2016–17 AHL season
| 2016–17 AHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Regular season | |
| Playoffs | |
| Calder Cup | |
The 2016–17 AHL season is the 81st season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 14, 2016 and ends on April 16, 2017. The 2017 Calder Cup playoffs follow the conclusion of the regular season.
Regular season
The AHL had a slight alignment shift with the addition of the Tucson Roadrunners to the one-year-old Pacific Division, bringing the division member total up to eight. It also created an unbalanced conference alignment with the Western Conference having 16 members and the Eastern Conference containing 14 members.[1] Similar to the season scheduling in the previous season, the five California based teams, plus the new Tucson team, will continue to play a 68-game season while the rest of the AHL teams play a 76-game season.
The AHL also changed the usage of home and away jerseys for the season. Before the Christmas break, home teams wear light jerseys and after the Christmas break, home teams wear dark jerseys. For the past several seasons, the visiting team wore light jerseys and the home team wore dark jerseys. Prior to the change in 2003, it was the opposite for many years.
Rule changes
The Board of Governors implemented some changes to further curb fighting in hockey. To prevent staged fights, any players involved in a fight prior to or immediately after a faceoff would be given a game misconduct which results in the player being ejected from the game. If a player accumulates ten fighting major penalties, the player would be suspended for one game following the tenth penalty and then suspended for one game after each subsequent fighting major penalty. If a player accumulates 14 fighting majors, the number of games suspended increases to two for each subsequent fighting major. Accumulated fighting majors do not include instances where the opposing player was assessed an instigator penalty.[1]
Team and NHL affiliation changes
Relocations
- The Springfield Falcons franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes and relocated to Tucson, Arizona, becoming the Tucson Roadrunners.[2]
- The Portland Pirates franchise was purchased by Springfield Hockey, LLC. and relocated to Springfield, Massachusetts to become the Springfield Thunderbirds. The franchise replaced the recently relocated Springfield Falcons.[3] The Florida Panthers continue to serve as the franchise's NHL affiliate.[4]
Renamed
- On August 9, 2016, the reigning Calder Cup champion Lake Erie Monsters rebranded to become the Cleveland Monsters.[5]
Playoff format
The 2017 playoff format retained a similar divisional format to the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs. The revised playoff format was finalized at the Annual Board of Governors meeting that took place July 2016. During the regular season, teams receive two points for a win and one point for an overtime or shootout loss. The top four teams in each division ranked by points percentage (points earned divided by points available) qualify for the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. The 2017 playoffs removed the divisional fifth-place qualifier exception used by the NHL and the AHL in 2015–16.
The 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs features a divisional playoff format, leading to conference finals and ultimately the Calder Cup Finals. The division semifinals are best-of-five series; all subsequent rounds are best-of-seven.[1]
Standings
y– indicates team has clinched division and a playoff spot
x– indicates team has clinched a playoff spot
e– indicates team has been eliminated from playoff contention
Eastern Conference
Updated as of November 30, 2016[6]
| Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) | 19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 28 | .737 | 56 | 37 |
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI) | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 27 | .711 | 69 | 47 |
| Hershey Bears (WSH) | 19 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 26 | .684 | 66 | 49 |
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI) | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 26 | .684 | 60 | 52 |
| Providence Bruins (BOS) | 19 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | .526 | 56 | 60 |
| Springfield Thunderbirds (FLA) | 18 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 18 | .500 | 46 | 52 |
| Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) | 19 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 15 | .395 | 51 | 76 |
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Crunch (TB) | 18 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 24 | .667 | 59 | 51 |
| Albany Devils (NJ) | 19 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 25 | .658 | 57 | 54 |
| Toronto Marlies (TOR) | 18 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 22 | .611 | 53 | 46 |
| St. John's IceCaps (MTL) | 22 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 23 | .523 | 66 | 67 |
| Rochester Americans (BUF) | 20 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 17 | .425 | 59 | 69 |
