2021–22 AHL season
The 2021–22 AHL season is the 86th season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 15, 2021, and is scheduled to end on April 24, 2022.[1] The regular season is typically followed by the Calder Cup playoffs, which has not been held since 2019 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
| 2021–22 AHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 15, 2021 – April 24, 2022 |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Calder Cup | |
League changes
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during the previous season, the league had a temporary alignment consisting for five divisions. The league's Canada-based teams only played intradivisional games and could not cross the international border due to pandemic travel restrictions. The league expects to return to a normal schedule and with an updated alignment following team relocations, teams returning, and the lightening of pandemic restrictions.[1] The new alignment was announced on June 7, 2021, returning to the previous four divisions used in 2019–20 with the exception of the Abbotsford team and the Henderson Silver Knights joining the Pacific Division, increasing it to nine teams, while the Binghamton Devils and the former San Antonio Rampage were removed from the North and Central Divisions, respectively, decreasing each to seven teams.[2]
As part of the alignment, the league will continue to have an imbalanced schedule with each team either playing 76, 72, or 68 games during the regular season.[2] The Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for the regular season champion is still awarded based on points percentage. The leagues plans for this to be the last season with the imbalanced scheduling with the expectation that all teams will play a 72-game schedule in 2022–23.[2]
On October 11, 2021, the league announced it had added female officials, seven referees and three linespeople, to its officiating crew for the first time.[3][4]
Team and NHL affiliation changes
The league expects to return to 31 active teams with the Charlotte Checkers, Milwaukee Admirals, and Springfield Thunderbirds returning from a pandemic-related hiatus.[1]
- The Binghamton Devils' franchise is relocated to Utica, New York, as the Utica Comets.[5] The Comets adopted a color scheme of red, black, and white, to match the colors of the Devils.
- The Bridgeport Sound Tigers were rebranded as the Bridgeport Islanders by their parent club, the New York Islanders.[6]
- The franchise that was operating as the Utica Comets, and owned by the Vancouver Canucks, is relocated to Abbotsford, British Columbia, as the Abbotsford Canucks.[5]
Affiliation changes
Due to the three teams returning from their pandemic hiatus, the temporary secondary NHL affiliations from the previous season ended. However, the addition of a 32nd NHL team in Seattle added one dual affiliation.
| AHL team | New affiliate[lower-alpha 1] | Previous affiliate |
|---|---|---|
| Abbotsford Canucks[lower-alpha 2] | St. Louis Blues[lower-alpha 3] | |
| Charlotte Checkers[7] | Florida Panthers[lower-alpha 4] Seattle Kraken[lower-alpha 5] | Team was on hiatus |
| Chicago Wolves | Nashville Predators[lower-alpha 3] | |
| Milwaukee Admirals | Nashville Predators[lower-alpha 4] | Team was on hiatus |
| Springfield Thunderbirds | St. Louis Blues[lower-alpha 4] | Team was on hiatus |
| Syracuse Crunch | Florida Panthers[lower-alpha 3] |
- Or an affiliate returning as a primary affiliate after the AHL team returned from pandemic-related hiatus.
- Affiliation change from the franchise's time as the Utica Comets.
- Temporary secondary affiliate during pandemic affected season.
- Returned as the team's primary NHL affiliate after team hiatus.
- One season dual affiliation before the Kraken launch the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2022.
