2019-20 AHL PREVIEW: Central Division 2019-12-10 (Header image designed and created by Doug Waite) The Central has five or six teams that could make a legitimate case as favourites to take home the division crown. That's either a testament to the Central's overall quality, or a comment on the fact that none of its teams looks strong enough to break away from the pack. 2018-19 Regular Season: 44-28-4, 92 points, 4th in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: Lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals Notable Subtractions: C Luke Johnson (Trade-VGK), D Luc Snuggerud (Trade-WPG), F Joe Blandisi (Trade-VGK) Notable Additions: D Ben Gleason (Draft-77thOV 2019), RW Ryan Kuffner (Draft-117th OV 2019), D Ilya Lyubushkin (UFA), RW Matt Luff (Trade-CGY) Looking Back: Were a terror with the man advantage in 2018-19, finishing with the AHL's most lethal powerplay at 21.9%...Went on an 8-1-1 run to close out the season and claim the West's second wildcard...Particularly impressive during that streak was the three straight wins over the Dan Bacon's Missouri Mavericks, the team they needed to leapfrog for a postseason berth...Stumbled badly in the playoffs, however, falling in a three-game sweep in which they managed only 5 goals and went 0 for 10 on the PP. Looking Forward: After five years as the Rockford IceHogs, the nu-Wolves will have their work cut out for them after moving to a new city; the wolf's head on the jersey may be the same in Chicago, but the team that fans knew and loved essentially disappeared when the Blues cancelled their affiliation and moved the franchise to to St. Charles. And just to really make things interesting, the original team also set a high bar on the ice, appearing in two Confernce Finals over the last three years. Luckily for AHL fans in Chicago, GM Thomas Gidlow has earned his reputation as someone who loves a challenge. 2018-19 Regular Season: 38-128-10, 86 points, 6th in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: DNQ Notable Subtractions: F Alex Nylander (Trade-FLA), G Ken Appleby (RFA-Not Qualified) Notable Additions: F Max Comtois (Draft-52nd OV 2017), F Sam Steel (Draft-45th OV 2016), D Jake Bean (Draft-15 OV 2016) Looking Back: Fell out of the playoff picture after three straight years as one of the farm circuit's elite teams...Surrendered 218 goals against, which was a new franchise-worst and the first time in team history that number eclipsed 200...Griffins stalwart Reid Boucher failed to crack 50 points for the first time in four seasons, but still chalked up another terrifically productive campaign and remains the AHL's career points leader with 250. Looking Forward: It was a surprise to see the Griffins miss the playoffs last year, but a dropoff was bound to come sooner or later considering how successful they've been at graduating players to the NHL. The well has hardly run dry, however, and 2019-20 will see yet another crop of exciting young talent pass through Grand Rapids. Expectations may be a bit lower than they used to be, but it says here that the local fans will enjoy the return of playoff hockey this spring. 2018-19 Regular Season: 37-25-14, 88 points, 5th in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: DNQ Notable Subtractions: N/A Notable Additions: N/A Looking Back: There was plenty of red tape to wrangle in the offseason, but the franchise eventually got certification on its third relocation in five years, this time landing in Texas to become the Houston Aeros...Unfortunately capped their final season in Missouri by missing the postseason dance for the first time in franchise history...Were holding down a wildcard berth with seven games to go, but an ill-timed 0-3-4 winless streak sealed their fate...Led the league in taking games beyond regulation, going to overtime or a shootout a whopping 23 times in 76 games...Didn't do themselves any favors in the skills competitions, however, with a league-worst 14 extra-time losses (10 in overtime and 4 in the shootout). Looking Forward: Other than the upheaval of relocation, things have been quiet down on the farm since the new Stars management group came onto the scene last Fall—and not to the benefit of the on-ice product. Despite the buzz around a new team in Houston, another uninspiring campaign could be on the horizon. 2018-19 Regular Season: 42-24-10, 94 points, 3rd in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: Lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals Notable Subtractions: N/A Notable Additions: N/A Looking Back: Had another nondescript season, finishing third in their division, never breaking away from the pack in any meaningful way, and quietly bowing out in the first round of playoffs...One player who did distinguish himself was winger Andreas Johansson, who finished 8th in league scoring with 66 points, while adding 3 of his team's 6 goals in their four playoff games. Looking Forward: Even before last season this was a franchise that seemed stuck in neutral, and 2018-19 only added credence to that narrative. To be sure, qualifying for the playoffs every other season, as the Moose have done since the league began, is nothing to sneeze at. But by this point they look like a team whose real breakthrough will forever be just beyond the horizon. 