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AHL VS. KHL – Sept 1, 2016 - Ryan Kennedy & Jared Clinton
The NHL is unquestionably the best hockey league in the world, and since 88 percent of its players come from the AHL, it’s obvious which circuit comes in second. I conducted a straw poll of player agents on the topic, and the AHL was the definitive answer: “no question.”
Even though the AHL is more of a development league than Russia’s top rung of hockey, the AHL is still viewed by agents as having better competition and quality of hockey than the KHL. Agents can get bigger paydays for their clients in Russia, but they also know that for their charges to get NHL jobs on a full-time basis, the players must be prepared for the rigors of the elite ranks, and that’s where the AHL comes in.
The best petri dish ever may have come in 2004-05, when the NHL locked out its players, forcing young stars such as Eric Staal and Jason Spezza to spend an extra season in the ‘A.’ The result? Staal won a Stanley Cup with Carolina the next year while putting up the best offensive totals of his career. Spezza also followed that up with one of his best years and helped Ottawa to the Cup final one year after Staal’s Canes won. Naturally, we have the benefit of hindsight in assigning props to the AHL here, but the axiom that players are rarely ruined by spending extra time in the minors (a.k.a. the AHL) while many have been ruined by rushing into the NHL is there for a reason.
Look at one of the most successful teams in modern hockey, the Detroit Red Wings. The franchise hasn’t missed the playoffs in more than two decades despite drafting no higher than 15th overall since 1991. The key? Identifying talent better than most and then letting those players marinate in the AHL. Gustav Nyquist, Teemu Pulkkinen and Brendan Smith are all recent examples, as are veterans Niklas Kronwall, Justin Abdelkader and Jonathan Ericsson (plus goalies Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek).
Other franchises are having their AHL epiphanies, too. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for example, brought in a raft of veterans during training camp last year to give their youngsters a deliberate uphill battle. The result was having top-end recruits such as William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman starting the year with the AHL’s Marlies, playing big minutes for a squad that was more exciting to watch than the NHL club itself. And that’s all good, because those youngsters got great reps against physically strong competition in NHL-type situations.
When the NHL considers new rule changes, the league often goes to the AHL to test out the wrinkles first. If anything, some of those developing players are getting a jumpstart on NHLers by playing in the minors in some situations.
The AHL doesn’t just build up players, however. Coaching is also a strong suit of the circuit, which goes hand in hand with developing on-ice talent. Of the 30 current NHL coaches, only nine didn’t spend at least one season behind an AHL bench, and Dave Tippett is a bit of an asterisk, since his IHL Houston Aeros eventually joined the AHL. On the other hand, the KHL is where coaches go for a last chance (Mike Keenan, for example).
Really, the only advantage the KHL has over the AHL is in salaries, but even then, players aren’t guaranteed to actually receive all their money over in the Russian circuit. That was another gripe from agents about the KHL, and it doesn’t seem like the instability is going to change much anymore.
Even in travel, the AHL wins out. Sure, there are bus trips, but the expansion of the footprint over the years also means plane travel to big, fun cities such as San Diego, Austin, Toronto and Chicago. Meanwhile, the KHL has ignored military history (never cross Russia in the winter) by geographically stretching to absurd lengths. Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Admiral Vladivostok are in the same division but separated by a 14-hour plane ride. How is that good for players in any way?
For players who want to be the best in their journey to the NHL, the AHL is the clear-cut route. If you want to chase money and hassles, head to the KHL.
It the 2013 Spengler Cup, the KHL’s CSKA Moscow beat the AHL’s Rochester Americans 4-3 in a round-robin game. CSKA went on to make the final, while the Americans dropped every single game they played by a combined score of 15-6.
On a league-specific scale, the difference between Moscow and Rochester wasn’t much. Both had win percentages bordering on 60 percent in their respective leagues, finished in playoff positions and were steady on offense and defense. But when it came to a head-to-head, the KHL came out on top. And that’s the thing: play that 2013 contest 10 times and the result won’t change. The KHL is the world’s second-best league, and there’s really no question.
From a pure talent standpoint, only the NHL beats what the KHL can offer. Bonafide star Ilya Kovalchuk is the biggest name in the KHL, but the league also plays host to a number of former NHLers, including Nigel Dawes, Matt Gilroy and Cam Barker. While it’s not top-tier NHL talent, all four are players whose game would be wasted in the AHL. It’s for that reason players head to the KHL instead of toiling in the minor league system.
Putting together an all-star team of KHLers since the league’s inaugural season in 2008 shows how immensely talented some of these players are. Of course, Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov would be on the list, but so would Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Yashin, Jiri Hudler and Sergei Fedorov. Compare that to an AHL all-star roster and the debate over which league produces the better on-ice product is over.
