Patrick Williams submits the FloHockey AHL Power Rankings each week during the regular season.
Let’s get back to the Grand Rapids Griffins and their pursuit of the best record in the 90-season history of the AHL.
50 games into the AHL season, the 40-7-2-1 Griffins have the best record this season in AHL history. With 22 games to go, the Griffins are poised to make AHL history.
In terms of scoring, the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers own the AHL’s all-time marks with 124 points and a .775 fielding percentage. But that accomplishment came in the 80-game format that the AHL used at the time. This season’s Griffins may be leading the way with 127 points, which leaves them with little margin for error, but their .830 performance puts them in good position to challenge the 33-year-old record.
Amazingly enough despite this record-setting pace, the Griffins still have a few steps behind them. The Providence Bruins are just six points behind Grand Rapids for the league lead and have a game in hand over the Griffins.
More points are on the table this week as the Griffins settle into a four-game point streak. They have a chance to get into the Calder Cup Playoffs immediately 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 running on Binghamton’s record-breaking career. Now it’s the Griffins’ turn.
1) Grand Rapids Griffins (–)
2) Providence Bruins (–)
Cruising, those P-Bruins were. They went on a 13-game winning streak heading into last Saturday’s trip to Springfield and lost. The next afternoon at home to the Hartford Wolf Pack, they were down 3-0 at the end of the first half. It was a rare setback for a team that has been on a downward spiral for the past three months. A wake-up call before the stretch drive could be a silver lining.
3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (+2)
Between Joel Blomqvist and Sergey Murashov in net, the Penguins always have a good chance. It went 3-0 last week with a win over the Springfield Thunderbirds and a home-to-home sweep of the Bridgeport Islanders. What this team has done despite the ongoing competition to score goals from the trade has been admirable. They went to Cleveland for weekend dates.
4) Laval Rocket (-1)
With Jacob Fowler out of action last week, the Rockets had to lean heavily on Kaapo Kähkönen. The veteran started all three games in a 44-hour span and led the Rockets to two wins.
5) Colorado Eagles (-1)
First, it was a 2-1 lead in Chicago that disappeared last Saturday night. Then it started to go 2-0 to Wolves the next afternoon. After four games in a row against Chicago, the Eagles will find a new slide when the Coachella Valley Firebirds visit for two games. The Colorado Avalanche placed defenseman Jacob MacDonald on waivers after missing the first four months of the season with hip surgery; he should be a big player for the Eagles.
6) Dominion of Ontario (+1)
After being swept in two games by the Abbotsford Canucks, the Reign is back to normal. They shut out the Canucks at home before back-to-back wins in Tucson to finish off their weekend. They are fighting for first place with Colorado – at stake is the chance to get past the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
7) Bakersfield Condors (-1)
As exciting as last Friday’s game against the Calgary Wranglers was, it wasn’t the type of game the coaching staff was excited about. With Calvin Pickard in Bakersfield, goaltender Connor Ungar was reassigned to the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL after a solid run with the Condors. They have a tough four-game road trip through Colorado, the Coachella Valley, and Ontario ahead of them.
8) Charlotte Checkers (–)
Starting a 10-game road trip, the Checkers won at Rochester and then got a two-game set split at Syracuse. Charlotte went with Cooper Black-Kirill Gerasimyuk to identify a tandem that was fairly strong. The first two spots in the Atlantic Division may be up for grabs, but the Checkers are holding on to third place. Something to watch over the next two weeks – the Florida Panthers have a history of being proactive in making moves to help the Checkers.
9) Chicago Wolves (–)
The Wolves got a point in Grand Rapids between home wins against the Iowa Wild and Texas Stars. They allowed just 62 shots in those three games. This team has firmly established themselves as the second best team in the Central Division and a real postseason threat.
10) San Jose Barracuda (-1)
NHL veteran Laurent Brossoit has emerged as the Barracuda’s first choice in recent weeks. After two games in Calgary, they returned home for back-to-back dates against the Tucson Roadrunners. How active, if any, is the parent San Jose Sharks likely to be at the NHL trade deadline? Does that eliminate any talent from the Barracuda roster? Or add to it?
11) Cleveland Monsters (+3)
The Monsters have won four of their last five games, with the only loss coming in a tough fight at Grand Rapids last Wednesday. They have a tough 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)
The seven-game winning streak came to an end last Saturday when they lost 4-3 to Charlotte. Brandon Halverson has allowed just three goals in his past four starts. As is often the case with 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 over a month saw him get hit 40 times by Colorado last Saturday. That kind of play won’t go far as the March stretch drive begins.
14) Toronto Marlies (-3)
The Marlies week started well enough with a home win against Laval. Then it went through with a loss to the Hershey Bears and two losses to Cleveland. They have a tough schedule ahead of them, too, as they visit Laval on Wednesday and face Chicago at home as they move into a tough March slate.
15) Rochester Americans (–)
Three consecutive home games yielded only two points (0-1-1-1). The Americans travel to Cleveland on Wednesday and will host the Rockets at home this Friday. Sunday’s game at Syracuse will be the first of four against the Crunch in March.
16) Texas Stars (+2)
Going to Milwaukee to face the long-time rival Admirals, the Stars came away with the title. They will host the San Diego Gulls this weekend for two home games. It will be another test against a team fighting for a playoff spot, but the Stars have a good chance of taking third place in the Central Division this season.
Other
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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