2018-19 Regular Season: 17-55-4, 38 points, 8th in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: DNQ Notable Subtractions: N/A Notable Additions: N/A Looking Back: Truly scraped the bottom of the barrel in 2018-19, setting new AHL records for most losses (55), fewest points (38), lowest winning percentage (.250), and worst goal differential (-98)...The futility extends far beyond just last season, however, as Milwaukee now holds the all-time league records for fewest wins (131), most losses (176), lowest winning percentage (.427), and worst goal differential (-208)...Just to put the cherry on top, with the San Diego Gulls finally breaking their playoff curse last year, the Admirals now stand alone as the only AHL team that has never qualified for the postseason. Looking Forward: Presumably, there's nowhere to go but up for this sad-sack franchise—though a quick perusal of their 2019-20 opening night lineup may suggest otherwise. 2018-19 Regular Season: 30-38-8, 68 points, 7th in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: DNQ Notable Subtractions: Laurent Brossoit (Graduated), Matt Puempel (Waivers), Paul Carey (Waivers) Notable Additions: Anthony Peluso (UFA), Terry Broadhurst (UFA) Looking Back: Were generally awful across the board, finishing 28th in the league in goal differential, 24th in shot differential, and 27th in combined special teams percentage...Also didn't get any help from starter Laurent Brossoit, who posted a horrendous .896 save percentage in 56 starts...The Mallards are one of only three teams to have seen their winning percentage drop in four straight seasons–the other two being the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, whose decline started from an insane high point of .776, and the Milwaukee Admirals. Looking Forward: Two years of neglect under former GM Stu Hopkins didn't do this struggling franchise any favours, and now they find themselves without a general manager heading into 2019-20. Hopefully whoever arrives next on the scene in Anaheim is more invested in the fortunes of their AHL club. 2018-19 Regular Season: 46-21-9, 101 points, 2nd in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: Lost in Western Conference Final Notable Subtractions: C Alan Quine (RFA-Not Qualified), D Trevor Murphy (Overseas), F Rocco Grimaldi (Graduated) Notable Additions: LW Taro Hirose (Draft-24th OV 2019), C Mikhail Vorobyev (Trade-NYR), D Caleb Jones (Trade-NYR), Jacob Larsson (Trade-NYR) Looking Back: Packed up shop and moved to St. Charles after five successful seasons as the Chicago Wolves...Set a new team record with 101 points in their final year in the Windy City...Franchise icon Rocco Grimaldi also put a bow on the bittersweet campaign, surpassing the 30-goal mark for a third straight year and moving into first all-time for AHL goals with 123...Have had their ups and downs in the regular season, but seem to have a knack for playoff hockey, making two Conference Finals appearances in the last three years. Looking Forward: The Chill look solid enough on paper, particularly in net, where Alex Nedeljkovic is arguably the best netminder in the league. And though youngster Luke Kunin is expected to break camp with the big club, he could well re-join the Chill somewhere down the road to give the team a boost. Indeed, with GM Shaun Stephens on the record as "looking to make a very serious run at a Calder Cup championship here in St. Charles," no surprising or dramatic moves should be ruled out. 2018-19 Regular Season: 49-24-3, 101 points, 1st in Central Division 2019 Playoffs: Lost in Western Conference Semifinals Notable Subtractions: F Ivan Barbashev (Graduated), G Mackenzie Blackwood (Graduated) Notable Additions: F German Rubtsov (Draft-23rd OV 2016), D Ryan White (UFA) Looking Back: Had a surprisingly successful 2018-19 campaign, largely thanks to an explosive offense which racked up 261 goals...Got scoring from throughout the lineup, but Dannick Martel and Ivan Barbashev really stood out, finishing one-two in league scoring with 74 points apiece...In fact, Martel and Barbashev were so prolific that they posted the 6th and 7th highest single-season point totals in league history...On the other side of the puck, the Rampage were hampered throughout the regular season by a stunningly bad penalty kill, which finished dead last in the league at 77.7% and ranked as the third worst all-time. Looking Forward: Turns out that leaning on the kids wasn't such a bad idea last year, (in spite of pessimism from...certain league observers). That's good news, too, because it will be the strategy once again in San Antonio, as youngsters such as Rubtsov, Kostin, Gauthier, Bear, and Kaskisuo will all be expected to step up in 2019-20. With veteran support from the likes Ryan White, and the potential return of Noah Juulsen from the NHL at some point, the Rampage are well-positioned for another successful campaign.