The KHL allows for creative hockey to flourish, and the game has benefitted in a big way. In the AHL, teams must sometimes play the way the big club wishes, teaching system over skill. Not so in the KHL, where each team plays to its strengths and produces a style to fit the talent on its roster. That makes for more exciting hockey and a league-wide product that isn’t a copy of the league above it with less-talented players.
That’s also true of team improvement. In the KHL, one off-season can change a team’s fate, whereas AHL teams are at the behest of their NHL affiliates. Fans of struggling AHL clubs have to rely on the NHL team to stock the farm. Not so in the KHL, where GMs can go out and improve with scouting and financial resources.
Even the league’s import limit doesn’t prove to be a hindrance when it comes to icing top-level teams, especially because much of the creative play is coming from the Russian players. In the AHL, however, the veteran limit only allows for a maximum of six players with 260-plus pro games to dress on one roster. That means a number of talented vets are out of jobs in the NHL’s minor league. But the AHL’s loss is the KHL’s gain.
Admittedly, the public perception of the league is what hurts the KHL. The threat of teams folding, players not receiving payment and security risks have clouded the way people react to the league. But the KHL has faced the same issues as the AHL without the benefit of help from another, more powerful league to feed it talent and money. The financial stability of some of the KHL’s teams has been called into question, but that’s no different from the AHL, which has seen nearly a dozen teams fold or relocate since 2008.
When it comes to making the product accessible, the KHL is miles ahead of the AHL, too. The AHL’s production values are often subpar, with live feeds looking closer to something produced in the early days of the Internet than today’s high-definition broadcast world. The KHL offers English highlight shows on YouTube for North American fans trying to access the league. Its website also comes in English and Russian. That matters, and the KHL’s efforts in packaging a product that looks like a professional league has made a difference for anyone trying to keep up.
THE KHL ALLOWS FOR CREATIVE HOCKEY TO FLOURISH. THAT MAKES FOR MORE EXCITING HOCKEY
The AHL may be able to boast it has some future stars among its ranks, but the KHL could trot out a number of teams that could compete in the NHL today. And, most of all, that’s what makes the KHL the second-best league in the world. It isn’t striving to be second-best. The KHL is shooting for No. 1.
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AHL VS. KHL – Sept 1, 2016 - Ryan Kennedy & Jared Clinton
THE AHL
The NHL is unquestionably the best hockey league in the world, and since 88 percent of its players come from the AHL, it’s obvious which circuit comes in second. I conducted a straw poll of player agents on the topic, and the AHL was the definitive answer: “no question.”
Even though the AHL is more of a development league than Russia’s top rung of hockey, the AHL is still viewed by agents as having better competition and quality of hockey than the KHL. Agents can get bigger paydays for their clients in Russia, but they also know that for their charges to get NHL jobs on a full-time basis, the players must be prepared for the rigors of the elite ranks, and that’s where the AHL comes in.
The best petri dish ever may have come in 2004-05, when the NHL locked out its players, forcing young stars such as Eric Staal and Jason Spezza to spend an extra season in the ‘A.’ The result? Staal won a Stanley Cup with Carolina the next year while putting up the best offensive totals of his career. Spezza also followed that up with one of his best years and helped Ottawa to the Cup final one year after Staal’s Canes won. Naturally, we have the benefit of hindsight in assigning props to the AHL here, but the axiom that players are rarely ruined by spending extra time in the minors (a.k.a. the AHL) while many have been ruined by rushing into the NHL is there for a reason.
Look at one of the most successful teams in modern hockey, the Detroit Red Wings. The franchise hasn’t missed the playoffs in more than two decades despite drafting no higher than 15th overall since 1991. The key? Identifying talent better than most and then letting those players marinate in the AHL. Gustav Nyquist, Teemu Pulkkinen and Brendan Smith are all recent examples, as are veterans Niklas Kronwall, Justin Abdelkader and Jonathan Ericsson (plus goalies Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek).
Other franchises are having their AHL epiphanies, too. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for example, brought in a raft of veterans during training camp last year to give their youngsters a deliberate uphill battle. The result was having top-end recruits such as William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman starting the year with the AHL’s Marlies, playing big minutes for a squad that was more exciting to watch than the NHL club itself. And that’s all good, because those youngsters got great reps against physically strong competition in NHL-type situations.
When the NHL considers new rule changes, the league often goes to the AHL to test out the wrinkles first. If anything, some of those developing players are getting a jumpstart on NHLers by playing in the minors in some situations.
The AHL doesn’t just build up players, however. Coaching is also a strong suit of the circuit, which goes hand in hand with developing on-ice talent. Of the 30 current NHL coaches, only nine didn’t spend at least one season behind an AHL bench, and Dave Tippett is a bit of an asterisk, since his IHL Houston Aeros eventually joined the AHL. On the other hand, the KHL is where coaches go for a last chance (Mike Keenan, for example).
