take a look.
The Springfield Falcons, who were affiliated with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets since 2010, struck a new three-year affiliation agreement with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes during the offseason. The team is moving from Springfield, Massachusetts to Tucson, Arizona as part of a slate of changes that were set-off prior to the 2015-16 season.
The relocation isn't the only change, as the team has been renamed the Tucson Roadrunners and will be playing in the one-year-old Pacific Division. The division consists of eight teams, five of which are located in California.
Luckily for the good folks of Springfield, they won't have to spend the AHL season without their own team. The Portland Pirates were purchased by Springfield Hockey LLC and will start up in Springfield for the 2016-17 season. The Pirates will now become the Thunderbirds, and even though there were a whole lot of moves, the team will still be partnered with the NHL's Florida Panthers.
Lastly, the Lake Erie Monsters have simply been renamed the Cleveland Monsters. The slight name change will have no effect on the squad spending the season with a target on their backs as the reigning Calder Cup champions.
The past few years have been busy for rules changes in the AHL. The league served as the test case during the the 2014-15 for the 3-on-3 overtime and coach challenges that was introduced to the NHL last season.
This year, the changes are smaller but could have a significant impact on the makeup of the AHL and teams' rosters as the Board of Governors is looking to reduce fighting after a few scary incidents last season. The changes, which are inspired by changes recently made by the OHL, are as follows:
The AHL playoffs this season won't see too many changes from the previous season, which used a divisional format adopted by the NHL recently instead of a format determined by conference ranking. This year's format has the top four teams from each division qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The divisional rankings are determined by points percentage (points earned divided by points available).
Qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs will be slightly simpler for teams in the Eastern Conference as there are only 14 teams split into two seven-team divisions, while the Western Conference features 16 teams broken down into two eight-team divisions.
In "let's change up our uniform" news there will be a shift in home and away jerseys worn, but the change won't go into effect until after the Christmas break. To start the season, home teams will continue to wear their dark jerseys, while away teams will wear their light jerseys. After Christmas, home teams will be in light colors, and away teams will be kitted-up in their dark jerseys.
Why the change? The AHL claims they simply want to give the fans a look at actual players wearing both jerseys during the same season.
What do you think about the changes? Are you for them or against? Any suggestions for next season? Let us know.
By Matthew Parvis
So what's changed for the 2016-17 AHL season? Let's take a look.
2016-17 AHL Team Relocations, Affiliation Changes, and Division Shifts
The Springfield Falcons, who were affiliated with the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets since 2010, struck a new three-year affiliation agreement with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes during the offseason. The team is moving from Springfield, Massachusetts to Tucson, Arizona as part of a slate of changes that were set-off prior to the 2015-16 season.
The relocation isn't the only change, as the team has been renamed the Tucson Roadrunners and will be playing in the one-year-old Pacific Division. The division consists of eight teams, five of which are located in California.
Luckily for the good folks of Springfield, they won't have to spend the AHL season without their own team. The Portland Pirates were purchased by Springfield Hockey LLC and will start up in Springfield for the 2016-17 season. The Pirates will now become the Thunderbirds, and even though there were a whole lot of moves, the team will still be partnered with the NHL's Florida Panthers.
Lastly, the Lake Erie Monsters have simply been renamed the Cleveland Monsters. The slight name change will have no effect on the squad spending the season with a target on their backs as the reigning Calder Cup champions.
2016-17 AHL Rules Changes
The past few years have been busy for rules changes in the AHL. The league served as the test case during the the 2014-15 for the 3-on-3 overtime and coach challenges that was introduced to the NHL last season.
This year, the changes are smaller but could have a significant impact on the makeup of the AHL and teams' rosters as the Board of Governors is looking to reduce fighting after a few scary incidents last season. The changes, which are inspired by changes recently made by the OHL, are as follows:
- Any player involved in a fight that was staged, or pre-arranged will be ejected and given a game misconduct. Basically, the AHL is trying to eliminate players fighting before or immediately after a faceoff.
- Any player who receives 10 fighting majors will receive a one-game suspension, and then will receive a one-game suspension for every additional fight. Once a player hits 14 fighting majors, he will get a two-game suspension for every additional fighting major.
- Finally, the AHL is introducing stricter icing rules. Teams who ice the puck still won't be able to make any substitutions prior to the next faceoff. In addition to that, teams who ice the puck will not be allowed to take their team timeout. This ensures teams who ice the puck have no chance to rest players who've been on the ice during a long shift.
2016-17 AHL Playoff Format
The AHL playoffs this season won't see too many changes from the previous season, which used a divisional format adopted by the NHL recently instead of a format determined by conference ranking. This year's format has the top four teams from each division qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The divisional rankings are determined by points percentage (points earned divided by points available).
Qualifying for the Calder Cup Playoffs will be slightly simpler for teams in the Eastern Conference as there are only 14 teams split into two seven-team divisions, while the Western Conference features 16 teams broken down into two eight-team divisions.
Home and Away Jerseys
In "let's change up our uniform" news there will be a shift in home and away jerseys worn, but the change won't go into effect until after the Christmas break. To start the season, home teams will continue to wear their dark jerseys, while away teams will wear their light jerseys. After Christmas, home teams will be in light colors, and away teams will be kitted-up in their dark jerseys.
Why the change? The AHL claims they simply want to give the fans a look at actual players wearing both jerseys during the same season.
What do you think about the changes? Are you for them or against? Any suggestions for next season? Let us know.
By Matthew Parvis