There may be no deeper team in the AHL than the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, whose 28 wins, 59 points, and .756 points percentage lead all teams despite them playing in the league's toughest division. A blend of goaltending, scoring, and all-around depth means there are no significant weaknesses on coach Clark Donatelli's roster. Second-half recalls to the Pittsburgh Penguins last season slowed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to some extent, a situation that will bear watching.
An hour south of the Penguins are the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who have the second-best point percentage in the league yet are seven points behind in the Atlantic Division race. The Phantoms have seamlessly blended a deep group of high-end AHL veterans with a strong collection of prospects while the Philadelphia Flyers continue to build one of the more impressive pipelines in the NHL. An interesting subplot will be the goaltending competition between Anthony Stolarz and rookie Alex Lyon.
The Providence Bruins used a strong December record to overcome a slow start and take over third place in the division. Aiding that climb has been the significant turbulence that the Hershey Bears have hit recently in losing six of their past seven games. Goaltending and a thin group of defensemen have slowed the Bears, but management with Hershey and the Washington Capitals are traditionally aggressive in making late-season moves to solidify any areas that need help.
Three wins in their past 13 games have put the Bridgeport Sound Tigers seven points behind fourth-place Hershey. The Hartford Wolf Pack and Springfield Thunderbirds round out the division.