Really, the only advantage the KHL has over the AHL is in salaries, but even then, players aren’t guaranteed to actually receive all their money over in the Russian circuit. That was another gripe from agents about the KHL, and it doesn’t seem like the instability is going to change much anymore.
Even in travel, the AHL wins out. Sure, there are bus trips, but the expansion of the footprint over the years also means plane travel to big, fun cities such as San Diego, Austin, Toronto and Chicago. Meanwhile, the KHL has ignored military history (never cross Russia in the winter) by geographically stretching to absurd lengths. Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Admiral Vladivostok are in the same division but separated by a 14-hour plane ride. How is that good for players in any way?
For players who want to be the best in their journey to the NHL, the AHL is the clear-cut route. If you want to chase money and hassles, head to the KHL.
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THN's Archive: Russian RouletteTaking a chance on a Russian prospect in the draft isn't putting a gun to your head anymoreTHE KHL
It the 2013 Spengler Cup, the KHL’s CSKA Moscow beat the AHL’s Rochester Americans 4-3 in a round-robin game. CSKA went on to make the final, while the Americans dropped every single game they played by a combined score of 15-6.
On a league-specific scale, the difference between Moscow and Rochester wasn’t much. Both had win percentages bordering on 60 percent in their respective leagues, finished in playoff positions and were steady on offense and defense. But when it came to a head-to-head, the KHL came out on top. And that’s the thing: play that 2013 contest 10 times and the result won’t change. The KHL is the world’s second-best league, and there’s really no question.
From a pure talent standpoint, only the NHL beats what the KHL can offer. Bonafide star Ilya Kovalchuk is the biggest name in the KHL, but the league also plays host to a number of former NHLers, including Nigel Dawes, Matt Gilroy and Cam Barker. While it’s not top-tier NHL talent, all four are players whose game would be wasted in the AHL. It’s for that reason players head to the KHL instead of toiling in the minor league system.
Putting together an all-star team of KHLers since the league’s inaugural season in 2008 shows how immensely talented some of these players are. Of course, Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov would be on the list, but so would Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Yashin, Jiri Hudler and Sergei Fedorov. Compare that to an AHL all-star roster and the debate over which league produces the better on-ice product is over.
The KHL allows for creative hockey to flourish, and the game has benefitted in a big way. In the AHL, teams must sometimes play the way the big club wishes, teaching system over skill. Not so in the KHL, where each team plays to its strengths and produces a style to fit the talent on its roster. That makes for more exciting hockey and a league-wide product that isn’t a copy of the league above it with less-talented players.
That’s also true of team improvement. In the KHL, one off-season can change a team’s fate, whereas AHL teams are at the behest of their NHL affiliates. Fans of struggling AHL clubs have to rely on the NHL team to stock the farm. Not so in the KHL, where GMs can go out and improve with scouting and financial resources.
Even the league’s import limit doesn’t prove to be a hindrance when it comes to icing top-level teams, especially because much of the creative play is coming from the Russian players. In the AHL, however, the veteran limit only allows for a maximum of six players with 260-plus pro games to dress on one roster. That means a number of talented vets are out of jobs in the NHL’s minor league. But the AHL’s loss is the KHL’s gain.
Admittedly, the public perception of the league is what hurts the KHL. The threat of teams folding, players not receiving payment and security risks have clouded the way people react to the league. But the KHL has faced the same issues as the AHL without the benefit of help from another, more powerful league to feed it talent and money. The financial stability of some of the KHL’s teams has been called into question, but that’s no different from the AHL, which has seen nearly a dozen teams fold or relocate since 2008.
When it comes to making the product accessible, the KHL is miles ahead of the AHL, too. The AHL’s production values are often subpar, with live feeds looking closer to something produced in the early days of the Internet than today’s high-definition broadcast world. The KHL offers English highlight shows on YouTube for North American fans trying to access the league. Its website also comes in English and Russian. That matters, and the KHL’s efforts in packaging a product that looks like a professional league has made a difference for anyone trying to keep up.
THE KHL ALLOWS FOR CREATIVE HOCKEY TO FLOURISH. THAT MAKES FOR MORE EXCITING HOCKEY
The AHL may be able to boast it has some future stars among its ranks, but the KHL could trot out a number of teams that could compete in the NHL today. And, most of all, that’s what makes the KHL the second-best league in the world. It isn’t striving to be second-best. The KHL is shooting for No. 1.
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Vancouver Canucks Sign KHL Forward Ilya SafonovNewly minted GM Ryan Johnson secures the former Blackhawks draft pick to bolster roster depth, bringing Russian scoring touch and size to training camp on a low-risk deal.Stay updated with the most interesting International Hockey stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favourites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive, and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
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