| Utica Comets (VAN) | 19 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 15 | .395 | 47 | 62 |
| Binghamton Senators (OTT) | 18 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 12 | .333 | 39 | 56 |
Western Conference
Updated as of November 30, 2016
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) | 17 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 27 | .794 | 49 | 41 |
| Grand Rapids Griffins (DET) | 18 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 23 | .639 | 58 | 47 |
| Manitoba Moose (WPG) | 19 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 22 | .579 | 56 | 58 |
| Charlotte Checkers (CAR) | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .500 | 51 | 52 |
| Chicago Wolves (STL) | 20 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .500 | 58 | 52 |
| Iowa Wild (MIN) | 21 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 20 | .476 | 55 | 68 |
| Rockford IceHogs (CHI) | 20 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 17 | .425 | 47 | 61 |
| Cleveland Monsters (CBJ) | 19 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 16 | .421 | 50 | 65 |
| Pacific Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Roadrunners (ARZ) | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20 | .714 | 46 | 42 |
| Stockton Heat (CGY) | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 21 | .656 | 57 | 41 |
| San Diego Gulls (ANA) | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 19 | .633 | 53 | 50 |
| Texas Stars (DAL) | 19 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 22 | .579 | 70 | 70 |
| San Jose Barracuda (SJ) | 14 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .571 | 49 | 41 |
| Ontario Reign (LA) | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 16 | .533 | 46 | 50 |
| San Antonio Rampage (COL) | 19 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 17 | .447 | 44 | 52 |
| Bakersfield Condors (EDM) | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 13 | .433 | 36 | 41 |
Statistical leaders
Leading skaters
The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of December 3, 2016.[7]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Hunt | Chicago Wolves | 22 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 6 |
| Matt Lorito | Grand Rapids Griffins | 20 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 6 |
| Taylor Beck | Bakersfield Condors | 16 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 4 |
| Brendan Leipsic | Toronto Marlies | 20 | 6 | 18 | 24 | 10 |
| Jordan Weal | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | 19 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 10 |
| Cal O'Reilly | Rochester Americans | 19 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 6 |
| Cole Schneider | Rochester Americans | 17 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 15 |
| Kenny Agostino | Chicago Wolves | 22 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 8 |
| Travis Boyd | Hershey Bears | 21 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 6 |
| Corey Tropp | San Diego Gulls | 17 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 18 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders with a minimum 360 minutes played lead the league in goals against average. Updated as of November 30, 2016.[8]
GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes); SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout loss
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | SA | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | W | L | OT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juuse Saros | Milwaukee Admirals | 10 | 604:22 | 292 | 16 | 1 | 1.59 | .945 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Casey DeSmith | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 6 | 363:45 | 162 | 10 | 0 | 1.65 | .938 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Leighton | Charlotte Checkers | 10 | 577:26 | 253 | 16 | 2 | 1.66 | .937 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Tristan Jarry | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 13 | 785:52 | 351 | 26 | 1 | 1.99 | .926 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| Vitek Vanecek | Hershey Bears | 9 | 537:05 | 241 | 18 | 2 | 2.01 | .925 | 5 | 3 | 1 |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Board of Governors concludes Annual Meeting". AHL. July 7, 2016.
- ↑ "Tucson City Council Approves Arena Lease Agreement Between Coyotes and Tucson Convention Center". Arizona Coyotes. May 18, 2016.
- ↑ "American Hockey League Announces Franchise Transaction". OurSports Central. May 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Panthers announce AHL affiliation with Springfield Hockey, LLC". Florida Panthers. May 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Lake Erie Monsters change name, get new uniforms". KLTV. August 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Team Stats". AHL. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ↑ "Player Stats TheAHL.com". AHL.
- ↑ "Goalie Stats TheAHL.com". AHL.
External links
| Preceded by 2015–16 |
AHL seasons | Succeeded by 2017–18 |