2016–17 AHL season
The 2016–17 AHL season was the 81st season of the American Hockey League. The regular season began on October 14, 2016, and ended on April 15, 2017. The 2017 Calder Cup playoffs began on April 20, 2017.
| 2016–17 AHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | American Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 14, 2016 - April 15, 2017 |
| Regular season | |
| Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins |
| Season MVP | Kenny Agostino |
| Top scorer | Kenny Agostino |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern Conference champions | Syracuse Crunch |
| Eastern Conference runners-up | Providence Bruins |
| Western Conference champions | Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Western Conference runners-up | San Jose Barracuda |
| Playoffs MVP | Tyler Bertuzzi |
| Calder Cup | |
| Champions | Grand Rapids Griffins |
| Runners-up | Syracuse Crunch |
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, 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 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
Final standings[6]
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
| Atlantic Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y–Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) | 76 | 51 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 107 | .704 | 247 | 170 |
| x–Lehigh Valley Phantoms (PHI) | 76 | 48 | 23 | 5 | 0 | 101 | .664 | 260 | 219 |
| x–Hershey Bears (WSH) | 76 | 43 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 97 | .638 | 252 | 211 |
| x–Providence Bruins (BOS) | 76 | 43 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 96 | .632 | 229 | 188 |
| e–Bridgeport Sound Tigers (NYI) | 76 | 44 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 92 | .605 | 220 | 212 |
| e–Springfield Thunderbirds (FLA) | 76 | 32 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 75 | .493 | 197 | 206 |
| e–Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) | 76 | 24 | 46 | 4 | 2 | 54 | .355 | 194 | 280 |
| North Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y–Syracuse Crunch (TB) | 76 | 38 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 90 | .592 | 232 | 227 |
| x–Toronto Marlies (TOR) | 76 | 42 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 89 | .586 | 245 | 207 |
| x–Albany Devils (NJ) | 76 | 39 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 83 | .546 | 204 | 206 |
| x–St. John's IceCaps (MTL) | 76 | 36 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 82 | .539 | 216 | 220 |
| e–Utica Comets (VAN) | 76 | 35 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 79 | .520 | 195 | 220 |
| e–Rochester Americans (BUF) | 76 | 32 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 67 | .441 | 205 | 240 |
| e–Binghamton Senators (OTT) | 76 | 28 | 44 | 2 | 2 | 60 | .395 | 190 | 266 |
Western Conference
| Central Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y–Chicago Wolves (STL) | 76 | 44 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 101 | .664 | 251 | 200 |
| x–Grand Rapids Griffins (DET) | 76 | 47 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 100 | .658 | 251 | 190 |
| x–Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) | 76 | 43 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 95 | .612 | 225 | 215 |
| x–Charlotte Checkers (CAR) | 76 | 39 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 86 | .566 | 212 | 208 |
| e–Cleveland Monsters (CBJ) | 76 | 39 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 86 | .566 | 195 | 198 |
| e–Iowa Wild (MIN) | 76 | 36 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 81 | .533 | 182 | 196 |
| e–Manitoba Moose (WPG) | 76 | 29 | 37 | 5 | 5 | 68 | .447 | 197 | 242 |
| e–Rockford IceHogs (CHI) | 76 | 25 | 39 | 9 | 3 | 62 | .408 | 175 | 246 |
| Pacific Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | Pts | Pts% | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y–San Jose Barracuda (SJ) | 68 | 43 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 95 | .699 | 232 | 176 |
| x–San Diego Gulls (ANA) | 68 | 43 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 91 | .669 | 221 | 178 |
| x–Ontario Reign (LA) | 68 | 36 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 83 | .610 | 199 | 190 |
| x–Stockton Heat (CGY) | 68 | 34 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 77 | .566 | 212 | 192 |
| e–Bakersfield Condors (EDM) | 68 | 33 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 72 | .529 | 200 | 188 |
| e–Tucson Roadrunners (ARI) | 68 | 29 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 66 | .485 | 187 | 237 |
| e–Texas Stars (DAL) | 76 | 34 | 37 | 1 | 4 | 73 | .480 | 224 | 265 |
| e–San Antonio Rampage (COL) | 76 | 27 | 42 | 5 | 2 | 61 | .401 | 184 | 240 |
Statistical leaders
Leading skaters
The following players are sorted by points, then goals. Updated as of April 14, 2017.[7]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus-minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Agostino | Chicago Wolves | 65 | 24 | 59 | 83 | 48 |
| Chris Terry | St. John's IceCaps | 58 | 30 | 38 | 68 | 36 |
| Chris Mueller | Tucson Roadrunners | 68 | 19 | 48 | 67 | 48 |
| Wade Megan | Chicago Wolves | 73 | 33 | 33 | 66 | 57 |
