October and November are when AHL teams begin to reveal what they may have.

But it can be a messy affair. AHL rosters undergo considerable change each summer, it’s a league brimming with youth and all of its inexperience, and there is coaching turnover. This is not the NHL, where teams often bring back much of the same group, particularly core pieces, from one season to the next. Getting a system in place at the AHL level takes time. So, possessing sheer talent can mean running up a bunch of wins while opponents are still working on getting themselves in order.

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Even so, the AHL standings don’t make any allowances for losses and slumps in the season’s opening two months. Fall too far behind early, and it can mean months of trying to fight for traction and getting into playoff contention. 

With the AHL season’s first quarter complete or close to arriving, it’s time to check in on where teams stand as December nears. FloHockey will start with the Eastern Conference before examining the Western Conference next time.

Belleville Senators (7-3-0-4)

Given the B-Sens injury problems in net and an ample diet of games against both Laval and Toronto, the first quarter has to be considered a solid effort. Bringing in veteran Malcolm Subban to steady the goaltending picture was a solid move, especially given that he is on an AHL contract. They play hard and they know how to pull out tight games, having gone 5-0-0-4 in one-goal contests.

Bridgeport Islanders (5-10-1-0)

Tight games have hurt the Islanders and have contributed to a record that is far less than what it could be. Bridgeport is 0-4-1-2 in one-goal games. They also have struggled late in games, going 1-3-0-0 when tied after two periods. With back-to-back road wins against Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton earlier this month, this is a team that has shown that it can be dangerous despite sitting last in the Atlantic Division.

Charlotte Checkers (8-4-1-2)

Early on it look like the Checkers had everything needed to put forth a full-fledged fight for the Eastern Conference top spot. They probably still do even though they’ve just finished a 1-2-1-1 road trip. Long road trips are a reality for the Checkers, however, and something that they will have to manage this season. The power play continues to sizzle (a league-best 35.8 percent) and power the league’s top offense (3.93 goals per game). Aside from a quick trip to Pennsylvania in mid-December, the Checkers are home for the better part of the next month. With a league-leading five shorthanded goals, the Checkers face Iowa this weekend, a team that has allowed nine shorthanded tallies in 16 games.

Cleveland Checkers (12-4-0-1)

Rookie defenseman Denton Mateychuk is going to make it difficult for the Columbus Blue Jackets to keep him in the AHL for much longer. He may be the league’s top blueliner already. After a summer of roster departures, it would have been reasonable to expect the Monsters to need time to figure themselves out. Instead Cleveland has gelled quickly and brings an eight-game winning streak into this week. After going unsigned all summer and to the first day of the regular season, elite sniper Rocco Grimaldi is back shredding opponents.

Hartford Wolf Pack (8-7-1-1)

With a reasonably experienced back end and goaltending, the Wolf Pack should be tighter defensively. Special-teams play is another issue with the penalty kill at 29th in the AHL and the power play stuck at 31st. There’s enough talent at all positions to think that those issues can and will eventually be ironed out. Hartford has been through three head coaches in the past year between Kris Knoblauch, Steve Smith, and now Grant Potulny. Locking down a team’s identity takes time in this league.

Hershey Bears (13-4-2-0)

It seems difficult to pick apart a team pursuing a Calder Cup three-peat that again holds first place overall in the AHL. 

That said, the Bears have shown a concerning tendency to not buckle down defensively, something very unlike the club that won those two championships. They took a thumping at home to Bridgeport on Nov. 15, something that left head coach Todd Nelson openly unhappy. Supplied with ample talent and scoring, the Bears have been able to push through these dips and pull out wins that other teams might not be able to do. That’s one thing in October and November. It will become much more difficult to do so as opponents tighten up their own games.

