Atlantic Division Notebook, October 2018
It’s been a long wait, but hockey’s finally back and that means it’s time for a monthly trip around the Atlantic Division.
The teams are the same as last year, but a look at the standings and the rosters for those teams tells a very different story than 2017-2018. A quick look at the standings shows that this division might just be the most entertaining as 3rd and 7th place are separated by a mere two points.
Inside AHL Hockey breaks down each team’s performance, the players who turned in terrific performances this month, and the game to watch next month.
Charlotte Checkers (8-1-0-0, 16 points)
It should come as no surprise to anyone in the AHL, especially those teams in the Atlantic Division, that the Checkers are seated atop the standings this early. What could be surprising is that lone loss was a 2-0 shutout that came at home to the young Hershey Bears. Charlotte started off the month on the road in the North Division with a pair of games in Rochester, which they won rather easily, 6-2 and 4-2. The following weekend in Utica, the Comets jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Checkers were able to tie the game before the first period ended and got a late tally from Dennis Robertson to emerge victorious, 4-3. They handled the Crunch in Syracuse the following night before heading home to host the Bears. Charlotte needed the shootout to earn the victory Friday night, but the Bears were able to hand the Checkers their first loss of the season the following night. Charlotte righted the ship with victories in Utica (3-1), Binghamton (4-3, OT), and Syracuse (6-3) to finish out the month.
Andrew Poturalski (2G, 9A) and Janne Kuokkanen (5G, 5A) are leading the offensive charge for the Checkers who boast 21 guys with a point including goalie Alex Nedeljkovic who has an assist after just nine games. Folks, the Checkers are loaded with talent and everyone in the AHL more than likely knows it. Expect to see guys bolstering the Carolina Panthers when needed this season, but don’t expect the Checkers to miss a beat.
In net, Alex Nedeljkovic should shoulder the load. He’s 6-1-0 already with a GAA of 2.26 after just seven games. Rookie Callum Booth has won the only game in which he appeared so far this season.
Springfield Thunderbirds (6-0-0-2, 14 points)
October’s Turn Around Award goes to the Springfield Thunderbirds, hands down. While 2017-2018 was a pretty disappointing season for the Thunderbirds, they did go into the offseason on an up-tick and made some key roster additions in this summer as well.
They got off to a rocky start in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton where they fell 3-2 in the shootout to the Penguins, but they took out their frustrations on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Allentown the following Friday with a 7-0 victory. The Phantoms returned the favor the following night with a 5-4, handing the Thunderbirds their second shootout loss. Springfield went on to sweep the remainder of their October schedule with victories over the Bruins (6-3 and 4-2), Laval (5-3 and 4-2), and Hartford (6-2).
Harry Zolnierczyk (4G, 8A), rookie Henrik Borgstrom (4G, 7A) and Anthony Greco (4G, 6A) are leading the charge for the Thunderbirds offensively. Like Charlotte, the Thunderbirds have 20 players in the scoring column already this year including netminder Samuel Montembeault who has an assist.
Unlike Charlotte, the Thunderbirds are utilizing two goaltenders. Montembeault is 4-0-0 with a GAA of 2.00 while Chris Driedger is 2-0-1 with a GAA of 2.60. Michael Hutchinson was in net for the shootout loss to the Penguins, but was recalled on October 7 by the Florida Panthers.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (5-2-0-1, 11 points)
The Penguins started off the month with a shootout victory, 3-2 over the Springfield Thunderbirds, on home ice and ended the month with a shootout loss on the road. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton then earned a pair of road victories in Cleveland (3-0 and 4-1) before suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of the Hershey Bears. They rounded out the month with home-and-home splits with the Phantoms and Bears.
Unlike the division’s front-runners, the Penguins do not have a single scorer in double digits yet this season, but they do have 21 skaters with at least a point over the eight games they’ve played. Garrett Wilson (3G, 4A) is leading the scoring charge. The Penguins also have a trio of talented rookies in Sam Miletic (3G, 3A), Anthony Angello (3G, 2A), and Sam Lafferty (1G, 4A) who can get it done on the offensive end as well. With their blueliners getting in on the action with assists and goals (Prow has three goals already), it’s easy to project that the Penguins will remain in the playoff hunt yet again this season.
