Double A Hockey At The Christmas Break

By Denis J. Puska
CLEVELAND, OH - One even hockey fans would like to see is a Double A Championship Series featuring the best of the best. The top teams in the ECHL vs. the Central Hockey League vs. the International Hockey League. Now due to rules and regulations that govern the leagues, this is something that could only happen if it was an ECHL vs. CHL series. This is possible because these two leagues are quite similar now in their make up of number of veterans, salary cap, etc.

The following are two sets of Puska on Pucks Rankings of the top teams in Double A Hockey. The first set of stats includes all three leagues at the Double A level, while the second one features just the ECHL and the CHL.

There is no doubt that at the Christmas Break five teams are dominating their respective leagues. The Idaho Steelheads and the South Carolina Stingrays share the lead in the ECHL. The Stingrays now have the best record with a record of 22-7-1-3 for 48 points. The Stingrays are the defending Kelly Cup Champions and are playing as such right now. However, the Stingrays do it with a new coach in Cail MacLean who is familiar with both the ECHL and South Carolina having played there for several years. The Steelheads have overall mark of 22-5-0-2 for 46 points. The Steelheads are an incredible 12-1-0-0 on the road this season. The Derek Laxdall group has the lowest goals against allowed in the ECHL at 69.

Over in the Central Hockey League, the Odessa Jackalopes have been almost too hot to handle for the rest of the teams, posting a 20-4-3 record for 43 points. The Jackalopes have 10 wins on the road and another 10 wins at Ector County Coliseum.

Meantime, in the International Hockey League, it's a two team battle for top honors as the Muskegon Lumberjacks have a slim two point lead over the Port Huron Icehawks. The Lumberjacks and the Icehawks are both very good on home ice but not so much on the road.

If there are mid-season awards for the Most Improved Teams then the Reading Royals have the award in the ECHL posting a terrific 17-9-1-2 mark with Larry Courville behind the bench. The most improved team in the CHL has to be the Tulsa Oilers and first year coach Bruce Ramsey. This team is dynamite on home ice in that new arena. The Bloomington PrairieThunder has the IHL Most Improved Team Award easily. The Thunder usually start very slow and finish up just short of making the playoffs. Bloomington is going to be a force to be dealt with in the post season.

Here are the Puska on Pucks Rankings:
Includes ECHL, CHL and IHL:

Here are the Puska on Pucks Rankings:
Includes ECHL, CHL and IHL: 

A Year of Expansion in Professional Hockey

By: Denis J. Puska

Despite the country's economic problems it's been a year of expansion in professional hockey as a total of 14 teams began business this season at the professional hockey level. There were a lot of skeptics out there critical about teams starting up in this economic climate, but it looks like all are holding their own and fans are coming out to support the teams in their respective cities. As we approach the holiday season, here is how they are stacking up. When looking at these stats there are some things to take note of as Central Hockey League and the Southern Professional Hockey League don't record Shootout Losses and some leagues have played fewer games than others.

AHL:

Texas Stars

Record 15-5-2-2 34 points  Home: 8-2-1-1 Away: 8-3-1-1

Note: The Texas Stars have one of the better teams early on in the American Hockey League. The team is also getting terrific support, averaging more than 5,000 fans per game at the new Cedar Park Events Center. They have one of the top goaltenders at the AHL level and I'll bet the Dallas Stars are keeping an eye out.

Abbotsford Heat

Record: 13-10-2-2 30 points  Home: 5-4-2-1 Away: 8-6-0-1

Note: It's an okay start to the season for Abbotsford, but I'm sure they would have liked more wins on home ice. I think as the season gets going into the later months that their home record will improve, catching some of the teams on long road trips coming in with their guard down. The Heat is averaging just over 3,300 fans per game at their new building.

Adirondack Phantoms

Record: 9-5-2-0 20 points  Home: 6-3-2-0 Away: 3-7-0-0

Note: Hockey is back in Glens Falls and the fans have been coming out in droves. The team is playing in front of standing room only crowds. Their record will only continue to get better as the Phantoms have had one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference the past few seasons when they were in Philadelphia.

ECHL

Kalamazoo Wings

Record: 12-6-2-0 26 pts  Home: 6-3-0-0  Away: 6-3-2-0

Note: The Kalamazoo Wings are having a great debut in the ECHL and fans are coming out to see their new opponents. The Wings have been equally effective both on the road and at home. Mother nature could play a factor for both visiting teams to Kalamazoo and the Wings road trips this season. Snow and winter storms can sometimes be an issue in Western Michigan so we will see how both adjust.