Laval Rocket (13-3-1-0)

Young, filled with prospects, and building success from the net on out, the Rocket have been an exceptional story far. Pascal Vincent, who was the AHL’s coach of the year in 2017-18 with the Manitoba Moose, may be making himself a candidate to take that honor again in his first year behind the bench. Jakub Dobeš and Connor Hughes each rank in the league’s statistical top-10. A good measuring stick is ahead this week with contests at Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but there is everything to like about what the Rocket have shown so far.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms (6-6-3-1)

The Phantoms have feasted on the power play, going 25.5 percent and ranking second in the league. Offense without the man-advantage has been a challenge. Having Anthony Richard back from the Philadelphia Flyers is a significant help. The goaltending and its collective .884 save percentage will need to be better for the Phantoms to compete with the likes of Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Providence Bruins (8-6-3-0)

Slow starts are hardly new for the P-Bruins. Last year’s edition had a 6-8-1-2 record before rolling off seven consecutive wins and going 36-13-5-1 the rest of the regular season. Brandon Bussi struggled early before a good bounce-back last weekend against Lehigh Valley. He’s proven enough to expect that his game will round back into form. In the meantime, Michael DiPietro has been exceptional. Head coach Ryan Mougenel will continue to push a group with experience, and it would not be surprising at all to see Providence go on a run.

Rochester Americans (8-6-3-0)

Some nights it looks like the Amerks get their mission. Other nights, like this past Saturday’s 5-1 home loss to Utica, are reminders that work remains to be done. That could describe many teams in this league, though. They are outshooting opponents by an average of 8.06 shots per game, something that should be encouraging. Between that and goaltender Devon Levi’s assignment by the Buffalo Sabres, the Amerks have enough in place to be encouraged about their chances as the season moves into December. While it was nice to have Jiri Kulich briefly, this might be a club that relies more on scoring by committee.

Springfield Thunderbirds (8-8-1-0)

After a 3-7-0-0 start, a 4-0-1-0 has gotten the Thunderbirds’ season on track. Dalibor Dvorsky has looked the part of a 10th overall pick. Colten Ellis has given Springfield a chance in net while the rest of the team tries to round into form. The penalty kill has to be a lot better than 30th. Similar to Rochester, there is sufficient evidence with the Thunderbirds to think that they will continue to progress.

Syracuse Crunch (7-6-1-2)

Up and down. Some nights it’s there for the Crunch. Other nights are a struggle, and it adds up to being in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack. There is enough standings cushion to allow the Crunch time to resolve some issues like a sluggish offense. Brandon Halverson has been stout in net as he continues to be one of the best comeback stories in hockey. Someone like Jesse Ylonen, who has one goal in 16 games, is bound to break out. Getting captain Gabriel Dumont back from injury should be another jumpstart for the Crunch.

Toronto Marlies (10-1-2-3)

The Marlies play a stingy game, and that can take a team far in this league. Their 2.38 goals-against per game is third in the AHL, and their special-teams play has been excellent. That three of the team’s top four scorers are with the parent Toronto Maple Leafs (Nikita Grebenkin, Alex Nylander, and Alex Steeves) is a test, but this is a roster with strong depth. With just 21 games of KHL experience before this season, goaltender Artur Akhtyamov has been outstanding.

Utica Comets (2-10-1-2)

At least the Comets stopped the bleeding last weekend. In fact, they went into Syracuse and Rochester on consecutive nights

Much like Bridgeport, this is a team that should be much better than what its record reflects, and poor play cost head coach Kevin Dineen his job just three-and-a-half weeks into the season. Now having shed the burden of going their first 13 games without a win, where can the Comets go from there? Already 10 points out of a playoff spot, the Comets will have their work cut out for them if they are to make something of their season.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (9-4-1-0)

Despite having gone through five goaltenders in 14 games, the Penguins have largely gotten the job done. And that has been with injures to the likes of Jimmy Huntington and Dan Renouf among others. It will be worth watching whether the parent Pittsburgh Penguins’ ongoing issues eventually impact Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, be it in the form of recalls or players added or lost via trades. Fortunes can swing quickly in the AHL, depending on the parent club’s direction.

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