In net, the Penguins have a terrific tandem in Anthony Peters (3-1-0, 2.22 GAA) and Tristan Jarry (2-1-1, 2.72 GAA). Their minutes are nearly identical so far, but time will tell if Clark Donatelli is going to continue to split their time or if one netminder is able to distance himself from the other and earn more time.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms (5-3-0-1, 11 points)
After an opening-night 6-3 victory over the visiting Sound Tigers, the Phantoms ran headlong into a much improved Springfield Thunderbirds team in a 7-0 loss in Allentown. The following night, on the road in Springfield, the Phantoms earned a hard-fought 5-4 victory in the shootout after David Kase and Greg Carey tallied goals in the final three minutes of the third period to tie the game. The following weekend, the Phantoms split with the Penguins before falling in a shootout with Bridgeport. They rounded out the month with a 7-3 victory over Hartford, a 5-2 victory over Binghamton, and a 3-1 loss to the Bears in their only game of the month that didn’t have seven or more goals scored.
It should come as no surprise that Phil Varone (3G, 11A), T.J. Brennan (4G, 8A), and Greg Carey (5G, 6A) are leading the scoring charge. Perhaps the most impressive stat line on the team belongs to Philippe Myers though; the defenseman boasts a team-best +10.
The Phantoms have utilized four goaltenders in nine games. Rookie Carter Hart is 2-2-1 with a GAA of 3.77. Alex Lyon (1-1-0. 3.07 GAA) and Anthony Stolarz (1-0-0, 4.34 GAA) each appeared in two games while Michal Neuvirth (1-0-0, 3.00 GAA) earned the victory over Hartford. Look for Scott Gordon and the coaching staff to work on lowering the number of goals allowed by the opposition.
Bridgeport Sound Tigers (4-4-1-0, 9 points)
After suffering a 6-3 loss opening night in Allentown, the Sound Tigers responded with a 2-1 victory in Hershey, but dropped a pair of games to Rochester 4-3 and 3-2 at home the following weekend. The up and down start to the season continued through the month with a home-and-home split with Providence, a loss to Lehigh Valley in the shootout, a victory over Hartford and a loss to the Bruins.
A quick look at Bridgeport’s team scoring shows some rather stunning stats. Four of the top six scorers are defensemen. Additionally, no player has double-digit points in their nine games so far. Former Hershey scoring machine, Chris Bourque, has just one goal and two assists in eight appearances. For Bridgeport to be successful, Bourque and some of his fellow forwards like Josh Ho-Sang and Travis St. Denis need to light the lamp consistently.
Christopher Gibson is 3-3-0 but his GAA is 4.21 while Jeremy Smith is 1-1-1 and a 3.11 GAA. Those numbers need to come down in order for Bridgeport to climb towards a playoff position in the hotly-contested Atlantic Division.
Hartford Wolf Pack (4-6-1-0, 9 points)
Hartford got off to a hot start with a 4-2 victory to open their 2018-2019 season and a 3-1 victory over Laval, but back-to-back to losses to Binghamton and Providence (4-3 OT) dropped the Pack in the standings. They have been unable to put together consecutive wins again since opening night, something they will have to do if they want to be one of the four teams to qualify for playoffs come April.
It should be little surprise that Steven Fogarty (5G, 4A) and Lias Andersson (3G, 6A) are leading the scoring on the team, but with a third center, Peter Holland (1G, 7A) also near the top, it’s clear that Hartford is getting scoring from multiple lines. The problem seems to come in the defensive zone as only eight skaters do not have a negative +/- rating.
Any help keeping the puck from the net would be greatly appreciated by Marek Mazanec (2-4-0, 3.78 GAA) and Dustin Tokarski (1-1-1, 4.25 GAA). Alexandar Georgiev also appeared in two games. His record was 1-1-0 with a GAA of 3.02. The trio saw 325 shots on goal this month in just 11 games.
Hershey Bears (4-6-0-1, 9 points)
A very young group of forwards for the Hershey Bears is growing up in a hurry. After dropping five straight to start the season, Hershey finally got in the win column in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, earned a point in a shootout loss, and then handed the Checkers their first loss of the season in the third week of October. After dropping a 4-1 decision in Wilkes-Barre on October 26, the Bears earned a 4-3 shootout victory over the Penguins and a 3-1 victory over the Phantoms at Giant Center to round out the month on a high note.
Without a number of key scorers from last season, the Bears are relying on Liam O’Brien (6G, 1A), Mike Sgarbossa (4G, 2A), and Riley Barber (2G, 3A) to show the rookie forwards how to get the job done offensively. Additionally, a more experienced blue line is contributing as well as second-year guys Connor Hobbs (1G, 5A) and Lucas Johansen (1G, 4A) chipping in.
