The Thunderbirds upset the Bruins but was it the greatest upset in AHL history? Plus, a look at how some teams create an infrastructure, allowing prospects from Finland, Sweden, Russia, and other European countries to learn the North American game.
Three of the four division winners were eliminated this week in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The Providence Bruins, Laval Rocket, and Ontario Reign were expected to make deep playoff runs. None of them won a playoff series.
All three teams were upset in the playoffs but the biggest upset without question was the Bruins' loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Bruins finished the season with 38 more points than the Thunderbirds, who had the sixth-best record in the Atlantic Division. Yet, the team with the best record in the American Hockey League was sent home packing early.
How Big is The Thunderbirds’ Upset Over The Bruins?
According to AHL Communications, this was the greatest upset in the AHL’s 90-year history, at least based on standings. The 38-point gap between the Bruins and the Thunderbirds was the largest in league history, edging out the 37-point gap between the Binghamton Rangers (124 points) and Rochester Americans (87) in 1992-93.
It’s important to keep the league’s history in mind when thinking of upsets. While the gap is big points-wise, the talent gap isn’t. Back in the early days of the AHL, it was. The good teams in the league were dominant and often had NHL-caliber talent, while the terrible teams would barely qualify for AHL talent. In the Original Six era of the NHL, there were limited roster spots in the best league in the world, so some AHL teams would spend big to land those elite players, often veterans who wanted to keep playing hockey at a high level.
In short, the talent and wealth gap was bigger back in the early days. It’s why some teams won the Calder Cup all the time, and on the flip side, other teams would fold, even in the middle of seasons.
It’s also worth adding that the talent pool is spread out among 32 AHL teams compared to six, 12, or 20 in previous eras. The Bruins were a great team this season but not dominant like teams of the past.
This shouldn’t diminish the Thunderbirds’ series victory. They were the underdogs and overlooked by many when they shouldn’t have been, considering how they played down the stretch. Their upset was impressive yet speaks to how far they’ve come and how the gap even between the top teams and the teams that barely sneak in is minimal.
The upset, however, is the most impressive in the modern era. The AHL has had stability in the past 20 years, and since 2021, there have been 32 teams and a 72-game schedule. A series upset in this era isn’t unthinkable but it’s impressive, and the Thunderbirds deserve credit where credit is due. They head into the Atlantic Division Final to face the second-best team in the division, yet nobody will overlook them this time.
The Value of Vets, Specifically, European Vets Who Help Prospects Learn The AHL
During the intermission of one of the Calder Cup Playoffs games this week, a scout was talking about the value of veterans in the AHL. It’s a common talking point in the league that veterans are pivotal for the prospects' development.
Upping the ante on veterans, it’s important to have at least one or two native to a specific country to create a pipeline for other prospects from that country. The Washington Capitals are well-known in this regard, with Alexander Ovechkin paving a path for other Russian players like Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, and Semyon Varlamov. Even recently, their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears have developed Belarusian forwards Aleksei Protas and his younger brother, Ilya Protas, plus Russians Bogdan Trineyev and Ivan Miroshnichenko.
The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins created this pipeline as well. With Alex Alexeyev and Sergei Murashov on the roster, they can bring in a top prospect like Mikhail Ilyin and allow him to kick off the ground running. “He would not be where he is now without them,” Penguins head coach Kirk MacDonald noted in a conversation with The Hockey News. Alexayev and Murashov speak fluent English and Russian, so they can translate and help Ilyin, who is new to the team and North America, adjust. And it’s paid off for the team as the prospect winger has three points in four playoff games.
It’s easy to see how this pipeline helps players transition to North America. Beyond the language barrier, players have to learn about life in the AHL and the cities and towns that make the league what it is. Jack Berglund once noted how odd it is that the streets in Allentown are all straight while they are curvy in Sweden, a difference that isn’t big for most people but something small that goes a long way for a young player adjusting to a new country.
The Penguins are making the most of this veteran presence, and they aren’t the only team. It’s an added layer to team building and something that the good teams pick up on. Sure, a veteran who isn’t playing well might not have a great value to the team on the ice but off of it, they can be vital to their success. When talking about the players who have helped Ilyin, MacDonald jokingly added that Alexeyev knows a lot about the power play, even though he doesn’t contribute to it because he’s in the meetings helping Ilyin understand them.
Quick Hits
With the Bruins losing their playoff series, the road to the Calder Cup Playoffs goes through the Grand Rapids Griffins. They had the best record in the Central Division and were the only division winner to reach the round of eight. That said, they’ll have their hands full with the Chicago Wolves, who had the second-best record in the division and impressed in their series against the Texas Stars.
Speaking of the Wolves, they are one of two teams left in the Calder Cup Playoffs who have an NHL affiliate still playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Carolina Hurricanes). The other is the Colorado Avalanche and their AHL affiliate, the Eagles. The last time an NHL team and its AHL affiliate won both titles was 1995 with the New Jersey Devils and the Albany River Rats. It may happen again, but unlikely.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds upset the Ontario Reign, with Game Five going into double overtime. J.R. Avon scored the goal that ended the game and the series but what went unnoticed was the setup by Seattle Kraken prospect defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, who sent the puck out of the defensive zone to allow Avon to score the breakaway goal. The playoffs have been a coming-out party for the Kraken prospects in general, with rookie forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard scoring six goals and adding four assists in eight games.
The Islanders moved Rocky Thompson from the AHL team to the NHL bench. One question the Islanders had when they hired Pete DeBoer was what the rest of the coaching staff would look like. Considering DeBoer and Thompson worked together in San Jose, this move makes a lot of sense. The question is who they hire to lead their AHL team since they have a roster on the rise and need a coach to take them to the next level.
Speaking of head coach openings, the question is when the NHL head coaching carousel starts, and which AHL coaches will make the jump? Steve Ott raised his coaching stock with the job he’s done in Springfield, and John Gruden has done a great job with the Marlies. However, there’s a good chance both will still be coaching their AHL teams as teams begin the hiring process. So, maybe an NHL team hires Ryan Mougenel, who led the Bruins to the league’s best record and has a good resume.