And after doing the first-to-worst teams, it’s time to look at the other end of things. Which teams can go from finishing in last place last season and win their divisions?
The change in the American Hockey League allows teams to go from worst to first from one season to the next. It happened a few years back with the Laval Rocket finishing 2023-24 with the worst record in the North Division and then having the best record the next season under Pascal Vincent.
The four last-place teams from 2025-26 were the Belleville Senators, Calgary Wranglers, Hartford Wolf Pack, and Rockford IceHogs. All four of those teams made significant upgrades this offseason, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they went from worst to first.
4. Rockford IceHogs
The only way the Rockford IceHogs go from worst to first is if they keep the prospects in the AHL and allow them to develop instead of rushing them into the NHL. It’s what they should do with Anton Frondell, Roman Kantserov, and Artyom Levshunov. They won’t.
The Blackhawks are entering this season with a sense of urgency, a pressure to make the playoffs after years of rebuilding. It’s why they acquired Bowen Byram for the fourth overall pick. It explains the Patrick Kane signing, which is sentimental but also an indication that the Hawks are pushing for the playoffs. It also explains they’ll rush the prospects up to the NHL.
As a result, the IceHogs will remain one of the worst teams in the AHL. Their farm system and development plan are regarded as one of the worst in the league, and it shows year in and year out. Unless things change, they not only won’t go from worst to first, they might miss the playoffs for the second season in a row.
3. Calgary Wranglers
The Calgary Wranglers put together an intriguing offseason. They signed Mike Benning, Jack Livingstone, and Andreas Englund to bolster the veteran group, and the Calgary Flames have a handful of prospects who might develop in the AHL before moving to the NHL.
That said, the Wranglers still have issues they failed to address and can still haunt them this season. Specifically, the offense, which was one of the worst in the league last season, remains a weakness (ironically, the Flames have the same issue). Eventually, they must add elite forward talent to the system to turn around the AHL and the NHL teams (the defense and goaltending are not issues in Calgary).
The Wranglers look like an improved team, and they should make up ground in the Pacific Division. However, in the 10-team division, they won’t be in the top half and certainly won’t be in the first-place conversation.
2. Belleville Senators
The Belleville Senators still have a way to go to build a winning culture, something Andrew Campbell hopes to do in his second season behind the bench. It also won’t be an easy task replacing Arthur Kaliyev, who scored 40 goals last season and left in free agency. That said, there are a few reasons for optimism.
The first one is a strong summer where the B-Sens brought in a few elite veterans. Samuel Blais, Phil Tomasino, and Ryan Suzuki were all top-six forwards on a trio of AHL teams, and Christian Kyrou is a young scoring defenseman who can play the point when Carter Yakemchuk joins the Ottawa Senators for good.
The Senators were a last-place team but they were a much-improved group in the second half of the season under Campbell. They played well for multiple stints, and now he can take this team to another level with a full season behind the bench.
1. Hartford Wolf Pack
The optimism started behind the bench with the Jay Leach hire. After finishing with the worst record in the AHL, the Hartford Wolf Pack hired a proven winner at the AHL level. It’s a move that changes the culture for a team that needed it.
The other plus is that the New York Rangers have a new wave of prospects coming in. Alberts Smits will have a path to the NHL from day one but the Rangers might ask him to start or spend the rookie season in Hartford first. Liam Greentree is another prospect who will likely spend the season on the Wolf Pack, especially if the Rangers are rebuilding.
Then it’s all about the what ifs. What if Dylan Roobroeck, Scott Morrow, and Dylan Garand bounce back under a new coaching staff? What if the offseason haul, which includes Glenn Gawdin, Marc Del Gaizo, and William Trudeau (who they acquired in the Brett Berard swap), makes enough of a difference? What if the Wolf Pack can replace Trey Fix-Wolansky, who led them in points and was the bright spot in a rough season?
If the answer to all of those questions is yes, the Wolf Pack can go from worst to first. The Atlantic Division is shaping up to be a gauntlet but they are a much better team and might finally have a winning culture in place for the prospects, and the Rangers need those prospects to develop correctly.