But perhaps the biggest story in Hershey right now is the emergence of Vitek Vanecek. Called upon before he was ready to be #1 in the past, the arrival of Ilya Samsonov (1-3-0, 3.70 GAA) threatened to derail his chances at that spot this year. But an injury to Samsonov opened the door and the Czech has taken full advantage. He’s 3-3-1 with a GAA of 2.71, but that number is dropping. The shutout in Charlotte is partially responsible for earning him CCM/AHL Player of the Week honors. Not bad for a guy who was expected to split time with Washington’s highest drafted goalie since Olaf Kolzig.
Providence Bruins (3-5-1-0, 7 points)
It’s been one of the toughest starts for Providence in quite some time, but if there’s anything that is a given in Providence, it’s that the Bruins won’t stay mired in last place for long. In fact, the P-Bruins haven’t missed the playoffs since 2011-2012 and have quite some time to right the ship. The Bruins tallied a pair of regulation victories over Bridgeport this month and earned an overtime victory over Hartford. Their lone OT loss came to the Sound Tigers in Bridgeport.
Scoring has been a bit of a challenge for Providence, especially now that Colby Cave (5G, 5A), the lone player in double digits, has been recalled to Boston. Rookie Cameron Hughes is making his presence known with four goals and four assists. Providence really needs to get players like Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (1G, 3A) and Austin Fyten (1G, 3A) contributing if they’re going to move up in the standings.
Zane McIntyre (2-3-0, 4.05 GAA) is splitting time with rookie Dan Vladar (1-2-1, 2.54 GAA). Both netminders would love to see a bit more defense and fewer shots. They’ve faced a combined 232 shots in nine games and the Providence net has been empty in five of those nine.
October MVPs
Forward - Lehigh Valley’s Phil Varone is October’s winner. Perhaps the only thing that will stop Varone from contributing 1.56 points per game is a recall to Philadelphia. In nine games so far this season, Varone has three goals and 11 assists on 27 shots. His +5 rating might be middle-of-the-pack, but with a pair of power play goals already, teams need to know where he is on the ice at all times. His offensive numbers will also open things up not only for his linemates but also for guys on Lehigh Valley’s other three lines.
Defense - October’s MVP on the blueline could have been any one of a handful of players, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Ethan Prow gets the nod. In eight games played, he’s tallied three goals. But his most impressive stat is the +9 rating through eight games; just about any coach would want a guy like that on his team. Additionally, he has four penalty minutes, which also points to a guy who is limiting his miscues. The Penguins might like to see more than .38 points per game, but at this point, Clark Donatelli has to be thrilled with Prow’s overall performance.
Goaltender - Hershey’s Vitek Vanecek is October’s Atlantic Division Goaltender MVP. Vanecek earned his first shutout, a 25-save performance in Charlotte against the division-leading Checkers. Vanecek has gone 3-3-1 in net for a revamped Hershey team that is just now starting to gel. He’s faced 207 shots and allowed 17 goals, but that shutout performance has really jump-started his season and has perhaps given him a leg-up over Ilya Samsonov. Look for Vanecek to continue to improve upon his 2.41 GAA as the Bears defenders limit the number of Grade-A chances the opponents take.
Honorable Mention
Forward - Harry Zolnierczyk has turned in an impressive month for Springfield. In eight games, he’s tallied four goals and eight assists on just 14 shots. He also has a short-handed goal to his credit. If those numbers aren’t enough, Zolnierczyk is +9. He’s accumulated six penalty minutes so far this season.
Defenceman - TJ Brennan turned in a very impressive month as well. He’s scored at least a point in seven of Lehigh Valley’s nine games, recording four goals and eight assists. He had three assists in one game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and has powerplay goals against Springfield, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Binghamton. Seven of his 23 shots came against the Hershey Bears, one of the two games he was held without a point.
Goaltender - Samuel Montembeault has had a terrific October going 4-0-0 for the Springfield Thunderbirds. He’s racked up 121 saves on 129 shots for a .938 save percentage. He recorded a shutout against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as well. The only question surrounding Montembeault is if he will be able to earn the #1 nod or if he will continue to split time. If his numbers continue to stay as impressive as this month’s it would be a hard sell not to start him.
Circle the Date
In this case, it should read Circle the Dates. Friday, November 16 and 17, current Atlantic Division-leading Charlotte heads to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a pair of contests with the Penguins. A pair of wins by Charlotte would help solidify their claim to the top spot in the division. A pair of wins by the Penguins would help bring Charlotte back to the field and perhaps propel the Penguins into the top spot.
