Coast To Coast is FloHockey’s monthly, cohesive news on North American hockey and live-streaming partnerships.
Hockey leagues across North America are getting back into action as fans grab tickets and return to arenas donning their team’s colors. There is a lot to be excited about.
Atlantic Hockey, CCHA Streaming On FloHockey
All 10 Atlantic Hockey teams have hit the ice, and as exhibitions, non-conference contests, and games-for-points take shape, AIC leads the way. The Yellow Jackets have claimed the conference title in each of the past three years and were picked as the conference frontrunner in the preseason coaches’ poll.
“Until somebody in this league can knock them off, [AIC] rightly deserve to be picked as number one,” Army Hockey head coach Brian Riley told FloHockey last month.
Riley and his Black Knights will square off with his former colleague Eric Lang and AIC in the new year when both teams could be battling it out for the conference’s top spot.
That series, as well as every conference game for both Atlantic Hockey and the re-formed CCHA—formerly WCHA—will be streamed live all season right here on FloHockey.
The CCHA has dropped the puck and the old acronym is officially reborn. Led by national powerhouse and current USCHO No. 1, Minnesota State, the CCHA is made up of Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Lake Superior State, Ferris State, Bowling Green, and inaugural Div-I program St. Thomas.
— Minnesota State Hockey (@MinnStMHockey) October 11, 2021
Minnesota State has developed into a destination program in college hockey and sits at 3-1 this season with a sweep over then-No. 1 Massachusetts and a series split with then-No. 2 St. Cloud State.
But Bemidji State, LSSU, and remaining CCHA habitants have continued to build their own programs and won’t lie down for the Mavericks. Each program always brings its ‘A’ game against the top-tier program, where points remain the same, but recognition blossoms when the Pairwise Rankings draw closer to spring.
AHL, ECHL Developing NHL Talent
NHL teams have snagged a lot of young talent from their respective prospect systems to begin the 2021-22 season, but more on that later. For now, AHL clubs are focused on the bodies that have reported to training camp and are ready to continue their fight for a path to the NHL.
It’s often forgotten that the AHL serves two purposes. First, NHL-AHL affiliations are formed to ensure talent has a league to continue to develop its youth. Second, these remain ‘independent’ organizations still built on a business model that expects to win.
The combination of development and contention can often skew the possibility that a winning program doesn’t always reflect a strong farm system.
With all of that said, the AHL is still a significant step ahead of lower leagues and that the vast majority of AHL players share the skill level of their NHL counterparts, but a variety of variables has them on the other end of the phone.
The AHL has its veteran leaders that find themselves among the top of stat lists every year, but also serves as a stomping ground for that extra development for prospects, former collegiate players, ECHL call-ups, and others.
Camps remain important and roles are fought for to ensure optimum playing time and extra attention to detail that the big clubs ask of some prospects.
A slight step down the developmental ladder, the ECHL has shared its brag list of former players-turned-NHL pros, with 70 names on opening night NHL rosters this season. The ECHL serves the same role for the AHL as the AHL does for the NHL and sees increases in former players—and coaches—developed for the next level.
NHL Returns, So Do Rookies
As the season gets going, so do fresh faces. The strangeness of 2020-21 is subsiding and the shortened campaigns mixed with a variety of European loans sees the regular return of exciting rookies.
That’s not to say that reigning Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov or runners-up Jason Robertson and Alex Nedeljkovic didn’t bring excitement, but the return of camps and preseason has brought a wave of young guys to watch in 2021-22.
In Detroit, a pair of rookies in Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond lead the way while Anaheim boasts Trevor Zegras, Mason MacTavish, and Jamie Drysdale. Additionally, playoff standout Cole Caufield looks to make his case in Montreal as a premier shooter.
Welcome to the NHL! 👋
— NHL (@NHL) October 13, 2021
Which of these rookies could make the biggest impact this season? #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/Zl8bHNi0dz
Not to be lost are Colorado’s Bowen Byram, Alex Newhook or Sampo Ranta, where they’re surrounded by contending talent and still managed to earn roles out of camp.
Ranta aside, the above-mentioned rookies were all first-round picks, with all but Caufield and Newhook selected in the top 10 of their draft class. These players hardly account for the remaining other notable rookies.
The race for the 2022 Calder Trophy has begun and should remain close through the spring.
Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.