from Josh Weissbock of Shnarped,

Fans have been watching their top prospects develop over the last year or two and are now anxiously waiting to see how they perform at the next level. Most players end up with a stopover in the AHL for some development before getting a shot with the big club. Typically the players who perform well at the NHL level have performed well at lower levels; we’ve identified a number of potential AHL rookies who have had success in the past and will get their first chance at a full season in American Hockey League.

As October begins most hockey leagues in the world have started their regular season with one of the last holdouts being the American Hockey League (AHL). The AHL has a very dependent relationship with the NHL teams as the majority of rosters in the AHL are those that have been assigned by NHL clubs to their AHL affiliates. Changes in the NHL, through injury or trade, can quickly have a ripple effect that exponentially grows in magnitude to the effects in the AHL. Rosters are very dynamic and players may not spend an entire season in the AHL especially if they are performing well.

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