| Taylor Beck | Bakersfield/Hartford | 56 | 19 | 47 | 66 | 24 |
| Cole Schneider | Rochester Americans | 71 | 24 | 39 | 63 | 45 |
| Travis Boyd | Hershey Bears | 76 | 16 | 47 | 63 | 16 |
| T. J. Brennan | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | 76 | 21 | 39 | 60 | 101 |
| Chris Bourque | Hershey Bears | 76 | 18 | 42 | 60 | 46 |
| Cory Conacher | Syracuse Crunch | 56 | 17 | 43 | 60 | 113 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders with a minimum 1500 minutes played lead the league in goals against average. Updated as of April 15, 2017.[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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casey DeSmith | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 29 | 1730:35 | 787 | 58 | 1 | 2.01 | .926 | 21 | 5 | 3 |
| Zane McIntyre | Providence Bruins | 31 | 1777:13 | 859 | 60 | 2 | 2.03 | .930 | 21 | 6 | 2 |
| Troy Grosenick | San Jose Barracuda | 49 | 2728:48 | 1255 | 93 | 10 | 2.04 | .926 | 30 | 10 | 5 |
| Tristan Jarry | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | 45 | 2706:49 | 1300 | 97 | 3 | 2.15 | .925 | 28 | 15 | 2 |
| Jaroslav Halak | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 27 | 1535:59 | 733 | 55 | 2 | 2.15 | .925 | 17 | 7 | 3 |
Calder Cup playoffs
| Division semifinals | Division finals | Conference finals | Calder Cup final | ||||||||||||||||
| A1 | W-B/Scranton | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Providence | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Providence | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Hershey | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Lehigh Valley | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| A3 | Hershey | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A4 | Providence | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Syracuse | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Syracuse | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N4 | St. John's | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Syracuse | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| North Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Toronto | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N2 | Toronto | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| N3 | Albany | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| N1 | Syracuse | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Grand Rapids | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Chicago | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| C4 | Charlotte | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| C1 | Chicago | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Central Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Grand Rapids | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Grand Rapids | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| C3 | Milwaukee | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| C2 | Grand Rapids | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Western Conference | |||||||||||||||||||
| P1 | San Jose | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| P1 | San Jose | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| P4 | Stockton | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| P1 | San Jose | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Pacific Division | |||||||||||||||||||
| P2 | San Diego | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| P2 | San Diego | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| P3 | Ontario | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
AHL awards
All-Star Teams
First All-Star Team[9]
- Troy Grosenick (G) – San Jose
- T. J. Brennan (D) – Lehigh Valley
- Matt Taormina (D) – Syracuse
- Kenny Agostino (F) – Chicago
- Taylor Beck (F) – Bakersfield/Hartford
- Wade Megan (F) – Chicago
Second All-Star Team[9]
- Zane McIntyre (G) – Providence
- Tim Heed (D) – San Jose
- David Warsofsky (D) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
- Travis Boyd (F) – Hershey
- Cory Conacher (F) – Syracuse
- Chris Terry (F) – St. John's
All-Rookie Team[10]
- Casey DeSmith (G) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
- Devon Toews (D) – Bridgeport
- Kyle Wood (D) – Tucson
- Jake Guentzel (F) – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
- Mark Jankowski (F) – Stockton
- Danny O'Regan (F) – San Jose
References
- "Board of Governors concludes Annual Meeting". AHL. July 7, 2016.
- "Tucson City Council Approves Arena Lease Agreement Between Coyotes and Tucson Convention Center". National Hockey League. May 18, 2016.
- "American Hockey League Announces Franchise Transaction". OurSports Central. May 23, 2016.
- "Panthers announce AHL affiliation with Springfield Hockey, LLC". foxsports.com. May 23, 2016.
- "Lake Erie Monsters change name, get new uniforms". KLTV. August 9, 2016. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- "Team Stats". AHL. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- "Player Stats TheAHL.com". AHL.
- "Goalie Stats TheAHL.com". AHL.
- "2016–17 American Hockey League First and Second All-Star Teams Named". OurSports Central. April 6, 2017.
- "2016-17 AHL All-Rookie Team Named". American Hockey League. April 5, 2017.