AHL Weekend Preview: What To Watch Across The League

The American Hockey League’s opening weeks are beginning to offer a strong look at teams who are finding their identity and what teams are adjusting. Another busy weekend is ahead, clubs are looking to build momentum, early adversity, and evaluate prospects.

The weekend of October 16th-18th has divisional matchups for teams establishing consistency, it will be a weekend worth watching.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Look to Build Momentum Against Cleveland

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head off to Cleveland for a two-game series against the Monsters on Friday and Saturday. This gives both teams an early opportunity to find footing in their respective divisional races.

The focus for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be stringing a strong performance in 60 minutes. These early-season games are valuable for a roster that has NHL prospects that are working to adjust to the professional game. This matchup offers Pittsburgh a first-hand look at how prospects are handling the demands of AHL. The consistency away from home, defensive detail, and special-teams execution will be important factors for the Penguins to build their game.

Games to watch: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at Cleveland, Friday, Oct. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 17.

Providence and Hershey Renew Their Competition

Providence Bruins and Hershey Bears meet for a two-game series this Saturday and Sunday, creating an interdivisional opponents to matchup against each other.

The experience and organizational depth make the Bears an important team to monitor throughout the early part of the season. Providence will have the opportunity to establish a rhythm while testing its lineup against a familiar face.

Back-to-back games on the docket often reveal more in teams than just a single match-up. This gives coaches time to make adjustments, goaltending decisions, and the ability to respond after a difficult period or game the night before. Both clubs have this weekend to represent the chance to collect valuable points while gaining consistency in a long season.

Games to watch: Providence at Hershey, Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18.

Hartford and Charlotte Open a Two-Game Set

Hartford Wolf Pack are on the road to Charlotte on Friday and Saturday. This series provides the measuring stick for two teams looking to find their footing and gain points in the Atlantic Division.

For the Wolf Pack, the challenge is maintaining structure against a Charlotte team playing on home ice. Charlotte looks to use the home opening weekend to build confidence in front of their fans. Two games in two nights, the team that manages the small details is the one that has the advantage. Learning to limit turnovers, winning board battles, and going to net are important with limited time to make those adjustments.

Games to watch: Hartford at Charlotte, Friday, Oct. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 17.

Other Matchups to Follow

Several additional series give fans plenty to watch across the league:

A full weekend schedule with games across the league, travel, lineup decisions, and the challenge of building consistency.

What to Watch This Weekend

Beyond the scoresheet, this weekend can offer storyline worth following:

Goaltending and defensive structure: Having success in the early part of the season depends on limiting the high-danger chances and avoiding costly mistakes that can be the difference in close games.

Series adjustments: Back-to-back games give the coaching staff very little time to identify weaknesses and can respond quickly. A second game can tell the story of a team that is able to adapt quickly.  

Building consistency: It’s still very early in the season with 72-game season and the habits that are established now can help shape a team’s identity for the road ahead.

The weekend slate provides an early look at goals, depth and prospects looking to take that next step.