Before diving into this week’s notebook, here’s a trivia question. The Chicago Wolves are trailing 2-0 in the Calder Cup Final. Which team was the last to overcome a 2-0 series deficit to win the title?

The 2-0 series leads this week’s AHL Notebook. The Toronto Marlies won Game 1 with a 4-2 victory, and they took a back-and-forth Game 2 with a 5-4 overtime win on Sunday afternoon. If two games are enough of a sample size, this series is shaping up to be a great one. 

That said, the series is in the early phase. It’s given us some takeaways, yet it’s still too early to determine much about how it will play out and who will hoist the Calder Cup at the end of the day.

The early surprise is that the star power on both teams has controlled the series. The Marlies top-line forwards Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Vinni Lettieri, and Logan Shaw have dominated play while most of the Wolves offense has come from the Bradly Nadeau, Ryan Suzuki, and Justin Robidas line. 

The Calder Cup Playoffs test a team’s depth. The depth gets them through the marathon that is the playoffs. In the Final, the stars will win the Cup. So far, the Marlies have the edge there with more elite players who can take over the game than the Wolves. 

The next takeaway is that the goaltending matchup is the biggest key for both teams. The goaltenders haven’t been great but this series will come down to which one makes the bigger save or the timely stop. So far, Artur Ahktyamov has given the Marlies the edge with two strong starts. The Wolves hope that Cayden Primeau, who returned to the starting net for Game 2, can return to form for Game 3. 

The Wolves have shown that they can control play and flip a game or the series. They can get to their forecheck and pressure the Marlies into mistakes. Plus, their defensemen can add a spark or two from the point (three of their goals in Game 2 came from defensemen). The key is to sustain that level of play. 

The Marlies head back home with all the momentum. However, they’ve been in this position before and know they can’t get too comfortable. They had a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Final and let the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins even up the series. The Wolves are the type of team that will not only even the series if they catch the Marlies napping, but they’ll take over the series. 

Turnover in the American Hockey League is as much a part of the league as developing prospects. Every season brings in new faces and new names to every position. The coaching carousel isn’t any different than any other offseason. Only now, things are starting to pick up. 

The Seattle Kraken hired Pascal Vincent, who coached the Laval Rocket the past two seasons. The move is a wise one for the Kraken, who are adding another head coach, essentially, and someone who can take over if needed. Plus, Vincent is one step closer to coaching at the NHL level again, with an added layer of experience rebuilding teams. 

The Wolf Pack hired Jay Leach, the former assistant with the Boston Bruins. Some people have mixed reviews of the hire, since he’s a winner at the AHL level but not an X’s and O’s coach. Plus, Leach didn’t align with Marco Sturm's vision, making New York Rangers fans question whether his style will conflict with Mike Sullivan's. 

The Vancouver Canucks hired their replacement for Ryan Johnson, with Richard Seeley taking over as the GM. Now, they must search for their Manny Malhotra replacement, which is a tougher task considering Malhotra was one of the best coaches in the AHL. 

With Matt McIlvane moving to the Boston Bruins bench, the San Diego Gulls are looking for someone. Plus, the Cleveland Monsters must replace Trent Vogelhuber, who was promoted to the NHL team. And then there’s the Belleville Senators, who had Andrew Campbell as an interim but considering he didn’t improve the team much (they still finished in last place), they are looking for someone as well. 

So, who are the up-and-coming coaches to keep in mind? 

It’s also that time of the year when many veterans in the AHL head overseas. A good line a scout had about a player who was on a playoff team but not playing at a high level was, “He looks more interested in his Swiss bank account than playing right now.” That’s a common occurrence during the playoffs, with some veterans already looking ahead to playing next season in Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, and other European leagues. 

The movement puts the AHL in the spotlight. Can this league confidently say it’s the second-best in the world when the most talented players are playing in other countries? It’s a cause for concern but the league is still in a great place, and the mass exodus isn’t something to worry about. 

The players who are leaving are the veterans who think the grass is greener on the other side. In some ways, it is. The pay is better, the lifestyle is less intense, and for players with families, it’s a good position to settle down for a few years in a game that doesn’t provide stability. The grass is greener until it isn’t. A lot of players leave for Europe, only to come back a few years later, especially the players who sign in the KHL, where the teams can terminate contracts at any point. 

The mass exodus shows how tough it is to make it in the AHL. Teams are quick to give up on veterans in a league that focuses on the prospects. The only vets that stay are the best of the best. They aren’t just great players; they are incredible leaders who can mentor and develop the prospects. These players must have the desire to buy into life in the AHL, where they are close to the NHL but also have a more important job to do. 

The Marlies were awarded a penalty shot in Game 2. It’s not something you see every day in the playoffs, much less the Final. The penalty shot was scored by the Marlies forward Alex Nylander to tie the game and eventually lead to a 5-4 overtime win. 

Game 2 was one of the most entertaining games of the playoffs. However, it’s not the most entertaining in recent memory. The Calder Cup Final has provided plenty of thrillers. Game 2 might have been the best game since Game 6 of the 2024 Final; that back-and-forth battle between the Coachella Valley Firebirds and the Hershey Bears was a classic. 

In the Calder Cup Playoff MVP race, Vinni Lettieri is separating himself from the pack. His 23 points in 20 games make him the only player playing at a point-per-game pace, and he leads all skaters in points in the playoffs. 

The other names to keep in mind are defenseman William Villeneuve and goaltender Artur Ahktyamov for the Marlies. Or, Bradly Nadeau can get himself into the MVP conversation, especially if the Wolves come back and win this series. 

The answer to the trivia question was the 2022-23 Hershey Bears. Interestingly, the Bears were outscored 9-0 two games into the 2023 Final against the Firebirds but won the series in seven games. They also won all four of their games by one goal, with three of their victories coming in overtime, including Game 7. So, don’t give up hope, Wolves fans!