“During the early parts of the season when you aren’t used to it, it doesn’t have the meaning that it has right now, so our desperation is super high,” - John Snowden
This is the homestretch of the American Hockey League (AHL) season. Teams are making their playoff pushes and preparing themselves for the sprint that is the Calder Cup Playoffs. It’s this time of the year when the schedule is condensed and intense, which leads to some action-packed weeks.
How Teams Are Navigating the 3-in-3s?
Back in the day, the three-in-threes, which are when a team plays three games in three days, were a common occurrence. Taking it up a notch, other crazy scheduling was normal for the AHL, whether it was four games in five days or six in eight.
The AHL relies on ticket sales more than the NHL, which has other streams of revenue. It’s why games on the weekend are pivotal and why teams want to play on Friday and Saturday night, followed by a Sunday afternoon game to wrap it up.
However, the schedule, or the intensity, isn’t the same. Since the AHL is hyperfocued on the prospects and their development, the teams have shifted their interest away from the three-in-threes until the end of the season. Teams want to evaluate their prospects, and it’s hard to do so when they are running on fumes for a Sunday afternoon against another team that’s in the same boat.
So, why are the three-in-threes picking up at this time of the year? Ticket sales are a big part of it. In many AHL markets, this is the rare time in the sport calendar when there’s no high school, college, or pro football, and baseball (plus the warm weather) is still at least a month away. So, now is the time to get the games in.
And for these teams, it’s a mad dash to the end of the regular season. “During the early parts of the season when you aren’t used to it, it doesn’t have the meaning that it has right now, so our desperation is super high,” Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach John Snowden mentioned in a conversation with The Hockey News. His team is looking to secure a playoff spot and took two of their three games over the weekend to improve their positioning.
It’s a tall task to prepare for the three-in-threes. The NHL might have back-to-backs but these are much more intense, and coaches must prepare for them differently. “I felt good, I liked the way we practiced, I thought we were rested, I didn’t overdo it on them,” Hershey Bears head coach Derek King noted. Most teams have intense practices or morning skates before games but this time of the year, that gets tweaked for the weekend slates.
Then there’s how the teams look on the ice. Usually, the final game of a three-in-three is a sloppy game where both teams look noticeably tired. It’s why some of the best coaches change up their systems or their style of play to win these games. “Part of our game when we get into back-to-backs and three-in-threes is simplifying what we do,” Snowden added.
This is the point in the season when teams are tired, and it’s where the top prospects can stand out. NHL teams can see the players still powering through the grind, especially the three-in-threes, and know which ones will make it at the next level.
Positional Changes
The Hartford Wolf Pack lost Justin Dowling to injury and has had a void at center since. They moved Trey Fix-Wolansky to center to fill the void, a position he hadn’t played since his junior hockey days. Fix-Wolansky has been in the AHL for six years and is a veteran at this point. His former head coach with the Cleveland Monthers, Trent Vogelhuber, noted he’s never thought of doing that but wasn’t surprised either.
“I’ll be honest, in my six years that never crossed my mind,” Vogelhuber stated. Fix-Wolansky has the skill to play the position. That said, Vogelhuber never tried it out, adding, “He’s actually decent on faceoffs but I had him for six years and never dressed him as a center but good for him at his age to carve out a new role for himself.”
The move worked out for the Wolf Pack for a few games. The last-place team in the Atlantic Division won five of seven games and entered the weekend only four points out of a playoff spot. Fix-Wolansky was a reason behind the resurgence as he scored seven goals and added six assists in the seven games, proving why he’s a player nobody wants to go up against.
The move worked for a few games. The last-place team won five of seven games heading into the new week, and Fix-Wolansky scored seven goals while adding six assists in that run. Vogelhuber noted that he’s one of those players that nobody wants to face. “He’s got the ability to step, and he likes to in big moments,” the Cleveland head coach added.
Many players find themselves in one role for their entire careers. That said, they have the skills to change positions and carve out new roles if given the chance. The AHL is a league where players often pivot to survive and keep their careers going, from playing different positions to adding more skills to their repertoire.
Other AHL Notes: Trade Deadline, Providence & More
While the NHL trade deadline was the first Friday of March, the AHL trade deadline was this Friday. There are always a few sneaky moves that happen, which secretly set up a team for a Calder Cup run.
The Laval Rocket, for example, added Hunter Shepard in a deal with the Belleville Senators. The veteran goaltender won two Calder Cup titles with the Bears, and in the clutch moments, he delivered. Shepard joins a goaltending unit that already has Kaapo Kähkönen, who, ironically, was acquired at last season's trade deadline by the Charlotte Checkers and beat the Rocket in the Eastern Conference Final. This move sends a clear message that this team, which boasts the best record in the North Division, wants to make a run at the Calder Cup.
Speaking of the best records in the league, the Providence Bruins now have the best record in the AHL. With their 7-0 statement win on Saturday and the Grand Rapids Griffins loss, they moved ahead of the team that held that spot all season.
It’s fascinating to see the Bruins become this type of team from the start of the season and their template for team building, which has allowed their prospects to take steps forward and develop well. “When you have guys like Brown and Sweezy in the room, it just makes our job easier,” Ryan Mougenel noted on the veteran presence in the room that’s helped get the message across to the prospects. “It’s the standard and the foundation that we’ve created. It’s through work and repetition. They see that it works,” he added.
Cole Hutson signed his entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Expect more of this in the coming weeks as the college season winds down and prospects can join their NHL teams. Hutson will likely join the Capitals for a playoff push but there’s always a chance he joins the Hershey Bears for a Calder Cup run. The other big names to keep in mind with this in mind are James Hagens in the Boston Bruins system and Porter Martone in the Philadelphia Flyers system. So, that’s another layer to everything that's worth keeping in mind at this time of the season.