The five worst offenses in the American Hockey League last season were the Abbotsford Canucks, Iowa Wild, Manitoba Moose, Hartford Wolf Pack, and Rockford IceHogs. Which ones will bounce back?
Last week, The Hockey News looked at the best of the American Hockey League. Which offenses and defenses were poised to regress after remarkable seasons. So, it’s time to look at the other side of things. The five worst offenses from the past season should improve because, frankly, they can’t do much worse.
Interestingly, three of the bottom five teams have new head coaches behind the bench. So, there’s an unknown with these teams and how they’ll look systematically, along with the roster changes.
Abbotsford Canucks (2.40 Goals Per Game)
If the Vancouver Canucks are patient with their rebuild, the Abbotsford Canucks should bounce back and become an exciting team. The offense particularly should look better if the prospects remain on the AHL team, which wasn’t the case last season with the NHL team desperately calling them up.
While the new head coach has a hard act to follow, Ryan Papaioannou will open things up for the offense if he brings the same system from the ECHL. The other plus is the Trey Fix-Wolansky and Akil Thomas additions, as both veterans will become anchors in the top six and change the culture.
The question is which prospects will be in the AHL next season? Caleb Malhotra is heading to college, while Jonathan Lekkermaki and Zeev Buium, two players in their early 20s, will be on the NHL team. It makes Braeden Cootes, a 19-year-old center, and Tom Willander, the 20-year-old defenseman, the prospects to watch, as they can get a ton of ice time in the AHL while adding a spark to the offense.
Iowa Wild (2.48 Goals Per Game)
When the Minnesota Wild pushed all the chips in with the Quinn Hughes trade, they depleted their farm system. With the team in the contention conversation and Hughes in a contract year, expect more of the same. The result is a depleted team in Iowa.
The Iowa Wild were awful last season offensively and didn’t do much to change things this summer. The Justin Kirkland and Jagger Joshua signings will bring a steady veteran presence but they won’t move the needle.
The optimistic angle comes from the Stu Bickell hire. The new head coach is young and will bring them some energy behind the bench. However, his focus is mostly on the defensive side and won’t address the needs offensively, at least in his first season behind the bench.
Manitoba Moose (2.56 Goals Per Game)
There is a path for the Manitoba Moose to put together a great season offensively. It involves Brayden Yager taking another step forward and, more importantly, Viggo Bjorck playing in the AHL and not being rushed to the Winnipeg Jets.
Yager might stay in the AHL to develop but the Jets are ready to have Bjorck in the starting lineup from day one. They carved out the second-line center spot for him, and he looks ready to kick off the ground running. It will leave the AHL team struggling offensively for the second season in a row.
Hartford Wolf Pack (2.63 Goals Per Game)
There’s some optimism surrounding the Hartford Wolf Pack, starting with the coaching change. Jay Leach is a proven winner at the AHL level and will bring structure. Plus, a new wave of New York Rangers prospects that includes Liam Greentree should help the offense (plus, there's always a chance that Alberts Smits starts the season in Hartford before he's a staple of the Rangers blue line).
Otherwise, the Wolf Pack aren’t set up to improve much offensively. They still don’t have a great veteran presence. It hurt them last season and will likely limit them this season. Specifically, they don't have an answer in the lineup for the loss of Fix-Wolansky, who was the top-line winger and a bright spot last season.
The Wolf Pack had the worst record in the AHL last season. They will improve and won’t have a bottom-five offense. That said, they are a long way from having a great offense and a great team in general.
Rockford IceHogs (2.72 Goals Per Game)
The Rockford IceHogs can turn around the offseason if things go the right way. Maybe Connor Mackey and Derrick Pouliot form a reliable scoring presence at the blue line. Speaking of the blue line, maybe Kevin Korchinski finally hits his stride and becomes the two-way defenseman the Chicago Blackhawks are hoping for. Speaking of Korchinski, maybe he stays in the AHL along with a handful of prospects to develop, and in the process, they improve the IceHogs' offense.
That’s a lot of maybes, and the Blackhawks are desperate to make the playoffs. They want their prospects in the NHL and will push players to the next level with hopes of getting the NHL team into the playoffs. The offense should improve but it would be a surprise if it wasn’t in the bottom half of the league.
