The AHL’s division alignment for next season is pretty familiar, with one big change: Charlotte has returned to the Eastern Conference. The Checkers join the East Atlantic Division next season, restoring 15-15 balance to the conferences but unbalancing the divisions again, 8-7, in both conferences. The league says the playoff format will be finalized in Hilton Head in July, but history suggests that unbalance will prod them toward the crossover again, with the fifth-place Atlantic team able to knock out the fourth-place North team. I’ll sit and wait for you to throw things.
Some teams have dropped their schedule format as well; Bridgeport may do so in the near future, but sounds like not today. It doesn’t appear there’ll be anything too surprising, anyway, but it does seem likely they’ll face everyone in the East again after skipping one last St. John’s trip this year. From other teams’ releases, Bridgeport will face Charlotte eight times (divisional opponent, that makes sense) and the Binghamton Devils twice. As usual, that’s evenly split, home and away. A few Western Conference teams have released theirs without, unsurprisingly, a Bridgeport appearance.
Further away, there’s another former Sound Tiger at the World Championships: Chris Lee has been added to Canada’s roster after Tyson Barrie injured himself in fascinating fashion.