Toledo Walleye

Record 9-7-1-3 22 pts  Home: 8-5-0-1 Away: 1-2-1-2 

Note: The arena is the new jewel in downtown Toledo and fans are making it a point to attend games and see the facility. The Walleye are averaging over 7,000 per game. The early part of the schedule has been dominated by home ice play and we will see if their road record improves as they start traveling.

CHL:

Allen Americans

Record:13-4-1 27 pts  Home: 6-2-0 Away: 8-2-1

Note: One of the great success stories in the Central Hockey League this season are the Allen Americans. They are quickly becoming one of the dominant teams in the league. Jason Bowers and Charlie Effinger have been dynamite in their respective positions. The Americans are hoping that their exciting brand of hockey will catch on in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and more fans will attend their games. The Allen Event Center is brand new and within walking distance of shops and restaurant and the free parking is also an added bonus.

Missouri Mavericks

Record: 7-9-1 15 points  Home: 4-1-0 Away: 3-8-0

Note: The Missouri Mavericks had a difficult debut in the CHL but have recovered nicely and already have posted four wins in their new building. Scott Hillman will have to find more offense for this team and better play away from home. Fans in the Kansas City area are excited to have hockey in the region and the Mavericks are doing what they can to keep them excited and coming back for more. Missouri hopes to continue to have great rivalry games with the Tulsa Oilers, Rapid City Rush and the Wichita Thunder.

IHL

Dayton Gems

Record: 9-8-3-0 21 pts Home: 4-4-1-0 Away: 5-4-2-0 Note:

Note: The Gems are back after several years of being away. They have their second set of owners as a new group of local business people have taken over. It hasn't stopped John Marks' charges who have been playing well including wins against teams they have been winless against the Bloomington PrairieThunder the Fort Wayne Komets. The Gems are the youngest team in terms of game experience in the IHL this season.

Quad City Mallards

Record: 5-7-2-1 13 pts Home: 3-2-1-1 Away: 2-5-1-0

Note: It's been mixed results for the Quad City Mallards in their return to the IHL. The team is drawing well at I-Wireless Center but will have to be better on the ice. Frank Anzalone is back behind the bench in hockey after a few years away. The Mallards lost their top goaltender Sebastian LaPlante who decided to retire and return to Canada. It seems fans in the Quad Cities like the IHL style of hockey and the rivalries, facing Fort Wayne, Bloomington and Muskegon.

SPHL

Pensacola Ice Flyers

Record: 8-6-1 17 pts Home: 4-1-0 Away: 4-5-1

Note: The Pensacola Ice Flyers have certainly been giving hockey fans in the Gulf Coast something to talk about with their great start. Todd Gordon has returned behind the bench and has the Ice Flyers right up there in the standings. The Ice Flyers have been good both at home and on the road. Pensacola is drawing over 2,500 fans per game and it appears that hockey at the SPHL level will certainly succeed.

Mississippi Surge

Record: 6-7-3 15 pts Home: 5-3-0 Away: 1-4-3

Note: Matt Zultek and Ryan Senft have been great for the Mississippi Surge in their debut in the SPHL. The two are no strangers to the circuit and let's hope the fans catch on to the exciting style of hockey that the SPHL has to offer. The Surge has been lights out on specialty teams ranking in the top three on both categories.

Louisiana IceGators

Record: 5-11-0 10 pts Home: 4-5-0 Away: 1-6-0

Note: John Gibson has taken over behind the bench of the IceGators and has already made an impact with some key wins including one in Huntsville. The IceGators line-up has gone through some tweaking and it appears that is paying off. One area the IceGators will need to work on is both goals for and goals against as they rank dead last in both in the SPHL.

All-American Hockey League

The two new teams in the All-American Hockey League are hoping that they can have some lasting power this season. Both have been plagued by some financial problems. Despite the off-ice issues the Madison Ice Muskies have been solid behind the coaching of Rod Davidson. Madison is 6-6-0-0 through 12 games. One of the reasons is Nick Neidert, who has the second best Goals Against Average in the AAHL. Cameron Sault of Madison is fourth in league scoring. The Detroit Hitmen have struggled since the beginning of the season and have earned just two shootout points in 12 games.