Coaching changes
| Off–season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2020–21 coach | 2021–22 coach | Notes |
| Abbotsford Canucks | — | Trent Cull | Cull had coached the Canucks' previous affiliate, the Utica Comets, since 2017 and led the team to a 122–93–17–9 record. He was brought over by the Canucks when the team was relocated.[8] |
| Hershey Bears | Spencer Carbery | Scott Allen | On July 17, 2021, Carbery was hired as an assistant coach by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carbery compiled an 87–50–9–8 record in three seasons as Bears head coach. Carbery also won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award in the 2020–21 AHL season as the league's best head coach, and led the Bears to a Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, with the best team record during the season. Allen was promoted to head coach from his previous role as assistant on August 5, 2021.[9] |
| Laval Rocket | Joël Bouchard | Jean-François Houle | Bouchard left the Rocket at the end of his contract, compiling a 83–67–24 record over three seasons,[10] to become the head coach of the San Diego Gulls.[11] The Rocket then hired Houle after he served six seasons working for the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach with the Bakersfield Condors.[12] |
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms | Scott Gordon | Ian Laperrière | The Philadelphia Flyers announced that Gordon and the Flyers' organization had mutually agreed to end their contract following the 2020–21 season. Gordon had led the Phantoms as head coach for six seasons and a 186–121–40 record (and one tie due to a suspended game in 2021) as well as a stint as interim head coach of the Flyers with a 25–22–4 record in 2018–19.[13] On June 5, 2021, Flyers' assistant coach Ian Laperriere was named the head coach of the Phantoms.[14] |
| Manitoba Moose | Pascal Vincent | Mark Morrison | Vincent stepped down from his position with the Moose to join the Columbus Blue Jackets coaching staff on June 24, 2021.[15] Vincent compiled a 155–139–31 record in 325 games as head coach with Manitoba. Morrison was hired on July 19 after serving as an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks since 2017. He had also previously worked for the Winnipeg Jets as an assistant cach for their AHL affiliates, the St. John's IceCaps and the Moose, from 2011 to 2017.[16] |
| Providence Bruins | Jay Leach | Ryan Mougenel | Leach was hired as an assistant coach with the Seattle Kraken on July 5, 2021.[17] Leach compiled a 136–77–26 record in 239 games as head coach of Providence. Ryan Mougenel was promoted from his assistant coaching position on August 13, 2021.[18] |
| San Diego Gulls | Kevin Dineen | Joël Bouchard | Dineen's contract was not renewed after two seasons, leading the Gulls to a 56–36–7–2 record, and was replaced by Bouchard.[19] |
| Stockton Heat | Cail MacLean | Mitch Love | The Calgary Flames promoted MacLean to assistant coach with the Flames after serving as the Heat's head coach for three seasons and a 72–65–16 record.[20] Love was named the next head coach on July 12, 2021, after most recently coaching the Saskatoon Blades.[21] |
| Tucson Roadrunners | Steve Potvin | Jay Varady | Prior to the postponed start of the previous season, Roadrunners' head coach Jay Varady was brought up to the Arizona Coyotes' staff as an assistant coach[22] and Roadrunners' assistant coach Steve Potvin was promoted as the head coach.[23] Varady returned to his position with the Roadrunners for the 2021–22 season.[24] |
| Utica Comets | Trent Cull | Kevin Dineen | Cull was retained by the Vancouver Canucks and brought over to their Abbotsford affiliate. Dineen was hired on August 5, 2021.[25] |
| In-season | |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach | Notes |
| Rockford IceHogs | Derek King | Anders Sorensen (interim) | King was promoted to Chicago following the firing of Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton.[26] |
Standings
y– indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot
x– indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
e– indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention
Standings as of December 11, 2021[27]
Eastern Conference
| Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 26 | .722 | 61 | 45 |
| Springfield Thunderbirds (STL) | 21 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 30 | .714 | 69 | 55 |
| Hershey Bears (WSH) | 18 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 21 | .583 | 51 | 60 |
| Providence Bruins (BOS) | 19 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 22 | .579 | 50 | 50 |
| Charlotte Checkers (FLA/SEA) | 23 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 24 | .522 | 72 | 70 |
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) | 19 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 19 | .500 | 41 | 59 |
| Bridgeport Islanders (NYI) | 23 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 19 | .413 | 60 | 73 |
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI) | 20 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 13 | .325 | 48 | 67 |
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utica Comets (NJ) | 20 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 36 | .900 | 72 | 38 |
| Rochester Americans (BUF) | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 26 | .684 | 78 | 64 |
| Toronto Marlies (TOR) | 19 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 22 | .579 | 61 | 66 |
