Meanwhile, Down on the Farm....

With all the excitement and hoopla of the NHL return, fans and bloggers all have seem to forget the one league that stood as one of the alternatives to the lockout. This is mainly why I've continued this blog. There are many other leagues out there worthy of some attention.

The American Hockey League is the main development league for the National Hockey League. Already steeped in it's 70th season, the AHL has had seen many teams come and go. Let's take a look at what has been going on in the AHL thus far!

The new teams in Toronto, Des Moines, Peoria and Omaha are all affiliated with the NHL parent clubs. The Maple Leafs, Stars, Blues and Flames will have their own nice new franchises to provide a developmental system when they all had franchises located in other places. I wonder what kind of impact the Toronto fans will have on minor league hockey investing in the same community they have their main fans. In Toronto where a sellout is second nature, perhaps more fans can get to see pro hockey games then they could before. The interesting team this year is the Ak-Sar-Ben (Nebraska spelled backwards) Knights. In a non-hockey community, will it survive and thrive like the Carolina Hurricanes have?

AHL.com reports that this past Sunday Nov. 13th game between Iowa and Peoria was delayed in the second intermission because of the ice conditions.

I have yet to see who is the favorite to come out on top of the league and earn themselves a Calder Cup. The Penguins franchise in Wilkes-Barre is one of the more consistent post-season appearances. Perhaps it is likely they will find themselves in the Finals. I also like Hartford Wolfpack and the depth they provide with the NY Rangers.