First Look At The AHL

Like the NHL season, the AHL season is also underway.  The AHL is a high quality league that often produces depth players (and sometimes stars) for the NHL.  It is a high level hockey league and is important to watch to see the next wave of NHL players before they arrive in the NHL.  The early season leader in the AHL is the San Antonio Rampage.  They are the farm club of the Phoenix Coyotes.  They have a 6-1-1 record (one overtime loss) which puts them in first place in the AHL.  They have been the highest scoring team in the league.  Four of the top twelve scorers in the AHL are San Antonio players.  Sean Sullivan leads the way with 10 points.  He is 25 and looks like he may be ready for his NHL debut.  He is a Boston University graduate, who has been rapidly improving in his AHL tenure.  One point behind is Kyle Turris.  Turris is a highly regarded prospect who was the third overall pick in 2007.  He spent last year in the NHL, but did not appear ready for that level of competition.  He may be a future NHL star and is learning to play at a high level against adult competition.  Kevin Porter is the third highest scorer in San Antonio.  He spent last year shuttling between the AHL and NHL and may soon be ready to grad an NHL job permanently.  The final of the four top scorers from San Antonio is Brett MacLean.  He was the Coyotes 2nd round pick in 2007 and has a good chance at a significant NHL career.  The Phoenix Coyotes have a good pipeline of young players in their system.  This makes their AHL affiliate in San Antonio a top team.  This makes their future look promising, assuming competent ownership takes over the team.  The Coyotes have the talent that they could be a good team for years into the future, but uncertainty in ownership could derail it all before it begins.