| Cleveland Monsters (CBJ) | 23 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 25 | .543 | 70 | 73 |
| Laval Rocket (MTL) | 22 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 22 | .500 | 74 | 79 |
| Belleville Senators (OTT) | 21 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 20 | .476 | 61 | 61 |
| Syracuse Crunch (TB) | 20 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 17 | .425 | 57 | 70 |
Western Conference
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Wolves (CAR) | 22 | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 34 | .773 | 74 | 52 |
| Manitoba Moose (WPG) | 23 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 31 | .674 | 74 | 55 |
| Rockford IceHogs (CHI) | 21 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 22 | .524 | 55 | 71 |
| Iowa Wild (MIN) | 21 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 21 | .500 | 63 | 60 |
| Grand Rapids Griffins (DET) | 22 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 21 | .477 | 64 | 69 |
| Texas Stars (DAL) | 20 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 18 | .450 | 61 | 71 |
| Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) | 22 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .432 | 65 | 75 |
| Pacific Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton Heat (CGY) | 20 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 33 | .825 | 76 | 48 |
| Ontario Reign (LA) | 19 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 27 | .711 | 73 | 56 |
| Henderson Silver Knights (VGK) | 18 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .556 | 53 | 50 |
| Colorado Eagles (COL) | 21 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 23 | .548 | 67 | 62 |
| Tucson Roadrunners (ARI) | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .528 | 50 | 59 |
| Abbotsford Canucks (VAN) | 18 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 19 | .528 | 58 | 54 |
| San Diego Gulls (ANA) | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .500 | 53 | 57 |
| Bakersfield Condors (EDM) | 17 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 15 | .441 | 44 | 55 |
| San Jose Barracuda (SJ) | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .361 | 48 | 79 |
Statistical leaders
Leading skaters
The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of December 16, 2021.[28]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Poturalski | Chicago Wolves | 23 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 6 |
| C. J. Smith | Chicago Wolves | 24 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 6 |
| Jakob Pelletier | Stockton Heat | 21 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 6 |
| Jack Quinn | Rochester Americans | 17 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 10 |
| Martin Frk | Ontario Reign | 19 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 18 |
| Cole Schneider | Milwaukee Admirals | 21 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 2 |
| Stefan Noesen | Chicago Wolves | 23 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 37 |
| Glenn Gawdin | Stockton Heat | 19 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 18 |
| Sheldon Dries | Abbotsford Canucks | 19 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 2 |
| Michael Mersch | Rochester Americans | 21 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 8 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders with a minimum 420 minutes played lead the league in goals against average. Updated as of December 16, 2021.[29]
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akira Schmid | Utica Comets | 10 | 561:29 | 270 | 15 | 2 | 1.60 | .944 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| Alex Lyon | Chicago Wolves | 10 | 612:28 | 251 | 18 | 2 | 1.76 | .928 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Dustin Wolf | Stockton Heat | 14 | 853:13 | 440 | 26 | 0 | 1.83 | .941 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| Arvid Holm | Manitoba Moose | 7 | 424:24 | 153 | 15 | 1 | 2.12 | .902 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Andrew Hammond | Iowa Wild | 7 | 420:31 | 173 | 15 | 3 | 2.14 | .913 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
Calder Cup playoffs
Playoff format
Following two seasons of not awarding the Calder Cup due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Calder Cup playoffs format was completely revamped from the previous version format of the 2019 playoffs by expanding from 16 teams to 23 teams that qualify for the postseason. During the regular season, teams receive two points for a win and one point for an overtime or shootout loss with teams in each division ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available). At the conclusion of the regular, all but the bottom two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs: six in the Atlantic, five in the North, five in the Central, and seven in the Pacific.[30]
The 2022 playoffs continues to feature a divisional playoff format, leading to conference finals and ultimately the Calder Cup finals. The first round are best-of-three series, followed by division semifinals and finals as best-of-five series, and the conference finals and Calder Cup finals are best-of-seven. The top two teams in the Atlantic, top three teams in each of the North and Central, and the first-place team in the Pacific Division receive byes into the division semifinals.[30]
See also
- List of AHL seasons
- 2021 in ice hockey
- 2022 in ice hockey
References
- "American Hockey League Announces Plans for 2021 Playoffs, Sets Calendar for 2021-22". OurSports Central. April 29, 2021.
