Patrick Williams delivers the FloHockey AHL Power Rankings each week throughout the regular season.
Let’s get back to the Grand Rapids Griffins and their pursuit of the best record in the AHL’s 90-season history.
Fifty games into the AHL season, the 40-7-2-1 Griffins have the best record this deep into a season in AHL history. With 22 games to go, the Griffins have set themselves up to make AHL history.
Points-wise, the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers hold the AHL’s all-time marks with 124 points and a .775 points percentage. But that accomplishment came in the 80-game format that the AHL used at the time. This season’s Griffins could top out at 127 points, leaving them minimal margin for error, but their .830 performance has them well-positioned to challenge a record that has stood for 33 years.
Remarkably enough despite this record-setting pace, the Griffins still have approaching footsteps behind them. The Providence Bruins are just six points behind Grand Rapids for the league lead and hold a game in hand on the Griffins.
More points are available on the table this week as the Griffins settle in for a four-game homestand. They have a chance to clinch a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs as soon as Wednesday night when the Manitoba Moose come to Van Andel Arena.
2026 Manitoba Moose vs Grand Rapids Griffins
Two years ago it was the Hershey Bears making a run at Binghamton’s record-setting performance. This time it’s the Griffins’ turn.
1) Grand Rapids Griffins (–)
2) Providence Bruins (–)
Cruising right along, those P-Bruins were. They took a 13-game winning streak into last Saturday’s trip to Springfield and lost. The following afternoon at home to the Hartford Wolf Pack, they were down 3-0 by the end of the first period. It was a rare stumble for a team that had barely slowed down in the past three months. A wake-up call before the stretch drive might be a silver lining.
3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (+2)
Between Joel Blomqvist and Sergei Murashov in net, the Penguins always have a good chance. They went 3-0 last week with a win against the Springfield Thunderbirds and a home-and-home sweep of the Bridgeport Islanders. What this team has done despite a steady parade of scoring departing in trades has been impressive. They go to Cleveland for a pair of weekend dates.
4) Laval Rocket (-1)
With illness putting Jacob Fowler out of action last week, the Rocket had to lean heavily on Kaapo Kähkönen. The veteran took started all three games in a span of roughly 44 hours and got the Rocket a pair of wins.
5) Colorado Eagles (-1)
First, it was a 2-1 lead in Chicago that vanished last Saturday night. Then a 2-0 first-period lead on the Wolves fizzled the following afternoon. After four games in a row facing Chicago, the Eagles will get a fresh slate when the Coachella Valley Firebirds visit for a pair of games. The Colorado Avalanche put defenseman Jacob MacDonald on waivers after he missed the first four months of the season with hip surgery; he should be a massive addition for the Eagles.
6) Ontario Reign (+1)
After being swept in a pair of games by the Abbotsford Canucks, the Reign got back to their normal selves. They knocked off the Canucks at home before taking back-to-back wins at Tucson to finish their weekend. They are in a fight for first place with Colorado – at stake is a chance to bypass the always-dicey best-of-three first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
7) Bakersfield Condors (-1)
As entertaining as last Friday’s match-up with the Calgary Wranglers was, it was not the kind of game that pleases a coaching staff. With Calvin Pickard in Bakersfield, goaltender Connor Ungar was reassigned to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears after a strong run with the Condors. They have a demanding four-game trip through Colorado, Coachella Valley, and Ontario ahead of them.
8) Charlotte Checkers (–)
Starting off a 10-game road trip, the Checkers won at Rochester and then got a split in a two-game set at Syracuse. Charlotte has gone with a Cooper Black-Kirill Gerasimyuk goaltending tandem that has been reasonably solid. The first two spots in the Atlantic Division may be gone for good, but the Checkers do have a strong grip on third place. Something to watch in the next two weeks – the Florida Panthers have a history of being active in making moves to help the Checkers.
9) Chicago Wolves (–)
The Wolves got a point in Grand Rapids sandwiched between home wins against the Iowa Wild and Texas Stars. They allowed just 62 shots in those three games as well. This team has decisively established itself as the Central Division’s second-best team and a real postseason threat.
10) San Jose Barracuda (-1)
NHL veteran Laurent Brossoit has emerged as the number-one option for the Barracuda in recent weeks. After a two-game jaunt to Calgary, they are back home for back-to-back home dates with the Tucson Roadrunners. How active, if at all, might the parent San Jose Sharks be going into the NHL trade deadline? Does that pull any talent off the Barracuda roster? Or add to it?
11) Cleveland Monsters (+3)
The Monsters have won four of their past five games, and the one loss was a tight battle at Grand Rapids last Wednesday. They have a heavy home schedule coming up, but it’s a challenging list of visitors with Rochester, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (twice), and the Griffins (twice) all coming to Cleveland.
12) Syracuse Crunch (+1)
A seven-game winning streak came to a close last Saturday in a 4-3 loss to Charlotte. Brandon Halverson has allowed just three goals in his past four decisions. As is typically the case for the Crunch, March will be hectic. They have 13 games in 29 nights next month.
13) Coachella Valley Firebirds (-1)
Nikke Kokko’s first game in more than a month found him getting peppered with 40 shots by Colorado last Saturday night. That type of play will not go far as the March stretch drive gets underway.
14) Toronto Marlies (-3)
The Marlies’ week started well enough with a home win against Laval. Then it slipped away with a loss to the Hershey Bears and a pair of defeats in Cleveland. They have a rough schedule ahead of them, too, as they visit Laval on Wednesday and then face Chicago at home as they move into a demanding March slate.
15) Rochester Americans (–)
Three home games in a row yielded just two points (0-1-1-1). The Amerks go to Cleveland on Wednesday and then have the Rocket back home this Friday. Sunday’s game at Syracuse will be the first of four games against the Crunch in March.
16) Texas Stars (+2)
Going into Milwaukee to face the long-time rival Admirals, the Stars came away with a pair of wins. They get the San Diego Gulls this weekend for a pair of home games. It will be another test against a team fighting for a playoff spot, but the Stars have a very real shot to take third place in the Central Division this season.
The Rest
17) San Diego Gulls (–)
18) Manitoba Moose (-2)
19) Henderson Silver Knights (+4)
20) Tucson Roadrunners (-1)
21) Hershey Bears (-1)
22) Belleville Senators (-1)
23) Bridgeport Islanders (-1)
24) Lehigh Valley Phantoms (+2)
25) Milwaukee Admirals (-1)
26) Springfield Thunderbirds (+1)
27) Calgary Wranglers (+1)
28) Rockford IceHogs (-3)
29) Utica Comets (+1)
30) Abbotsford Canucks (-1)
31) Iowa Wild (+1)
32) Hartford Wolf Pack (–)
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