- "AHL Board of Governors Approves Plan for Schedule Unification". OurSports Central. June 7, 2021.
- "2021-22 AHL officiating staff includes 10 female officials". theahl.com. October 11, 2021.
- "American Hockey League to Have 10 Female Officials This Year". U.S. News & World Report. October 11, 2021.
- "AHL Board of Governors Approves Two Franchise Relocations for 2021-22". OurSports Central. May 6, 2021.
- "Sound Tigers rebrand as 'Bridgeport Islanders'". Connecticut Post. May 10, 2021.
- "CHECKERS ADD SEATTLE KRAKEN AS NHL AFFILIATE". Charlotte Checkers. June 28, 2021.
- "Coaching and Training Staff for Abbotsford Canucks Announced". Vancouver Canucks. July 16, 2021.
- "Scott Allen Named Head Coach of Hershey Bears, Steve Bergin Hired as Assistant Coach". OurSports Central. August 5, 2021.
- "Joël Bouchard quitte le Rocket de Laval". journaldemontreal.com (in French). July 9, 2021.
- "Anaheim Ducks Name Joel Bouchard San Diego Gulls Head Coach". OurSports Central. July 9, 2021.
- "Jean-François Houle Appointed Head Coach of the Laval Rocket". OurSports Central. July 20, 2021.
- "Phantoms/Flyers Organization Mutually Agree to Part Ways with Phantoms Head Coach Scott Gordon". OurSports Central. May 18, 2021.
- "Ian Laperriere Named Phantoms Head Coach". Lehigh Valley Phantoms. June 5, 2021.
- "CBJ name Pascal Vincent associate coach". NHL.com. June 25, 2021.
- "Mark Morrison Hired as Moose Head Coach". OurSports Central. July 19, 2021.
- "Bruins coaching corps takes another big hit as Jay Leach reportedly heads to Seattle". bostonsportsjournal.com. July 5, 2021.
- "Ryan Mougenel Named 13th Head Coach of the Providence Bruins". OurSports Central. August 13, 2021.
- "Gulls replace Kevin Dineen as coach with Joel Bouchard". The San Diego Union-Tribune. July 9, 2021.
- "Flames, Heat Announce Staff Changes". OurSports Central. June 10, 2021.
- "Flames Name Mitch Love as Stockton Heat Head Coach". Stockton Heat. July 12, 2021.
- "Coyotes Add Jay Varady to Coaching Staff for 2020-21 Season". OurSports Central. January 14, 2021.
- "Coyotes Name Steve Potvin as Roadrunners Head Coach". OurSports Central. January 22, 2021.
- "Coyotes Name Jay Varady as Tucson Roadrunners' Head Coach". OurSports Central. July 7, 2021.
- "Kevin Dineen Named New Head Coach of Utica Comets". OurSports Central. August 5, 2021.
- "IceHogs Head Coach Derek King Named Interim Head Coach Of Blackhawks". Rockford IceHogs. November 6, 2021.
- "AHL Standings". AHL. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
- "Player Stats TheAHL.com". AHL.
- "Top Goalies - 2021-22 Regular Season - Goals Against Average". AHL.
- "Format Approved for AHL's 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs". OurSports Central. August 5, 2021.